Playing God 尼泊爾神秘女孩──活女神庫瑪麗 Chanira was once a god, and now she’s just another one of us. Chanira 曾經是神，但是她現在就跟一般人一樣平凡。
圖片來源：Hung Chung Chih / Shutterstock, Inc.
When she was only five years old, Chanira was put through tests to find out if she could be the new Kumari, or living goddess. Local priests decided that she fit the bill, so she was worshipped▼ as a goddess from that day until she was 15 years old. Nepal has a special mix of Hinduism▼ and Buddhism▼, both of which worship the Kumari. They believe in a living god that is housed in the body of the girl they have chosen. Though there are many Kumaris, the most famous is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu. As Kumari, Chanira felt that her body was warm, but that she wasn't herself. The feeling was one of amazing power, but without any control. Her days were spent in a temple surrounded by servants and their children. After she turned 15, a new Kumari was chosen, and Chanira became a normal girl again. The switch back to normal life was not easy. In the temple, she had servants. Now, she was on her own, without the experience of others her age. While Chanira enjoyed her time as a goddess, she hopes to make the change to normal life easier for future Kumaris.
put sb through sth 使某人經歷（不愉快或困難）的事 The employee was put through a test to see if he was qualified for the promotion. 這位員工得經過一項測驗來檢視他是否有資格升遷。 ＊qualified a. 有資格的
priest n. 祭司；牧師 The priest married Bob and Sara on the ferry. 那位牧師在渡輪上為鮑伯和莎拉主持婚禮。
house vt. 附身；收藏 The building housed many artifacts from ancient Egypt. 這棟大樓收藏了許多古埃及的手工藝品。
royal a. 皇室的 Members of the British Royal Family are always making headlines. 英國皇室的成員總是登上頭條。
amazing a. 驚人的 It's amazing that an ant can carry objects that are much heavier than itself. 螞蟻搬得動比自己身體重好幾倍的物體，還真是令人驚奇。
surround vt. 圍繞；包圍 As they were completely surrounded by our troops, the enemy finally gave in. 由於敵人完全被我軍包圍，他們最後終於投降。
servant n. 僕人，侍者 The billionaire has many servants but no friends. 那位億萬富翁有很多僕人，卻沒有朋友。
switch n. 轉變 There's been a switch in our plans; we're going to visit Thailand instead of Vietnam. 計畫改變了；我們要去泰國而不是越南。
▼ worship vi. & vt. 敬奉（神） ▼ Hinduism n. 印度教 ▼ Buddhism n. 佛教
『符合需要』怎麼說 本文 "Local priests decided that she fit the bill, so..." 中的片語 fit the bill 是一個非正式口語的用法。這裡的 bill 不是『帳單』，而是過去戲院所張貼的『海報』， fit the bill 則是指演員的名字出現在海報上，即『主演』之意，現已被引申為『符合需要；達到標準』的意思。與其相關的片語還有 fill the bill 和 meet the requirements。例：
If you're looking for adventure, skydiving fits the bill. （如果你正在尋求冒險，高空跳傘會符合你的需求。）
We needed a journalist with specialist knowledge, and she filled the bill. （我們需要一位有專業知識的記者，她正符合需要。）
Alan met the requirements for admission to Harvard. He will study there next year. （艾倫符合哈佛大學的入學資格。他將在明年到那裡念書。）
