Paul, the oracle octopus who shot to fame in the World Cup this summer for his uncanny ability to predict the results of Germany's soccer matches, has died at his home in Oberhausen at the age of two.

English-born Paul made headlines across the globe after he correctly forecast how Germany would fare in seven matches, before his psychic powers were tested again for the final.

After Germany's semi-final defeat, Paul tipped Spain to beat the Netherlands in the final, which prompted one news agency to report he had spurred a jump in demand for Spanish government bonds. Paul's prediction duly came to pass: Spain won.

Staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Center in western Germany said in a statement they were "devastated" to learn of Paul's death when they returned to work on Tuesday.

"He appears to have passed away peacefully during the night, of natural causes, and we are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life," said the centre's manager Stefan Porwoll.

Before matches, two containers of food were placed in the eight-legged creature's tank, each one bearing the flag of one of the teams about to compete for their chance to become world champions. The container Paul picked first was seen as his pick.

Following the World Cup, a Spanish zoo made a transfer bid for Paul but his German keepers refused to sell.

Paul will be kept in cold storage until the center decides how to mark the mollusc's extraordinary life, Porwoll added.

"We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine," he said.

Paul, who was hatched in Weymouth, England, may yet continue to dazzle the world with predictions from beyond the grave.

A Russian newspaper said in July it had got Paul to predict who would be Russia's next president -- but that the results would be kept secret until the election year of 2012.

Sea Life said Paul would live on as the object of a host of commercial enterprises ranging from special clothing lines to mobile phone applications inspired by his fame in Oberhausen, one of Germany's most cash-strapped cities.

Meanwhile, donations made in honor of Paul's achievements would help to fund a planned permanent rescue center for sea turtles on the Greek island of Zakynthos, Sea Life said.

(Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

章鱼保罗近日在奥伯豪森水族馆的家中去世，享年两岁。这只神算章鱼因在今夏世界杯期间准确预测德国足球队全部赛果而一举成名。

在准确预测了德国队七场赛事结果后，出生于英国的保罗立即成为全球大热，之后它神奇的预测能力又在决赛中得以验证。

在德国队折戟半决赛后，保罗预测西班牙队将战胜荷兰队捧杯，有家通讯社甚至因此报道称，保罗此举还使西班牙政府债券的需求量激增。保罗的预测终于成真：西班牙队最终夺冠。

德国西部奥伯豪森水族馆的工作人员在一份声明中称，他们在本周二上班后得知保罗去世“悲痛万分”。

水族馆经理斯特凡•波尔沃尔说：“他在夜里平静离世，是自然死亡。他在世时享受到了精彩的一生，我们对此感到欣慰。”

在每场比赛之前，工作人员会在这只八爪章鱼的水箱里放两盒食物，每个盒子里各放一面下一轮交锋球队的国旗。保罗首先选中哪个盒子就代表他认为谁将取胜。

本届世界杯结束后，西班牙一家动物园想出价让保罗“转会”，被其德国主人断然拒绝。

波尔沃尔补充称，在水族馆决定如何为保罗举行葬礼仪式前，他的遗体将被冷藏保存。

他说：“我们可能会在院子里给他找一块小墓地，再为它竖一块朴素的永久纪念碑。”

保罗生于英格兰韦茅斯，虽然它已经离世，但他生前的预测仍将影响后世。

俄罗斯一家报纸今年7月份称，保罗已对俄下届总统大选做出预测，但预测结果在2012年大选前将保密。

奥伯豪森水族馆称，由于保罗在奥伯豪森名声大振，他的形象仍将用于服装品牌、手机应用软件等一系列商业产品中。奥伯豪森是德国最贫困的城市之一。

水族馆表示，与此同时，为纪念保罗成就而进行的捐款将用于按计划在希腊扎金索斯岛修建一家海龟永久救援中心。

[color=#0000ff]Vocabulary:

shoot to fame: 一举成名，迅速走红

beyond the grave: 死后

cash-strapped: 资金短缺的[/color]
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[color=#FFFFff][align=center]谋杀章鱼保罗[/align]
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　　《谋杀章鱼保罗》由小江执导，田原、连晋、黄健翔、李承鹏、张帅、谢晖、李凯、张璇等主演，剧情是围绕世界杯期间成功预测了八场比赛结果的神奇章鱼“保罗”而展开的，讲述了一段由国际赌球集团操作控制的跨国追杀的故事，惊悚意味十足，是世界上第一部有关“世界杯预测大师”保罗的影片。

　　剧组曾于世界杯期间远赴南非拍摄，将最真实的比赛画面呈现在了影迷眼前，同时又穿插着惊悚的国际大阴谋。前国脚张帅、谢晖；足球解[/color]

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