A cat in Russia has been presented as the latest prognosticating creature tasked with predicting the outcome of the 2018 World Cup.
俄罗斯一只猫咪最近被奉为最新的“预言帝”，它的任务是预测俄罗斯世界杯的比赛结果。
Achilles, the resident cat of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, has been officially chosen as an oracle for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which kicks off Thursday.这只猫名叫阿喀琉斯，生活在圣彼得堡的冬宫博物馆。它已被正式选定为本届世界杯的“预测官”。2018年世界杯将于本周四开赛。The white, blue-eyed cat will attempt to predict the winners by choosing between two bowls of food, each adorned with the flag of the competing nation.这只蓝眼白猫将通过在两碗猫粮中做选择来预测获胜球队，每碗猫粮中各插一面参赛队的队旗。Last year, during the FIFA Confederations Cup, a precursor tournament for the World Cup, the feline proved to be quite skilled, correctly guessing three out of four major matches.在去年的国际足联联合会杯比赛中，阿喀琉斯就展现出了它“神算子”的技能。它对4场主要赛事进行了预测，成功命中了3场。国际足联联合会杯是世界杯的先驱赛。Achilles is said to be undergoing intense training in "intuition skills" at the Cats Republic, a cafe that's part of the Cats Museum.据称，阿喀琉斯正在猫咪博物馆的猫咪共和咖啡厅接受“直觉力”的密集培训。Much like the major athletes involved in the Cup, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo Messi, Mohammed Salah and Paul Pogba, Achilles will undergo a strict diet and exercise regimen to get in shape for the tournament.就像参加本届世界杯的克里斯蒂亚诺?罗纳尔多、里奥?梅西、穆罕默德?萨拉赫和保罗?博格巴等大牌球星那样，阿喀琉斯将严格控制饮食，还将接受体能训练，为世界杯保持完美体态。Achilles is deaf and also has an undisclosed birth defect that Hermitage Cats Press Secretary Maria Haltunen says is an indicator of good intuition.阿喀琉斯耳聋，还有未透露的出生缺陷。冬宫博物馆猫咪事务新闻秘书玛利亚-赫图内说这表明它的直觉很好。"We considered — and it turned out to be right — that when you lack something, it is compensated by something else," Haltunen told APTN. "That's why he was a very good oracle."她告诉美联社电视新闻网说：“我们认为，某方面的缺陷会由另一方面的优势来弥补。事实也证明这是正确的。因此它能出色地完成预测任务。”Achilles will follow in the off-beat guessing games of Paul the octopus, which became a global sensation as an oracle for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.阿喀琉斯将接班章鱼保罗，预测比赛结果。在2010年的南非世界杯期间，神算章鱼保罗引发全球关注。Paul the Octopus was correct in predicting the outcome of four out of six matches, including Spain's victory in the World Cup final. Paul, who lived in a German aquarium, died four months later.
在六场比赛中，章鱼保罗准确预测了四场比赛结果，包括西班牙在决赛中的胜利。保罗居住在德国一家水族馆，在世界杯结束四个月后去世。During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Swiss guinea pig Madame Shiva and a British piranha named Pele were considered oracles, but apparently lacked the same foresight that made Paul a worldwide sensation.在2014年的巴西世界杯期间，瑞士豚鼠希瓦夫人和英国水虎鱼佩莱也都预测了比赛结果，但准确度明显不及章鱼保罗。The world will be watching as Achilles tries to prove his prediction skills.阿喀琉斯能否证明其“神算子”能力，我们拭目以待。