近期发表的一份名为《边缘科学怪异报告》称，英国在去年共经历了227起“超自然事件”，是目前为止最高的记录。这份报告是由英国圣公会的一位牧师编写的，在这227起“超自然事件”中，“撞鬼”事件、 不明飞行物、怪声以及公路上的奇幻现象占到多数。此外，报告中还提到鬼怪、麦田怪圈和传说中的幽灵大黑狗等事件。在此前的年度记录中，每年经历的“超自然事件”约为140到180起，不过近年来这个数字在不断攀升。编写报告的牧师指出，在手机与网络普及的科技时代，信息传播的速度更快，此类事件数量上升可能也有这个因素的影响。

Some of the paranormal hotspots around the country.

A report revealed that Britain has been witness to a record number of 227 spooky events last year.

The Fringe Weird Report compiled by the Rev Lionel Fanthorpe, a Cardiff-based Anglican priest, found that ghosts, UFOs, strange sounds and road phantoms were the most common spooks experienced.

Also among the reports are poltergeists, crop circles and shucks - spectres of large black dogs.

In a normal year there are 140 to 180 reports but the number has been rising steadily.

"It has to be considered that news spreads faster in our technological days with mobile phones and the Internet. However, it’s beginning to look as if 2010 will produce a higher-than-average number of reports," the Sun quoted Fanthorpe as saying.

Some of the paranormal hotspots around the country:

Prestwick: The most recent event - a man on Saturday reported seeing a ball-shaped red object in the sky close to this Scottish town that changed colour, flew and was joined by other similar shapes.

Truro: Passers-by reported in February hearing the rattling of chains at Comprigney Field, where criminals'' bodies were exhibited in an iron cage known as a gibbet.

Ipswich: A woman was seen in February looking from a window in the Crown Hotel when the room was thought to be unoccupied.

Trowbridge: Unexplained orbs of light, a strange phantom figure and examples of poltergeist activity were reported in March at the Wiltshire town''s Rose and Crown pub.

Exeter: St Thomas station is apparently haunted by a person wearing heels who likes to pat dogs. The animals respond affectionately even though no one can be seen. The latest report was in August.

York: A girl carrying a child is reported on misty evenings on the A64 Malton Road where a highwayman supposedly murdered her. She was spotted in April.

Culcreach Castle: A phantom harpist plays and in June was heard by boatmen on Loch Lomond.

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(Agencies)

Vocabulary:

poltergeist: troublesome spirit or ghost 鬼怪

shuck: the name given to a ghostly black dog which is said to roam the Norfolk, Essex and Suffolk coastline. 指经常游移在诺福克、埃塞克斯以及苏佛克海岸线附近的幽灵大黑狗。在英国，人们经常看到这种动物，并将它们称为黑夏克（Black Shuck，Shuck来自盎格鲁—撒克逊语的scucca，意思是魔鬼），老夏克（Old Shuck）。

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）