just in time, JIT, serve out the unexpired term

On Feb. 25, 1870, Hiram R. Revels, R-Miss., became the first black member of the United States Senate as he was sworn in to serve out the unexpired term of Jefferson Davis.



《中英對照讀新聞》Just in time︰ NC couple claims $1M lottery prize 剛好趕上：北卡州夫婦領取百萬美元彩金

◎張沛元

A North Carolina couple has claimed a $1 million lotto prize just a day before it expired.

北卡羅萊納州一對夫妻在100萬美元的樂透彩券領獎截止日的前一天，領取了獎金。

Raleigh Hill bought the Mega Millions ticket last summer. The state lottery agency said Hill and his wife claimed the prize Tuesday at the agency’s headquarters.

萊里．希爾是在去年夏天買了這張兆彩彩券。北卡州樂透局表示，希爾與他的妻子週二在樂透局的總部領取了這筆彩金。

Hill said he only realized a couple of weeks after the Aug. 20 drawing that his ticket matched all five white balls. He waited two or three more weeks to tell his wife, until she came home at the end of a bad day.

希爾說，他直到去年8月20日這張彩券開獎之後的幾週，才知道他的彩券號碼與5顆白球的號碼完全吻合。他又等了兩或三週，才在某天他老婆過了很不順的一天回家後，把此事稟報太座。

Hill told the state lottery he hesitated to come in because of the attention. At one point, he lost track of the ticket before finding where he’d hidden it in a shoe box.

希爾告訴北卡州樂透當局，外界的關注讓他在出面領獎上有所遲疑，甚至一度不知道把這張彩券塞到哪裡去，最後才發現自己把彩券藏在一個鞋盒裡。

After taxes, the couple received $680,000. Hill is a baggage handler and his wife, Erin Hill, works for the federal government.

這對夫妻稅後可拿到68萬美元。希爾是一名行李搬運工，他的妻子艾琳．希爾任職於聯邦政府。

新聞辭典

just in time：慣用語，在最後可能的時刻，剛好來得及。同義詞，in the nick of time。例句：He was rescued in the nick of time.（他及時獲救。）

claim： 動詞，索取、主張；名詞，聲稱、聲明。baggage claim，行李提領處。相關慣用語，someone’s claim to fame，成名的理由。例句：His claim to fame is that he can recite the entire works of Shakespeare.（他之所以這麼有名，在於他能背誦莎士比亞的所有作品。）

a couple of：慣用語，兩三個；不只一個但也不多。同義詞，a few。例句：We got a couple of options for you.（我們有幾種選項供您選擇。）

just-in-time manufacturing/service, Toyota Production System

Production-control system, developed by Toyota Motor Corp. and imported to the West, that has revolutionized manufacturing methods in some industries. By relying on daily deliveries of most supplies, it eliminates waste due to overproduction and lowers warehousing costs. Supplies are closely monitored and quickly altered to meet changing demands, and small and accurate resupply deliveries must be made just as they are needed. Because there are no spares, the components must be free of defects. Plants wholly dedicated to the JIT concept require a logistics staff to schedule production, balancing product demand with plant capacity and availability of inputs. JIT has worked most effectively for large automobile manufacturers, which may have several thousand suppliers feeding parts into 100 factories that assemble components for 20 assembly lines.