時尚雙語:雙胞胎兄弟爲“雙胞胎日”捐贈百萬美元

A donation that the Twins Days festival is getting from the estate of two frugal bachelor farmers is enough to make some people do a double-take (1): as much as $5 million.

John and William Reiff, once recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's most identical twins, left most of their estate to the festival in Twinsburg (2), about 15 miles southeast of Cleveland. John Reiff died in 2005 and William five years earlier, but only recently have plans to develop part of the twins' suburban Philadelphia farm been worked out.

With the land deal expected to be completed this year, about $4 million to $5 million will go to the festival, according to a lawyer for the Twins Days Festival Committee. The festival committee intends to invest the money to help pay for operating costs (3).

The Reiffs, who attended their first Twins Days festival in the late 1970s, always dressed alike, talked alike and enjoyed dating other twins. The wiry, bespectacled pair won many "most identical" competitions over the years.

The annual Twins Days festival, a three-day event that begins Aug. 3 this year, attracts about 3,000 sets of twins, triplets (4) and quadruplets (5) and features contests such as those for the most alike and least alike twins. Over the years, it also has attracted scientists interested in genetic research.

Between trips to Twinsburg and to other twin events, the Reiffs lived frugally (6) on a 154-acre farm that had been in the family for three generations. It was no model of agriculture. A wood stove heated the house, and a 20-cow herd barely supported the dairy.

Before his death in 2005, John Reiff cut a deal with a development group that planned to use the farm, a rare piece of undeveloped land near Philadelphia, for residential housing.

Neighbors sued, but local officials, the developer and residents have finally agreed on a plan to build six houses and a park on the site, and 40 houses elsewhere.

The Reiff brothers, who never married, gave most of their fortune to the Twins Days festival but also left $250,000 to four churches. None of their four living sisters was named in their will.

兩位簡樸的單身農夫向雙胞胎日捐贈了價值5百萬美元的資產，足以讓人們爲之驚訝。

約翰雷夫和威廉雷夫曾經被吉尼斯世界紀錄認爲是世界上長得最像的雙胞胎。他們把自己大多數的資產都贈給了特溫斯堡市的雙胞胎節日，即在克里夫蘭東南部的15英里地。約翰於2005年去世，而威廉比約翰早去世5年。然而，直到最近，對這對雙胞胎兄弟在費城城郊的農場的開發計劃才得以實現。

據一位雙胞胎節日委員會的律師稱，隨着這項土地交易在今年的完成，雙胞胎節日將獲得4到5百萬美元。節日委員會打算將這筆錢用於支付其運營成本。

雷夫兄弟倆第一次參加雙胞胎節日是在70年代末。他們總是穿同樣的衣服，用同樣的方式講話，喜歡和另外的雙胞胎姐妹約會。多年來，這對瘦但結實的雙胞胎兄弟參加了很多“最相像”比賽並獲獎。

雙胞胎節日每年都會舉辦一次，一共持續三天。今年是在8月3日舉行的，吸引了有3000對雙胞胎、三胞胎和四胞胎的參與，舉辦了長得最像和最不像之類的比賽。很多年來，這項活動同樣也吸引了那些對基因研究感興趣的科學家們。

在往返於參加特溫斯堡市和其他雙胞胎活動之外，雷夫兄弟在一塊154英畝的農場上過着儉樸的生活。這個家族有三代人在這塊農場上生活過。這裏不是模範的農場。整個屋子靠一個木製火爐取暖，20頭牛勉強維持產奶。

一個開發商原本打算在這塊費城附近的稀有的未開發土地上修建住房，但約翰雷夫在2005年去世以前和該公司締結了土地交易。

鄰居們起訴了他，但到最後，當地政府、開發商和居民還是達成一致，計劃就在那修建6座房子和一個公園，然後在別的地再修40 座房子。

雷夫兄弟一生未婚，並把他們大多數財產都捐給了雙胞胎節日，把另外的25萬美元贈與了4座教堂。在遺囑裏，他們根本沒有提及四個還健在的姐妹。