一道小學生算術題難倒了首相卡梅倫

David Cameron refused to answer a maths question - in case he got it wrong.
爲了防止自己回答錯，英國首相卡梅倫拒絕回答一道數學題。

The Prime Minister backed plans for every child to be tested on their times table when they leave primary school. But he ducked a question on what is nine times eight, hours after Education Secretary Nicky Morgan also insisted: "I'm not going to answer any maths questions."
首相支持讓每一位孩子在小學畢業之前都要測試乘法表口訣的計劃。但是有人問他9乘以8是多少的時候，他避而不答，而幾個小時之前教育部長尼基·摩根也堅持說：“我不會回答任何數學問題。”

The Tories have declared "war on illiteracy and innumeracy" as part of a new Conservative drive to improve standards. Headteachers who fail to ensure the standards are met face being sacked if the Tories Conservatives are returned to power.
英國保守黨黨員們聲稱將和文盲和數學盲鬥爭到底，這一舉措是新保守黨爲了提高教育標準的一部分。若保守黨捲土重來重新掌權，沒有執行教育標準的校長們將面臨着解僱的危險。

As well as demonstrating mathematical skills, pupils will have to pass a writing test by showing they can use accurate punctuation, spelling and grammar. By the time they leave primary school all 11 year-olds will be able to read a novel, write a short story and recite their times tables up to 12.
除了主張提高學生的數學能力，學生們還要通過一項寫作考試，來證明他們對標點，拼寫和語法的掌握。當他們11歲畢業之時，學生們都要能寫一篇小說，一則短故事並且能夠背誦12X12乘法表。

But Mr Cameron ducked a maths challenge when answering questions following a speech in north London. Asked by 5 News political editor Andy Bell to calculate nine times eight, Mr Cameron responded: "I'm going to plead the Nicky Morgan defence, which is I do times tables only in the car with my children on the way to school. I'm going to stick to that just in case I get one wrong on your excellent television programme."
但在倫敦北部演講之後的問答環節，卡梅倫卻避而不答一道數學題。5頻道的政治編輯安迪·貝爾問他9乘8是多少的時候，卡梅倫這樣迴應道：“我要爲尼基·摩根辯護。我只有在開車送孩子去學校的途中才會背乘法表。我不想回答這個問題的原因，是爲了避免自己在你那麼棒的電視節目中出糗。”

Nicky Morgan said the policy would foster collaboration between schools to produce the best results. "Education can be life-transforming, and that means we have to give every child the best possible start in life to fulfil their potential." Mrs Morgan said that just enough is not good enough for pupils, and insisted the policy would help British schools compete with the best in the world.
尼基·摩根說這項政策會讓促進學校之間的合作以產生最好的結果。“教育可以改變一生。這就意味着，我們要讓每個孩子有一個儘可能最高的起跑點，從而發揮他們的潛能。”她說，對學生來說，足夠量並不代表足夠好，她也堅持說，這項政策將幫助英國的學校能和世界上最好的學校競爭。

Since replacing Michael Gove as Education Secretary last summer, Mrs Morgan has studiously avoided putting her academic abilities to the test on camera. Last year she was asked by a 10-year-old pupil what the cube root of 125 is. But she laughed it of saying: "I think it is probably better that politicians don't do maths or spelling on air."
自從去年夏天代替邁克爾·戈夫當上教育部長後，摩根女士刻意不讓自己在鏡頭面前被測試學術能力。去年有一位10歲學生問她125的平方根是多少。她只是笑了笑，說：“我認爲鏡頭前政治家還是不要做算術題爲好。”