◎俞智敏
Long waits to clear passport control at London Heathrow Airport can depend on which way the wind is blowing, Britain’s immigration minister said.
在倫敦希斯洛機場等候通關的時間長短，端視風向而定，英國移民部長說。
Delays at the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic have triggered a furore in Britain as the clock ticks down to the July 27 opening of the London Olympics, for which Heathrow will be the main gateway.
在這個全球最忙碌的國際機場，旅客通關時間過長已在英國引發眾怒，尤其倫敦奧運即將於7月27日開幕，屆時希斯洛機場將成為奧運最主要的門戶。
Immigration Minister Damian Green said passengers from New York might well have to wait longer to clear passport control if their flight arrives 10 minutes after one from Lagos in Nigeria, for example, rather than 10 minutes before.
移民局局長葛林說，舉例而言，如果來自紐約的班機是在來自奈及利亞大城拉哥斯的班機降落後10分鐘，而非降落前10分鐘才抵達希斯洛機場，那麼紐約旅客就可能要等候較久才能通關。
"That will depend on the wind, over which, with the best will in the world, airlines and the Border Force don’t have the control," he told a parliamentary committee.
「這都要看風向來決定，而就算各航空公司與邊境檢查署竭盡全力，也無法控制風向，」他在國會的一個委員會中表示。
BAA, the airport’s owner and operator, said some passengers had to wait up to three hours to get through Heathrow Terminal 4 last month. Green said the queue lengths seen at some times of the day at Heathrow were "unacceptable".
希斯洛機場所有者及營運商BAA表示，上個月有些旅客在機場4號航廈等了近3小時才順利通關。葛林則說，希斯洛機場有些時候的排隊人龍長度「讓人無法接受」。
British actress Joan Collins blasted Home Secretary Theresa May after being held up at Heathrow recently. "1000s waiting at passport control--listen up Ms. May--need more officers!" the 78-year-old former "Dynasty" star said on Twitter.
英國女星瓊考琳絲最近就因為在希斯洛機場苦等多時而痛批內政大臣梅伊。「1000多人在等候通關─聽清楚了，梅伊女士─我們需要更多海關官員！」這位曾演出知名連續劇「朝代」的78歲明星在推特上說。
新聞辭典
which way the wind is blowing：片語，指某事的可能發展態勢，例句：He quickly saw which way the wind was blowing and tried to comfort the worried parents.（他很快就看出事態走向，並試圖安慰憂心的家長們。）但本文中則指字面上意義，亦即風向。
with the best will in the world：片語，指即使已竭盡所能但仍可能無法做到某事，尤指無能為力的狀態，例句：With the best will in the world, if you don’t have a passport you can’t go.（就算有心，假如你沒有護照就無法成行。）
hold someone/something up：片語，指阻止、拖延某人或某事，例句：An accident on Main Street held up traffic for thirty minutes.（大街上發生的一場意外讓交通受阻了30分鐘。）
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