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On 17 November 2007, a man was jailed for producing works of art.2007 年 11 月 17 日，一名男子因制作艺术品被判入狱。 Why? Because the sculptures and artifacts Shaun Greenhalgh made were fakes: fakes that had conned museums and galleries out of over £500,000.为什么？因为肖恩·格林哈尔制作的雕塑和手工艺品都是赝品：赝品让博物馆和画廊损失了超过 50 万英镑。Shaun had left school with no qualifications but tried his hand at a wide range of crafts – from watercolor painting to sculpture.肖恩没有任何资格就离开了学校，但他尝试了各种各样的手工艺——从水彩画到雕塑。 The young Greenhalgh hoped to make it as an artist himself. 年轻的格林哈尔希望自己成为一名艺术家。His pieces were not admired, however, and he turned to forgery.然而，他的作品没有受到赞赏，他转向伪造。 He ended up creating a cottage industry in his garden shed, with the help of his family.在家人的帮助下，他最终在他的花园棚子里创建了一个家庭手工业。If the son had a talent for art, his father, George, had the gift of the gab and approached potential buyers. 如果儿子有艺术天分，那么他的父亲乔治就很有口才，会接触潜在的买家。He came up with detailed stories about how he found artworks which had been lost for generations. 他想出了详细的故事，讲述他是如何找到几代人丢失的艺术品的。In 2003, they sold a 50cm statue called the 'Amarna Princess' to Bolton Museum. 2003年，他们将一尊名为“阿玛娜公主”的50厘米雕像卖给了博尔顿博物馆。George claimed his own grandfather had bought it at an auction in 1892 at an aristocrat's home, and had papers which appeared to back up his story.乔治声称他自己的祖父是在 1892 年在一个贵族家中的拍卖会上买的，并且有似乎支持他的故事的文件。After talking to art experts, the museum paid more than £400,000 for the statue. 在与艺术专家交谈后，博物馆为这座雕像支付了超过 40 万英镑。The successful scam made the forgers grow bolder. 成功的骗局使伪造者变得更加大胆。But when they approached the British Museum with some more fake artefacts, an expert spotted mistakes and tipped off the police.After 18 months of investigations, the police knocked at the family's door. 但是当他们带着更多的假文物接近大英博物馆时，一位专家发现了错误并向警方举报。经过18个月的调查，警方敲响了这家人的门。They were surprised by the Greenhalgh's humble home. 他们对格林哈尔家简陋的家感到惊讶。Where were the riches of successful criminals? The police concluded that Shaun was motivated by "a resentment of the art market" and by a desire to deceive art experts, rather than by money.成功罪犯的财富在哪里？警方得出的结论是，肖恩的动机是“对艺术市场的怨恨”和欺骗艺术专家的愿望，而不是金钱。But how did he manage to fool so many experts? Irvin Finkel from the British Museum says the family produced things that "in a way we were looking for already". 但他是如何骗过这么多专家的？大英博物馆的欧文芬克尔说，这个家庭生产的东西“以我们已经在寻找的方式”。So when experts saw them they wanted to embrace these apparently long-lost treasures.因此，当专家们看到它们时，他们想拥抱这些显然失传已久的宝藏。词汇表artefact    人工（艺术）制品to con    欺骗，欺诈to try your hand at   试试手，尝试亲自动手craft   手工艺品，手艺watercolour painting    水彩画sculpture     雕刻，雕塑forgery      伪造cottage industry     家庭手工业，小作坊工业the gift of the gab    能说会道artwork     艺术品auction      拍卖aristocrat     贵族back up     证实（说法）scam  骗局to tip off    给（某人）通风报信riches   财富resentment  不满，愤恨

Brazilians certainly know how to throw a party – but will Rio be ready to welcome over 10,000 athletes and all the international visitors to the 2016 Olympics? At the moment, some natives of Rio (known locally as 'Cariocas') aren't too enthusiastic about the Games. They know they'll be putting up with a lot more roadworks and infrastructure building before the Olympic torch is lit in the Maracanã Stadium next August.Delays in venue construction gave the International Olympic Committee a fright in 2014. The government has since cleaned up its act and was praised recently for being ''on the right track'', although the challenge of cleaning up the highly polluted waters of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon and Guanabara Bay – venues for the sailing and rowing competitions – remains.Fortunately, Brazil has learnt a lot from hosting the World Cup in 2014. Some businesses realised they were missing a trick by not communicating well with their international customers. Restaurants now know that using the internet to translate the menu isn't always a good idea: 'bife a cavalo' isn't really 'horse steak' – it's beef with a fried egg on top!Security was a key challenge in 2014 – and during the Olympics, the police will be working hard to prevent street crime. As with other developing countries, crime rates are high, and visitors will be encouraged to keep their wits about them so as to avoid falling victim to pickpockets or muggers.So while the Cariocas are already becoming athletes – by jumping and running across construction sites on their daily commute – they know that the Games have the potential to be a great spectacle, they will be able to let their hair down, and international visitors will have a good time in their company.Even those Brazilians who have their reservations, know deep down something that others don't. An old local saying goes: 'Deus é Brasileiro' ('God is Brazilian'). They hope he will give them a hand to make the games a success. And you can be sure that whatever happens – or doesn't happen – Brazilians will show the world why they have such a reputation as party people!词汇表to throw a party 举行派对、聚会infrastructure 基础设施venue 场所fright (noun) 惊吓to clean up one's act 改进作风，改善行为on the right track 步入正轨，（做法、想法）正确to host 做东道主to miss a trick 错过时机to keep one's wits about one 保持头脑清醒，保持警觉pickpocket 小偷，扒手mugger 拦路抢劫犯to let one's hair down 放松一下，尽情享受to have a good time 过得愉快，玩得开心reservations 疑义，顾虑to give someone a hand 祝某人一臂之力

What do you read when you are travelling by train or bus? What are other passengers reading? Perhaps a woman sitting near you is reading a trashy romantic novel. A man is reading a serious biography about a politician. And there's a student reading an English textbook.What do their choices say about them? Do you judge them by what they are reading?I have got to tell you that your impressions of them are probably completely wrong. The woman reading the romantic novel could be a lawyer. She just wants a light read to take her mind off work.The man reading the biography wants you to think that he is an intellectual, but he is just showing off. The student reading the textbook isn't a student at all. She's an English teacher.Publishers know that some people are self-conscious about what they read on public transport and so they put out different versions of a cover. For example, books about Harry Potter have an original cover for young readers and then another more serious version for adults.So next time you are on a train, look around and see what other people are reading, but don't jump to any conclusions. You will probably be wrong.Here is a situation where you could say, "Don't judge a book by its cover".词汇表trashy 无价值的a romantic novel 浪漫小说，言情小说serious 严肃的a biography 自传a textbook 课本a choice 选择to say about someone  对他们的印象to judge 判断an impression 印象a light read 文笔轻松，欢快的小说to take one's mind off work 不再思考工作an intellectual 知识分子to show off 炫耀a publisher 出版商self-conscious 自我意识a version 版本，说法a cover 封面an original 原版、原创don't jump to any conclusions 不要轻率下结论don't judge a book by its cover 不要以貌取人

The first year of school can be stressful – not for the kids, but for the parents!They want their little ones to do well at school and some pushy parents will already be thinking about how they can get their child to the top of the class.But some parents are concerned about the rules for when children should start school.The School Admissions Code for England says that children must join the reception class the September after their fourth birthday.But here is the problem: A four year old who is born in August could be in the same class as someone who was born in October of the previous year! Both of them were four years old in September.The older child will probably do better in class tests. He or she is almost a year older! This can affect the confidence of the younger child.Now England's schools minister, Nick Gibbs says that the rules should be changed. In an open letter to councils, schools and parents he says, "Parents know their children best".And he said that some parents "feel forced to send their child to school before they are ready".He proposes that children that are born during the summer can join the class when they are four or wait until they are five.Dr. David Whitebread, an educationalist from Cambridge University says that the UK has a summer-born effect because children start school so young."In countries with these later starting ages, there is a very much reduced summer-born effect or none at all", he said.词汇表stressful 有压力的，精神紧张的pushy 争强好胜的the top of the class 班级的尖子concerned 担心，担忧rules 规定admissions 招生reception 小班，学前班to do better 表现更好confidence 自信open letter 公开信forced 被迫propose 提议educationalist 教育学家reduced 减少

Have you ever taken a sickie? If so, what did you say to your boss? It seems many people in the UK like to blame their pets for their absence. One person said they couldn't come to work because their rabbit was missing. Perhaps that was a white lie; this next one though sounds more like a porky.A worker said that he couldn't come to work because he had to take his dog to the vet. This might seem reasonable - apart from the fact that the man told his boss his dog was dead as a previous excuse for skiving off.If you've ever worked as a teacher, you'll know that children can be very creative when it comes to excuses for not doing their homework.Once again, it's popular to blame pets. According to a BBC survey, almost 10 percent of excuses involve pets eating the assignment. "The dog ate my homework" is a legendary excuse - no one is sure if a student has ever really used it.But it's not just workplaces and schools which attract fibbers. People caught claiming welfare benefits illegally have also tried to con the authorities. A husband whose wife was working while also on the dole said that he didn't know she had a job because he was always in the garden shed during working hours. There are many more ridiculous excuses people have made for not doing the things they were supposed to do. But there isn't enough room on this page to fit them all. And besides, I can't carry on because… the cat's eaten my keyboard. And what about you: what's your excuse?词汇表sickie 装病    absence 缺勤，缺席white lie 善意谎言porky 谎言to skive off 旷工，逃学assignment 作业legendary 传奇的，典型的（借口）fibber 爱撒小谎的人  welfare benefit 福利津贴  con 欺骗  on the dole 领取政府救济的  garden shed 花园小棚屋  ridiculous 荒谬可笑的

You’ve heard of Charles Darwin, right? The celebrated scientist who proposed a theory of evolution. You might have just about heard of Alfred Russel Wallace, who co-authored, with Darwin, the revolutionary work On the Origin of Species, published in 1859. But what about Patrick Matthew? ‘Patrick who?’ you might ask. Well, Darwin and Wallace got the fame but Matthew did the legworktoo.This British horticulturalistactually thought about evolution first, as Dr Mike Weale, geneticist at King’s College London, explains. He says: "Matthew published a brief outline of the idea of species being able to change into other species through natural selection. And he did that 27 years before Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. And they recognized that he did so but other people since have simplified the story and tended to concentrate just on Darwin."So Patrick Matthew's relative obscurity may simply be down to us – the general public – wanting to simplify things. But Dr Patricia Fara, senior tutor at Clare College Cambridge, points out that Darwin's work might have received more attention because he had powerful friends."He brought his allies on board", she says. The academic explains that "although he was publishing from his stronghold down in Kent he had the most famous, most prominent members of the scientific society in Victorian times, who were pushingon his behalf. Having a scientific theory being accepted is not just a matter of whether the theory’s right."Maybe it is time for us to remember Patrick Matthew, a pioneer of the story of survival through adaptation that is at the heart of evolution.词汇表celebrated 著名的，受人敬仰的theory of evolution 进化论species 物种to do the legwork 做跑腿的活儿horticulturalist 园艺学家outline 概论，概述natural selection 物竞天择obscurity 无名，默默无闻allies 支持者，盟友stronghold 大本营，居住地prominent 著名的，重要的on one’s behalf 代表某人，为某人的利益survival 生存adaptation 改编

Are bars places just to meet friends and chat casually about mundane things? Not any more. Scientists have been organising periodic lectures and experiments in bars in several cities in nine countries. In May, hundreds of them took part in a festival called Pint of Science.British neuroscience researcher Michael Motskin started the festival with a colleague three years ago in the UK.But you don't have to be an egghead to follow a discussion. Motskin says: "We ask top scientists to present their scientific discoveries in a down-to-earth setting over a drink or two. We want to give everyone a chance to pick the brains of the UK's most brilliant academics, away from the stuffy laboratory or lecture theatre."And what do they discuss? Topics range from dark matter to climate change. The science in films such as Star Wars, Star Trek and Interstellar has also proved popular. And a young physicist even demonstrated how a model of the universe can be built from plastic Lego bricks. An audience with a taste for a more practical experience might enjoy the lecture given in a pub in Soho, central London. It was about the effects of beer on the human body.One might argue that a bit of alcohol helps people relax, freeing their imaginations so that they are better able to contemplate the wonders of the universe. That would make the pub the ideal venue for science - and a handy place to be if you make a big discovery and want to celebrate. Back in the 1950s, scientists James Watson and Francis Crick announced their discovery over a pint at The Eagle pub in Cambridge. And what did they discover? Well, just a little thing called the double helix structure of DNA. It eventually won them a Nobel Prize. Champagne please!词汇表mundane 平凡无趣的periodic 定期的pint （容量单位）品脱neuroscience 神经系统科学，神经病学egghead 受过高等教育的人，有知识的人scientific discovery 科学发现down-to-earth 求实的，脚踏实地的，友好的to pick the brains 讨教，听取别人的高见academic 学术的stuffy 闷热不透气的dark matter 暗物质climate change 气候变化physicist 物理学家double helix structure 双股螺旋结构DNA 脱氧核糖核酸

Fashion and music are constantly looking back to the past. But would you be interested in retro video games? If so, you are part of a growing trend.Vintage video games are making their way back into living rooms. There is already a large market for 1970s and 80s games consoles. Despite their limited graphics and sounds, original machines by Atari, Nintendo and Sega command high prices. This year, a charity in the UK is hoping to cash-in on this with the re-release of the hugely popular 1980s home computer, the ZX Spectrum. The new version has 1,000 games pre-loaded - a big change to the old machine that loaded games from a cassette tape. That process took several minutes and would often go wrong.In the United States, large numbers of gamers wanting a taste of 80s action are visiting beer and arcade game centres where they can drink and relive the games of their childhood. "Our most popular games are the classics like Ms Pac Man and Donkey Kong and also the multiplayer games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Simpsons, NBA Jam and X-Men," says Paul Kermizian, owner of one successful chain of arcades.Pinball goes even further back in time, but it's also enjoying a revival. New technology means contemporary machines have more features, but the gameplay has not changed. Pinball machine maker Gary Stern says people like playing because it's physical - more like a sport than a video game. Because of this, it's becoming popular with people in their 20s as well as older players.So, is it just nostalgia, or are older games more fun? Either way, with a new generation of fans, it looks like retro gaming is here to stay.词汇表retro 怀旧的，复古的growing trend 上涨的趋势vintage 老式的games console 游戏机graphics 图像to cash-in 兑现to re-release 再发行pre-loaded 预先装载的cassette tape 录音磁带gamer 游戏玩家arcade game 电子游戏classic （名词）经典的游戏multiplayer 多玩家的pinball 弹球游戏revival 复兴，再流行contemporary 现代的gameplay 游戏玩法nostalgia 对往事的怀念，怀旧

Around the world, girls do better than boys at school. These are the findings of a recent study that looked at the test results of 1.5 million 15-year-olds in 74 regions across the globe.The level of gender equality in those regions made no difference to the results. Other factors, such as the income level of the region also had little impact on the findings. In only three regions - Colombia, Costa Rica and the Indian state Himachal Pradesh - was the trend reversed with boys doing better.So what are the causes of girls' stronger performance? In the UK, girls outperform boys in exams that are taken at the age of 15 or 16, called GCSEs. According to education expert Ian Toone, this is down to the way girls and boys are brought up. "Boys are encouraged to be more active from an early age, whereas the restless movements of baby girls are pacified... Hence, girls develop the skill of sitting still for longer periods of time, which is useful for academic pursuits like studying for GCSEs."He goes on to say that boys often cluster together in larger groups than girls. Because of this they are more likely to be influenced by peer pressure and develop a gang mentality. He says that GCSEs require a lot of solo work and are not viewed as 'cool' in a laddish culture.This is backed up by research in the UK that says girls are out-performing boys at the age of five. So what is the answer? Should girls and boys be educated separately? Or do exams and school curricula need to be changed to better reflect boys' skills? These are the questions facing educators in many countries.词汇表gender equality 男女平等factor 因素income level 收入水平to reverse a trend 逆转一种趋势to pacify 使安静、平定academic pursuit 学术追求to cluster （人）聚集to influence 影响peer pressure 同龄人压力gang mentality 帮派心态solo 单独的，独自地cool 酷laddish 幼稚的，孩子气的school curricula 学校课程to reflect 反映

This time of year many of us resolve to get back into shape. But if you are having trouble fitting into your tight jeans, it may not be your fault. Scientists now believe that willpower alone is not enough lose weight. They say success depends on your genes, hormones and psychology.A study of 75 people by BBC Science and Oxford and Cambridge Universities has looked into why one-size-fits-all diets are often not successful. The scientists divided over-eaters into three groups – people who feast, people who constantly crave food and emotional eaters. They tailored diets to the needs of each group.Feasters can't stop eating once they start. This is because they don't have the hormones that tell them when they are full. Scientists designed a diet for this group featuring high protein foods that make them feel full for a long time. This included fish, chicken, basmati rice and grains. Bread and potatoes were not allowed because they do not fill you up for long.Constant cravers always feel hungry. Scientists say that certain genes disrupt the messages the stomach sends to the brain saying it is full, meaning the cravers always feel like they need more fatty, sugary food. Dieting seven days a week is very hard for these people, so scientists put them on a normal, healthy diet five days a week, and cut their calorie intake to 800 on two days a week.Emotional eaters have got into the habit of eating whenever they feel stressed. To help them change this behaviour, scientists offered them group support in meetings and online as well as a diet. During the study, people from all three groups lost weight on the tailored diets, with feasters losing the most and constant cravers losing the least.So what about you? If any of the eating habits sound familiar, perhaps you should consider a new approach to slimming for 2015.词汇表to resolve 下决心willpower 意志力、毅力genes 基因hormone 荷尔蒙psychology 心态one-size-fits-all 一成不变的diet (n) （为减轻体重的）节食to feast 大吃大喝to crave 非常想吃（某样食物），渴望emotional 情绪化的to tailor 专为……订制protein 蛋白to disrupt 干扰、扰乱to diet （动词）节食calorie intake 卡路里的摄入habit 习惯behaviour 行为，习性

Social media is changing everything in trade. Even reserved Britons are losing their traditional aversion to making a scene, and using social media to complain about bad service provided by businesses.That's what a survey by the Institute of Customer Service suggests. They analysed data from 200 organisations, including banks, utility companies and retailers and have concluded that customers now expect 'dialogue, not monologue' from companies.If a shop assistant was rude and the price a rip-off, the unhappy customer - especially the young one - will take to microblog sites to slag off that company.The trend has increased over the last few years. Thomas Brown, of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, observed in an interview that big companies had previously enjoyed a "controlled" conversation with customers via advertising - and for a long time, unhappy customers could only express themselves through letters or calling a customer relations team. But with the internet, it's a whole new ballgame: which company can control online chat?Brown continues: "Now there's a risk that you could have a groundswell of customers talking to each other and, from the brand's perspective, it can get out of hand very quickly."Brown warns that there's a concern by businesses about the time and resources it takes them to properly manage social media. Big organisations which aren't monitoring it 24 hours a day could log off at the end of the trade day, only to log in the next morning to find that momentum has gathered behind a certain issue.But it's not all doom and gloom for businesses in this new era of intense connectivity. The old word of mouth recommendation has a new platform too. Perhaps it's more true today than ever before: a satisfied customer is a company's best advert.词汇表reserved 矜持的，内敛的to make a scene （当众）吵闹，出洋相utility companies 公共事业公司（水、电、煤气公司等）retailers 零售商shop assistant 店员，售货员rip-off 宰人的价格to slag off 强烈地批评，诋毁advertising 做广告customer relations 客户关系a whole new ballgame 完全不同以往的局面groundswell （群情）高涨brand 品牌to get out of hand 失控，难以控制to gather momentum 聚集劲头、力量doom and gloom 前景暗淡word of mouth 口碑advert （口语）广告

Everybody has looked in the mirror at some point in their lives and thought they could do with a smaller nose or fewer wrinkles. Almost 10 million operations were performed in 2014, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Eyelid surgery topped the list of the five most popular procedures, which included breast augmentation and rhinoplasty.We hear a lot about cosmetic surgery these days. But what many people may not realise is that reconstructing someone's face has an ancient past. There are reports of treatments to restore a broken nose in ancient Egyptian documents.Considering that safe anaesthetics and antibiotics were only discovered in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was a truly painful and risky business to go under the knife in the past. But as far back as the mid-15th century nose jobs were carried out using skin taken from the upper arm.Plastic surgery went through a revolution during World War One. The trenches protected the soldiers' bodies, but many who stuck their heads up were exposed to explosions. New techniques were developed by Harold Gillies who ran a ward at the Cambridge Military Hospital in Britain, and later a whole hospital dedicated to helping disfigured soldiers. Many wounded men at that time couldn't stand looking at their own faces. There were no mirrors in the hospital. In parks near the hospital, some benches were painted blue to signal to patients with facial injuries that they could sit there. And it was a way of telling local residents to prepare for the shock of seeing someone with a disfigured face.Plastic surgery has come a long way since then. It reconstructs what does need reconstructing but it also makes people with no particular problems feel more confident. Bigger breasts? Straight nose? Facelift? In many cases, cosmetic surgery isn't a necessity at all, just a choice. But when done properly by capable doctors on patients who have a realistic goal, it's believed that plastic surgery can heal psychological wounds almost as much as physical ones.词汇表can do with 需要wrinkle 皱纹procedure 手术breast augmentation 隆胸rhinoplasty 鼻子整形cosmetic surgery 整容手术anaesthetic 麻醉剂antibiotic 抗生素to go under the knife 开刀，做手术nose job 鼻子整形手术trench 战壕ward 病房disfigured 毁坏了外形或容貌的facelift 去皱整容手术，面部拉皮手术realistic 现实的；合情合理的

Tired of your quiet routine? How about leaving your computer games behind and taking up an extreme sport?You can ride a bicycle, right? In that case you're halfway to becoming a mountain biker. All you have to do is take your bike off the road and try some rough terrain. Mountain biking was developed in California in the 1970s and became an Olympic sport in 1996. In the London 2012 games athletes had to navigate a 4.7-kilometre track in less than two hours.Not challenging enough? Skydivers jump from aircraft at an altitude of 1,000 to 4,000 metres. You have to be fit but there's no age limit with this sport. Dilys Price from Cardiff went on her first jump aged 54. The minute she came down she wanted to go up again. "I was hooked", said Dilys.Some adrenaline junkies are even bolder – they've invented base jumping, in which people leap from tall structures, such as buildings or bridges, with a parachute. Many of their stunts aren't legal, especially in urban areas. Dan Witchalls has jumped off The Shard - London's 310 metre-high skyscraper - four times. He says: "Base jumping is scarier than jumping out of a plane. In a plane there's no perception of height, but when you are standing on the edge of the building you can see people and cars - it makes it very real."It seems there's no lack of imagination when it comes to risking life to look cool and get the heart pounding. Surfing, scuba diving, rock climbing… How about turning one of your chores into a daredevil pursuit? 'Extreme ironing' isn't for wimps! Pressing your shirt on top of a mountain could be dangerous, depending on the mountain. Extreme ironing is said to have been created in the 1990s in the English town of Leicester by a man who saw a pile of wrinkled clothes and felt bored. That was Phil Shaw who also won the only Extreme Ironing Championships ever held, in Germany in 2002. For him, the thrill of this sport comes from looking at the spectators' faces. Shaw says: "Sometimes they look confused, sometimes they laugh. It's fun to see how people respond to it."词汇表an extreme sport 极限运动a mountain biker 山地车车手terrain 地带，地面to navigate 骑车通过，对付（艰险路面）a skydiver 跳伞者，跳伞运动员altitude 海拔高度fit 身体健康的，健壮的hooked 着迷了，上瘾了adrenaline junkie 寻求刺激的人（喜欢肾上腺素带来的兴奋感的人）bolder 更勇敢无畏a stunt 惊险动作，特技to pound （心脏）怦怦地跳scuba diving 水肺潜水a chore 令人讨厌的琐事，家务活a daredevil pursuit 大胆的追求a wimp 软弱的人wrinkled 皱巴巴的，有皱的a thrill 刺激，兴奋感

Are you one of those people who find the world of Western classical music a bit snobbish and inaccessible? The Proms – or the BBC Promenade Concerts to give the world’s largest music festival its full name - might help you change your mind.For eight weeks every summer, the Royal Albert Hall in London opens its doors to all-comers and puts on a music show that is varied and wide-ranging. Some music lovers want to get as close as possible to the conductor. They are happy to stand up to listen to orchestras and soloists playing symphonies, overtures and concertos by the world’s top composers – all for just £5.The festival has been going since 1895 and has always tried to be informal and relatively cheap. The Prommers – the classical music groupies who like to stand – typify this relaxed ethos. Before performances, they shout out jokes and every time the lid of the piano is lifted they shout “heave” in unison.One of the highlights of the Proms is the Last Night, which has a worldwide screening. Popular classics are played while the Prommers wave flags and sing along to the catchy tunes. The Last Night is so popular with audiences that a ballot has to be held - several months in advance - so that everyone who wants a ticket has a chance of getting one. But it has been criticised by some for being too British and jingoistic.In recent years the Proms have grown so that they now include simultaneous screenings in other British cities, lunchtime concerts, talks, children’s Proms, film and rock music, musicals, Indian classical music, and even tunes from the BBC series “Dr Who”. The expanding offer is proving popular with audiences old and new. Perhaps classical music isn’t quite so elitist, after all.词汇表snobbish 势利的，自傲的inaccessible 难以接触的，难懂的to change one's mind 改变某人对某事的看法all-comers 所有来者wide-ranging 范围广的a conductor （乐队）指挥an orchestra 管弦乐队a soloist 独唱者，独奏者a symphony 交响乐，交响曲an overture 序曲，序乐a concertos 协奏曲a composer 作曲者，作曲家a groupie 乐团迷，狂热追随者to heave 举起in unison 齐声，一致地a screening 播放catchy 琅琅上口的jingoistic 极端爱国主义的，大国主义的elitist 精英化的，高级的

What did you eat for lunch today? Did you choose this dish because it was healthy, cheap or because it was just very tasty? Are you a fussy eater or an adventurous gourmet?I love exploring trends in food. 'Fusion cuisine' is not for everybody. My Italian grandmother would turn her nose up in disgust at the thought of tandoori pizza with mango topping but this marriage of tastes is perfectly fine in the 21st century. Chef and food writer Ching-He Huang, who presented a series on Chinese Food for the BBC, is a fan of the movement. She says: "Fusion has been happening for centuries, for as long as people have travelled, but with the internet, and global travel, the exchange of ideas makes the process much faster."Wolfgang Puck is seen by many as one of the chefs who made 'fusion' elegant. He cut his teeth in his native Vienna and made a name for himself when he opened his own restaurant in Los Angeles in the 1970s. This European delved into Asian cuisine and became one of the first in a long line of celebrity chefs. He said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that initially he got negative responses from traditional American-Chinese restaurant owners but he is not bitter. "I believe authenticity is about evolution, not repeating your grandmother's recipe," he explains. "Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colours, there are only so many flavours – it's how you combine them that sets you apart."My granny's cup of tea would be the Slow Food Movement. Founded by her countryman Carlo Petrini in the 1980s and still going strong, it seeks to preserve regional cuisine and the use of ingredients that are grown locally. Petrini wants to see farmers connected more directly with consumers.All these trends give us food for thought. We might be wasting an exciting opportunity to wake up our taste buds when we scoff a sandwich at our desks. Tomorrow, why not find an exotic restaurant and enjoy a feast? You dress trendy so eat trendy!词汇表a fussy eater 吃饭挑剔的人a gourmet 美食家fusion （博取众长的）融合菜to turn her nose up 嗤之以鼻to cut his teeth 开始（练就厨艺）to make a name for himself 成名to delve into (something) 深入研究（什么东西）bitter 充满怨恨的the authenticity 真实性a recipe 菜谱the ingredient 食材food for thought 引人深思the taste buds 味蕾to scoff 狼吞虎咽feast 筵席，大餐trendy 新潮时髦的、时尚的

Have you ever been in a lift with the big cheese in your company? It happened to me a couple of times. And did I take advantage of the situation to deliver my elevator pitch? Not a chance. He was surrounded by people buttering him up all the way to the top floor!Lifts have an interesting history. Today, the more important you are, the higher you live or work. Penthouses have fantastic views for boardrooms and living rooms. But it hasn't always been that way. Before the days of lifts, richer people would often prefer to live on the ground floor. Poorer people lived on the upper floors – and they had to use the stairs.In any case, whatever your pay grade, the confined space of a lift makes for an awkward encounter. It's hard not to notice the uneasiness of a group of strangers in a confined space who have no time to develop any kind of bond. But if marketing people have their way, that's all going to change.Jason Whale, sales manager at Elevators Ltd, says: "It's a very anxious experience the time you spend in a lift. If you have things around you, you take away that awkwardness. We all look at our phones sometimes or look down at the floor. Well, surely it's better to look at advertisements on the walls..."He sees a lot of potential in this box in which we spend a few minutes every day. Whale explains: "As technology becomes slimmer and cheaper, there are so many different ways to enhance a lift with light boxes, with moving images, with television screens! It becomes quite exciting for us, and hopefully a little bit more interesting for the people who use lifts."Who knows what the lifts of the future will look like? Perhaps they will become the places where everybody wants to be. Time for a business meeting? Ready to party? Come on everybody, let's get into the lift!词汇表the big cheese 大人物，大老板an elevator pitch 电梯游说to butter someone up 阿谀奉承，巴结a penthouse 顶层豪华公寓a boardroom 董事会会议室a pay grade 工资等级awkward 尴尬的uneasiness 不自在a bond 情感纽带、关系marketing 市场营销，销售to have one's way 得逞a sales manager 营销主任awkwardness （名词）尴尬an advertisement 广告to see potential 发现潜力to enhance 提高，增加（价值，吸引力）

Sci-fi movies tend to capture children's imaginations and have long been part of students' excited chats in the schoolyard. But now a scientific journal has urged at least one sci-fi movie to be shown in class by science teachers.Scientific papers published in the American Journal of Physics (AJP) and in Classical and Quantum Gravity have seen merit in the way the movie Interstellar portrays wormholes.Dr David Jackson from AJP said publishing this paper "was a no-brainer". He added: "The physics has been very carefully reviewed by experts and found to be accurate. The publication will encourage physics teachers to show the film in their classes to get across ideas about general relativity".In fact, one of the executive producers of Interstellar was Kip Thorne, a professor of theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). For him, films such as Interstellar, Contact and 2001: A Space Odyssey can inspire young people.Blockbusters are improving when it comes to portraying scientific theories. An initiative by the US National Academy of Sciences has been putting proper scientists in touch with movie people to achieve a better result - which is vital in the internet age. Interstellar's director Christopher Nolan says: "Consumers have a lot more immediate access to information. If you go and see a film about a particular subject, particularly a true life story, you can go home and look it up on Wikipedia and see if the basic things portrayed in the film are true or not. The same is true of science in the films".Professional scientists may no longer cringe in their seats when they watch sci-fi movies. Today, getting the science wrong is no longer an option.词汇表sci-fi 科幻to capture (someone's) imagination 激发某人的想象力a scientific paper 科学文献physics 物理学interstellar 星际的a wormhole (space) 时空虫洞a no-brainer 显而易见的事accurate 准确的general relativity 广义相对论technology 技术a blockbuster 畅销的书、电影或电视a theory 一种理论proper 专业的，科班出身的the consumer 消费者to cringe 感到难堪

How much empathy do you feel towards other people? If you saw someone fall off their bike in traffic, would you stop and help - or just walk away? Many people would give in to apathy, go about their business and just do nothing. So it was a big surprise when about 100 bystanders got together recently to move a bus in east London to help a cyclist trapped under it. A video of the incident went viral on social media.According to Zoheb, a driver who stopped his car to take part in the rescue, about five people gathered to move the bus. He says: "There was no chance we could do it, it was more an invitation for other people to help, really."The initiative paid off. Diners from nearby restaurants joined in. There wasn't much coordination but it didn't take long to develop a collective understanding of what the objective was.Spontaneous collaboration among strangers doesn't happen often. People in a crowd are not sure what to do - they don't have a plan. It's one of the reasons bystanders often do nothing, according to Dr Mark Levine, professor of social psychology at Exeter University in Britain. "The presence of others can inhibit you from helping", he says.The key to positive group behaviour and intervention, Levine explains, "is building a sense of shared identity". Action has to be decided quickly, Levine says. "The longer you leave it, the harder it is to make a decision. If you don't immediately act then you kind of think 'Well, actually I probably couldn't have done anything anyway'."But the people who took the initiative like Zoheb might make a difference. The cyclist ended up in hospital and the images of the collective effort might inspire others to more acts of solidarity.词汇表empathy  感同身受、同情to give in  屈服，让步apathy  冷漠to go about your business  去做自己的事a bystander  旁观者to trap  陷入（出不来），困住to go viral  像病毒一样迅速在网上传播to gather  聚集the initiative  倡议，提议coordination  协调collective  集体的spontaneous  自发的collaboration  合作social psychology  社会心理学to inhibit  抑制intervention  介入，干涉solidarity  团结

When looking at Western Europe, we don't usually think about poverty - but in fact, some people in modern-day Britain are so hard up that they can't afford to buy food.Back in 2008, the financial crisis caused a lot of redundancies. Then there were the cuts to the welfare system in 2013 which added to the problem - and many British people fell into debt. It's estimated that 500,000 people in the UK have turned to food banks, just to get by.Steph Hagen, who works in a Nottingham food bank, says: "People do not go to a food bank because it's an open door. It's a case of they go to it because they need to. With our food bank - we are an independent one, and we have limited stocks - everyone who comes through our door has no income whatsoever."There are checks and referrals to make sure nobody is abusing the system. If a doctor or a social worker thinks someone needs to use a food bank - even for a short time - they can give them vouchers. Then the people in need take the vouchers along to the food bank and they get handouts for three days.Churches and individual donors provide most of the food in the banks. But some businesses might help out too.And what sort of food is offered in food banks? Hagen says: "Basically, we've got porridge. We do occasionally get fresh produce but it's very rare, especially in the winter months. It's like, tinned fruit, tinned ready meals. We have to give out 'no-cooking' food parcels because people can't afford the gas and electricity".Community spirit has a lot to do with food banks. Volunteers say they are a great meeting place for people who are lonely and depressed. And when facing a crisis, some beneficiaries might need to feed not only their belly - but also their soul.词汇表hard up 拮据，经济困难to afford 负担得起，买得起financial crisis 金融危机redundancy 裁员welfare system 福利体系to fall into debt 负债a food bank 食物银行（食物赈济处）to get by 勉强过活limited stock 有限的存货，库存有限a referral （官方的）送交、移交，引见to abuse the system 滥用制度、体系a voucher 票券，代金券a handout 救济品a donor 捐赠者a ready meal 现成食品community spirit 社区精神a volunteer 志愿者a beneficiary 受益者，受惠者

Children are hooked on computers. Some spend up to six hours a day on their gadgets. They can be playing games live with others elsewhere in the world, updating their status on social media, texting friends or looking for the latest app to download to their tablets or smartphones.This worried Martin Strott. He's the headmaster of the Old Hall School in Wellington, in the west of England. He was so concerned that he challenged his students to take part in a week of 'digital detox'.Strott told the local newspaper, the Shropshire Star, that he encourages the pupils to be computer-savvy from a young age, but is concerned that too much screen time will affect the development of their social skills. He said that this over-reliance on digital devices "erodes family time and they're missing out on messages from body language and facial expressions from those around them".According to the headmaster, the parents are happy with the initiative. But what about the children? Nine-year-old Fred usually spends around two hours on his gadgets at home after school and around 12 hours on weekends. For him, the digital detox experience was "really hard". Fred spent it playing outside, especially cricket. He said that he'll probably engage in different activities from now on but he did miss his phone and online games.The idea of keeping children away from their tech for a while to prevent 'addiction' is not particularly new. There have been similar initiatives in the US. But are they effective in the long run? Well, even if kids go back to their gadgets, the hope is that at least they'll think about how they use their time.What about you: do you spend too many hours hooked on your digital devices?词汇表to be hooked on 痴迷于做某事a gadget （常指新的科技）产品to update (their) status 更新他们的状态to text 发短信an app 应用程序to download 下载a tablet 平板电脑a smartphone 智能电话the headmaster 校长detox 排毒computer-savvy 精通电脑的social skills 社交技能a device 设备，设置cricket 英式板球tech 科技an addiction 着迷，嗜好

Should animals be entitled to the same rights as people? The question is not so outlandish. A judge in the US once suggested that chimpanzees had the right to habeas corpus. Judge Barbara Jaffe was ruling on the case of Leo and Hercules. These two primates have their own lawyers arguing that they should be moved from a university lab to an animal sanctuary. She did change her mind after a while.Animals have always intrigued us. Some people find them very intelligent and capable of friendship, jealousy and longing. That's enough to give them rights, isn't it? Not for people like Professor Carl Cohen of the University of Michigan. He says that rights are a concept special to the human moral code. And animals don't know anything about right and wrong. The academic points out: "Animals do not commit crimes; animals are not attacked for their moral views."In any case, humans have become more sensitive to animal suffering throughout the years. In 1999, New Zealand granted basic rights to five great ape species. Their use in research, testing or teaching was banned in a move seen as the greatest legal success in animal rights history.In 2002, in an unprecedented move in the European Union, Germany granted some rights to animals in its constitution.The ambiguous relationship between people and animals can be perceived in language. In English the pronoun used for an animal is 'it'. But many people refer to their pets as 'he' or 'she'. It makes them more of an equal to us.What do you think? Should animals have rights similar to humans?词汇表to be entitled 有资格的，有资格享受的outlandish 奇异古怪的a judge 一位法官habeas corpus 人身保护权to rule （动词）裁决to argue 争辩an animal sanctuary 一个动物庇护所、动物保护区a moral code 一项道德规范to commit crimes 犯罪to grant basic rights 授予基本权力legal 法律（上）的unprecedented 前所未有的，没有先例的constitution 宪法，大法ambiguous 模糊的，不明确的

Many believe high heels make women look good. It's no surprise that the Cannes Film Festival's organisers seem to favour having stars walking up the red carpet in them. But all this glam comes at a cost: wearing heels over 10cm high can damage your ankles.A study by the Hanseo University in South Korea suggests that continuous wearing exposes women to the risk of strains and makes them prone to losing their balance.A total of 40 women who wear high heels at least three times a week took part in the study. The strength of their ankles was measured regularly and two of the four main muscles became dominant after a period of between one and three years. It created an imbalance in their feet.Dr Yong-Seok Jee from Hanseo University said that the habit of wearing heels can result in deformed feet, back pain and unhealthy walking patterns. He recommends women limit the use of these kinds of shoes and exercise their ankle muscles properly.High heels are considered by some sexy and feminine, but ironically the fashion started with men's feet. These shoes were a form of riding footwear, and would be seen on the feet of 17th Century Persian soldiers. Elizabeth Semmelhack of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto says: "When the soldier stood up in his stirrups, the heel helped him to secure his stance so that he could shoot his bow and arrow more effectively."Before becoming a staple of modern women's wardrobes, high heels were used by Louis XIV of France. These shoes were status symbols. Let's face it - nothing screams privilege like uncomfortable, luxurious and impractical clothing. They say the wearer doesn't have to work in fields or walk very far.What do you think: are high heels a symbol of women's elevation in society or just something to be booted out of fashion?词汇表glam （口语）魅力an ankle 脚踝a strain 扭伤，拉伤to be prone (to something) 易于…的balance 平衡a muscle 肌肉an imbalance 不平衡to be deformed 变形的，畸形的footwear 鞋类（总称）a stirrup 马镫impractical 不实用的to boot out 赶出去，赶走

Where do you keep ice? In the freezer, of course. That's what scientists might have thought when they were looking for a safe place to store ice from mountain glaciers from around the world. They've decided to store ice in Antarctica because global warming is causing some of the glaciers in places like the Alps to melt.Jerome Chappellaz of the French National Centre for Scientific Research is involved in creating an ice vault there. He says: "We are probably the only scientific community whose archive is in danger of disappearing from the face of the planet. If you work on corals, on marine sediments, on tree rings, the raw material is still here and will be for many centuries".And why do scientists need to study ice from the Alps, for example? Ice formed on the summit of a mountain is made of layers of snow accumulated over thousands of years. Trapped air bubbles contain samples of the atmosphere that existed when that ice was formed. Ice is a record of climate, according to polar oceanographer Mark Brandon from the Open University in Britain. He says: "We know carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher now than in the last three million years".Researchers use this kind of data to build computer models and try to predict what might happen in the future.The ice vault will be housed in a snow cave at the Concordia Research Station, which is operated by scientists from France and Italy. The ice samples will be sealed in bags and placed 10m below the surface, at a constant temperature of -50C. This will put the scientists' minds at rest. Commercial freezers break down, power failures happen and losing the ice samples would be a disaster. Nobody wants to see a mine of scientific knowledge lost for ever in a giant puddle.glaciers （复数）冰河，冰川global warming 全球变暖melt 融化vault 穹窿，拱顶，地下储藏室coral 珊瑚raw material 原材料trapped 被困住的sample 样品，标本atmosphere 大气record 记录，证明polar 极地的oceanographer 海洋学家carbon dioxide 二氧化碳data 数据computer model 计算机模型to seal 封住，密封put (their) minds at rest 使（他们）安心、放心puddle 水坑

Czech President Milos Zeman has been hospitalized for a week with no word to his constituents about what's wrong with him.捷克总统米洛什·泽曼已住院一周，但没有向选民们透露他的病情。Zeman was taken into intensive care on October 10.泽曼于10月10日被送进了重症监护室。No diagnosis has been provided.还未提供诊断结果。His doctors have not said how long he will need to recover.他的医生还未说明他需要多久才能康复。The president's silence is all the more worrying because the Czech Republic has just held an election and it is the president's duty to appoint the next prime minister.总统的沉默更加令人担忧，因为捷克共和国刚刚举行了选举，总统有责任任命下一任总理。(A) president spokesman said Zeman has been in communication and following developments in the country.总统发言人说，泽曼一直在沟通之中并关注着该国的事态发展。He said being in the hospital has not gotten in the way of the president's constitutional duties.他说，住院并没有妨碍总统履行宪法职责。NASA launched a first-of-its kind mission on Saturday to study Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, two large clusters of space rocks that scientists believe are remnants of primordial material that formed the solar system's outer planets.美国国家航空航天局周六启动了一项史无前例的任务，对木星的特洛伊小行星进行研究。木星特洛伊小行星是由两大群太空岩石组成的，科学家们认为它们是形成太阳系外行星的原始物质的残留物。The space probe dubbed Lucy and packed inside a special cargo capsule lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.名为“露西”的太空探测器装载在一个特殊的货舱里，从佛罗里达州的卡纳维拉尔角空军基地发射升空。And South Korea plans to test its first domestically produced space launch vehicle next week.韩国计划下周测试其首个国产太空运载火箭。That's a major step toward jump-starting the country's space program and achieving ambitious goals in 6G networks, spy satellites and even lunar probes.这是该国启动太空计划迈出的重要一步，也是实现6G网络、间谍卫星甚至月球探测器方面宏伟目标的重要一步。If all goes well, the three-stage rocket designed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute will carry a dummy satellite into space on Thursday.如果一切顺利，韩国航空宇宙研究院设计的3级火箭将于周四搭载模拟卫星进入太空。The man who killed five people with a bow and arrow and other weapons in Norway on Wednesday was probably suffering from mental illness, according to police.据警方称，周三在挪威用弓箭和其他武器杀死5人的男子可能患有精神疾病。The attacker went on a half-hour rampage in the southern town of Kongsberg on Wednesday, assaulting people in the streets and forcing his way into houses and into one supermarket.周三，这名袭击者在南部城市康斯伯格横冲直撞半小时，袭击了街上的人，并强行闯入民宅和一家超市。Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the government is keen not to interfere in any file related to the judiciary, this according to a statement from his office on Saturday.据黎巴嫩总理纳吉布·米卡提办公室周六发表的一份声明称，政府不愿意干涉任何与司法有关的卷宗。The statement came following a meeting with the justice minister and the head of the higher judicial council after seven people were killed in violence in Beirut on Thursday.该声明是在与司法部长和高级司法委员会负责人会晤后发表的，此前有7人于周四发生在贝鲁特的暴力事件中丧生。

A notorious Haitian gang known for brazen kidnappings and killings has been accused by police of abducting 17 missionaries from a U.S.-based organization.一个臭名昭著的海地团伙以公然绑架和杀戮而闻名，警方指控他们绑架了来自美国组织的17名传教士。Five children were believed to be among those kidnapped.据信被绑架的人中有五名儿童。Haitian police said Sunday that the 400 Mawozo gang kidnapped the group in Ganthier.海地警方周日表示，名为400 Mawozo的团伙在Ganthier绑架了该组织。It's a commune (that) lies east of the capital of Port-au-Prince.这是位于首都太子港以东的一个小行政区。Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries says the kidnapped group consisted of 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian.总部设在俄亥俄州的基督教援助组织说，被绑架的人中有16名美国公民和1名加拿大人。The organization said the group was on a trip to visit an orphanage when they were captured.该组织表示，他们在前往参观一家孤儿院的途中被绑架。Haiti is once again struggling with a spike in gang-related kidnappings that had diminished in recent months after President Jovenel Moise was fatally shot at his private residence on July 7 and a 7.2-magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,200 people in August.7月7日，海地总统莫伊兹在其私人住所被枪杀，8月份海地发生7.2级地震，造成2200多人死亡。此后的近几个月内，绑架事件有所减少，而现在海地再次面临着与帮派有关的绑架事件激增的问题。Thousands of children returned to Sydney's schools on Monday after nearly four months away as Australia's largest city eased more restrictions just a week after lifting its COVID-19 lockdown.周一，数千名学生在停课近四个月后回到了悉尼的学校，这座澳大利亚最大的城市在解除新冠封锁仅一周后就放松了更多限制。New South Wales topped the 80 percent immunization rate over the weekend.经过这个周末，新南威尔士州的疫苗接种率超过了80%。Authorities had pledged to begin easing curbs as the rates reach their targets.当局曾承诺，当接种率达到目标时，将开始放宽限制。Meanwhile, the five million residents of Melbourne have been enduring an extended lockdown since August the 5th.与此同时，自8月5日以来，墨尔本的500万居民一直处于长期封锁状态。They've already spent around nine months under strict stay-at-home restrictions since March, 2020.自2020年3月以来，他们已经在严格的居家限制下度过了大约9个月的时间。And former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said the current Taliban government in Afghanistan needs internal legitimacy in order for it to gain international recognition.阿富汗前总统哈米德·卡尔扎伊说，阿富汗目前的塔利班政府需要内部合法性，这样它才能获得国际承认。

Stonghenge巨石阵For years, the closest theories that anyone had as to how the stones of Stonehenge were transported ranged from Merlin using magic to aliens. Uses for Stonehenge ranged from ritual magic to a life-size calendar. But researchers and archaeologists have recently discovered additional stones and monuments in the ground around Stonehenge which means that the still-standing stones were merely a focal point amongst many more stones. This also gives a stronger hint that the stones were used as a calendar to track the Sun for the purposes of keeping track of seasons for farming.多年来，关于巨石阵的运输之谜，人们的普遍猜测从梅林施法到外星人杰作，应有尽有。对于建造目的，从祭祀场所到史前日历。日前，研究人员和考古学家在巨石阵周围出土石块和纪念碑，说明眼前这些石头仅仅是众多石块的重要组成部分。这极有可能证明巨石阵就是日历，观察太阳方向，记录农耕季节。Egypt埃及For a significant amount of time, researchers were giving men too little credit in the construction of the pyramid. For a time, scientists claim that the pyramids were built with technology that was too advanced for the time period which made the conspiracy theorists go nuts with thoughts of aliens giving the Pharaohs space tools to build these massive structures. But in reality, ancient Egypt has proven to have the advanced technology and the pyramids aren't built perfectly. In fact, the tools used to build the pyramids, like rope and counter-balancing, are time period appropriate especially since it meant the pyramids were built over a period of 20 years.很久以来，对于金字塔建造者的丰功伟绩，研究人员很少提及。科学家还曾认为，因建造技术较当时来讲太过先进，令阴谋论者想出外星人理论，称外星人赋予法老“太空技术”建造庞然大物。但事实上，古埃及人已证实他们拥有高超技术，然而金字塔建造本身并不完美。事实上，由于金字塔修建时间超过20年，所以像绳子，平衡理论符合当时建造水平。Mayans玛雅人After the Spaniards invaded the Mayan civilization, the mystery was that the people of this ancient civilization completely disappeared. People thought that aliens give the mayans their technology or that the Mayans were aliens themselves and "went home" after the Spanish colonization of the Americas, thus explaining why the Mayans left without a trace. But researchers have found that it's simply not true. The Mayans actually spread out and formed smaller colonies of their own and grew Mayan population from there. There are areas of South America where the mayan language is still spoken and you can find descendants of these ancient people. Also the Mayan calendar was one of the biggest mysteries which doubled as an indicator to some that the ending of the calendar also meant the end of the world. These same surviving Mayans were the same people debunking doomsday prophecies and insisted that the calendar meant a new age, not the end of the world.玛雅文明遭西班牙人入侵后，玛雅文明神秘消失。有人说外星人赋予玛雅人技术，还有说他们本身就是外星人，西班牙在美洲建立殖民地后，玛雅人选择“回家”，这的确对神秘失踪做出了解释。但研究人员却不以为然。玛雅人实际向外扩散，组建小型群落，不断繁衍后代。许多南美洲地区仍然使用玛雅语言，后代依然生息繁衍。玛雅日历也极为神秘，它还同时预示世界末日，玛雅日历的最后一天即为世界末日。但玛雅后代亲自戳穿祖先预言，称日历预示新纪元，而非世界末日。Terracotta Army兵马俑After Chinese farmers discovered the massive Terracotta Army that made archaeological history, scientists and researchers had no idea how the thousands of clay soldiers were designed to protect the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang, making it one of the 

And events marking the 70th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions are underway, the International Committee of the Red Cross says these four landmark treaties delineating the law of war are as relevant today as they were when they came into force August 12, 1949. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA, from ICRC headquarters in GENEVA.《1949年日内瓦公约》70周年纪念活动正在进行当中。国际红十字会表示，这4条具有里程碑意义的公约划定了战争法。时至今日，它仍然跟1949年8月12日生效之际具有同样的现实意义。美国之音的丽莎· 施莱茵从国际红十字会日内瓦总部发来报道。The 1949 Geneva Conventions grew out of the horrors of World War II. It took only four months for the four treaties, which are universally ratified, to come into force. The treaties contain the core elements of the International Humanitarian Law, the law of war, which aims to reduce suffering in armed conflict.《1949年日内瓦公约》源于二战的恐怖。现在得到全球普遍认可的这4条公约当时只花了4个月时间就正式生效。这些公约载有国际人道主义法（即战争法）的核心要素，目的是减少武装冲突中的苦难。The law requires all parties to a conflict to abide by provisions that include a prohibition against torture, appropriate treatment of civilians, caring for the wounded on the battlefield, and the dignified treatment of the remains of the dead.该法要求冲突各方遵守相关规定，包括禁止酷刑、适当对待平民、照顾战场伤员，以及有尊严的处理遗骸。ICRC Director of International Law and Policy, Helen Durham, recognizes the law of war is not always followed, but she notes when they work, they have an impact. She says ICRC delegates in the field see these laws in action every day.国际红十字会国际法与政策司司长海伦·达勒姆承认这项战争法并不总是能得到遵守，但她指出，当该法起效时，就能产生影响。她说，国际红十字会的战地代表每天都能看到这些法律在起作用。"We see, for example, the capacity for us to get fresh water to six million Syrian. This is the law of war in action. We see every time a wounded combatant passes a checkpoint to get access to medical assistance, it is the laws or war in action," she says.她说：“例如我们看到，我们能够向600万叙利亚人提供淡水。这就是战争法在起作用。我们看到，每次伤兵通过检查站获取医疗援助，这就是战争法在起作用。”At the same time, Durham acknowledges the many challenges to the Conventions posed by new technologies. She says issues such as cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons and the changing nature of conflict present new threats.与此同时，达勒姆认识到新技术给《日内瓦公约》提出了许多挑战。她说，例如网络战、人工智能、自主武器以及不断变化的冲突本质都带来新的威胁。When the Conventions were crafted 70 years ago, she says international wars among belligerent states dominated. Now, most wars are internal, civil conflicts. She tells VOA as far back as the 1970s, a survey found a dramatic increase in civilian casualties as a consequence of this change.她说，70年前起草《日内瓦公约》时，各交战国之间的国际战争占主导地位。现在，大多数战争是国家内部冲突。她对美国之音表示，早在上世纪70年代就有调查发现，平民伤亡人数急剧上升，这就是这种变化的后果。"In World War I, I think the statistics are one out of nine people killed was a civilian. In World War II, it was around 50-50. And, then when you looked at the Vietnam and other wars of decolonization, the statistics inversed where up to 90 percent of casualties during conflict were civilians…To date, that continues. So, civilians are very often the major casualties," she says.她说：“我认为一战的统计数据是每9名遇难者中有1人是平民。二战大致是五五开。然后当我们审视越南和其它去殖民化战争时，统计数据反了过来，冲突期间9成死伤者是平民。截至目前，这种情况还在继续。因此，平民往往是主要的伤亡者。”"Durham says an area of major concern for the ICRC is the treatment of detainees. She says clear rules governing the care of prisoners of war are laid out in the Conventions. However, these frequently are not enforced in the context of civil wars where non-state actors are involved.达勒姆表示，国际红十字会尤为关注战俘待遇。她说，公约中列出了关于照顾战俘的明确规定。但是，在涉及到非国家行为者的内战中，这些规定往往不会得到执行。She says this is one area where international law must evolve to make the laws of war more relevant to present day existing reality.她说，这是国际法必须推进领域，以使战争法更加符合当今现实。

Record numbers of Brazilians have been arrested at the United States’ southern border this year. Police believe the investigation into one man has led them to one of the smuggling operations that moves migrants north.今年在美国南部边境被捕的巴西人数量创历史新高。警方认为，对一名男子的调查使他们参与了一项将移民向北迁移的走私行动。In early June, Brazilian federal police arrested Chelbe Moraes. He is a Brazilian businessman who is suspected of illegally taking his daughter to Paraguay after a dispute with her mother.6 月初，巴西联邦警察逮捕了 Chelbe Moraes。他是一名巴西商人，在与母亲发生争执后，涉嫌非法将女儿带到巴拉圭。During the investigation into the charges, police listened to the phone calls of Moraes' business partners. The officers began to suspect Moraes was an experienced people smuggler, or “coyote.”在对指控进行调查期间，警方听取了 Moraes 商业伙伴的电话。官员们开始怀疑 Moraes 是一个有经验的人口走私者，或者“土狼”。On June 25, a police report was sent to a federal judge and seen by Reuters. It asked that several criminal charges be filed against Moraes, including illegally moving a child, human smuggling and agreeing to perform an illegal act.6 月 25 日，一份警方报告被发送给一名联邦法官，并被路透社看到。它要求对莫赖斯提出多项刑事指控，包括非法移动儿童、人口走私和同意进行非法行为。Police accuse him of charging Brazilians around $20,000 each to illegally enter the United States via Mexico without legal visas. Court documents say Moraes built an international network that includes corrupt police officers and officials, and U.S.-based family members.警方指控他向巴西人每人收取约 20,000 美元，以在没有合法签证的情况下通过墨西哥非法进入美国。法庭文件称，莫赖斯建立了一个国际网络，其中包括腐败的警察和官员，以及在美国的家庭成员。Moraes said he is innocent. He told Reuters he runs a lawful agency that informs people on how to get asylum in the United States. He said he has helped up to 200 people over 20 years. He charges those who meet U.S. rules on asylum up to $18,086 to help them migrate.莫拉斯说他是无辜的。他告诉路透社，他经营一家合法机构，负责告知人们如何在美国获得庇护。他说他在 20 年里帮助了多达 200 人。他向符合美国庇护规定的人收取高达 18,086 美元的费用，以帮助他们移民。Moraes said his information is costly, “… because I know American laws.”Moraes 说他的信息很昂贵，“……因为我了解美国法律。”U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, say during the first 11 months of the 2021 financial year, 46,280 Brazilians were arrested by officials at the southern U.S. border, making them sixth among nationalities arrested at the border in 2021. More than 550,000 Mexicans have been arrested.美国海关和边境保护局 (CBP) 表示，在 2021 财年的前 11 个月，有 46,280 名巴西人在美国南部边境被官员逮捕，使他们在 2021 年在边境被捕的国籍中排名第六。超过 550,000 名墨西哥人被捕被逮捕。It is part of a wave of Latin American migrants leaving countries whose economies have been damaged by COVID-19. Southern border arrests have jumped to their highest levels in 20 years.它是离开经济受到 COVID-19 破坏的国家的拉丁美洲移民浪潮的一部分。南部边境逮捕人数跃升至 20 年来的最高水平。As of now, Moraes remains free in Brazil after saying he was not guilty of illegally taking his child to Paraguay. No charges have been placed in connection to a possible smuggling operation. This permits police to continue their investigation of Moraes.截至目前，莫赖斯在巴西表示他没有非法将孩子带到巴拉圭的罪名后仍然自由。没有对可能的走私活动提出任何指控。这允许警方继续调查莫赖斯。Two people who knew of his suspected actions, a former customer and a former partner, talked with Reuters. They said Moraes tells his customers to act like tourists when they arrive in Mexico. They also said Moraes sometimes helps his customers by paying Mexican immigration officials.两个知道他的可疑行为的人，一个前客户和一个前合作伙伴，与路透社进行了交谈。他们说，莫赖斯告诉他的顾客在抵达墨西哥时要表现得像游客一样。他们还说，莫赖斯有时会通过向墨西哥移民官员付款来帮助他的客户。The two people said Moraes transports the Brazilians north. They either jump the border with the help of paid Mexican coyotes, or they ask for asylum by using false papers and stories Moraes has prepared.两人说，莫赖斯将巴西人运送到北方。他们要么在付费的墨西哥土狼的帮助下越过边境，要么使用莫拉斯准备的虚假文件和故事来寻求庇护。People who can prove they face mistreatment at home because of their race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinions may meet the requirements for U.S. asylum. Those who enter the U.S. may remain for years in the states while their cases are processed because of the number of cases courts have.能够证明他们在家中因种族、宗教、国籍、社会群体或政治观点而受到虐待的人可能符合美国庇护的要求。由于法院审理的案件数量众多，那些进入美国的人可能会在案件审理期间在各州逗留多年。Moraes said those who claim he ran a smuggling operation were “induced” to do so by police or did not like him due to his success.莫拉斯说，那些声称他从事走私活动的人是被警察“诱使”这样做的，或者由于他的成功而不喜欢他。But he recognized he has gained from Brazil’s problems.但他承认他从巴西的问题中获益。He said, "The worse the government here gets, the better for me.”他说：“这里的政府越差，对我越好。”

Students in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs are a large and growing population in American schools. The U.S. Department of Education says that the number of ESL learners increased by more than 1 million from 2000 to 2020. That is about 10 percent of all students in the country.英语作为第二语言 (ESL) 课程的学生在美国学校中人数众多且不断增长。美国教育部表示，从 2000 年到 2020 年，ESL 学习者的数量增加了超过 100 万，约占美国所有学生的 10%。In states like California and Texas, nearly 20 percent of students are English learners. But “English learners are everywhere” in the country, notes Leslie Villegas. She is an education researcher with the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C. Her recent study looked at the percentage of ESL students within each state, as well as the most common languages spoken at home for those students.在加利福尼亚州和德克萨斯州等州，近 20% 的学生是英语学习者。但莱斯利·维勒加斯 (Leslie Villegas) 指出，该国“到处都是英语学习者”。她是华盛顿特区新美国基金会的一名教育研究员。她最近的研究调查了每个州内 ESL 学生的百分比，以及这些学生在家中最常用的语言。As the number of English learners grow, there is a need for more ESL teachers. But the U.S. is dealing with a nationwide teacher shortage across all grade and subject areas. And in the next few years, experts expect the shortage to get worse among English language educators, Villegas said.随着英语学习者人数的增长，需要更多的 ESL 教师。但美国正在应对全国范围内所有年级和学科领域的教师短缺问题。维勒加斯说，在接下来的几年里，专家预计英语教育工作者的短缺会变得更糟。Josie Gutierrez is the assistant superintendent of the Waco Independent School District in Texas. She said the teacher shortage has slowed down the growth of the district’s bilingual program.乔西·古铁雷斯 (Josie Gutierrez) 是德克萨斯州韦科独立学区的助理学区长。她说教师短缺减缓了该地区双语课程的发展。There has been an increase in state and federal pandemic aid to schools. So money is not the problem, Gutierrez noted. But the supply of teachers has not increased. And schools are “vying for the same supply,” she said.州和联邦对学校的流行病援助有所增加。所以钱不是问题，古铁雷斯指出。但是教师的供给并没有增加。她说，学校正在“争夺同样的供应”。School districts know that ESL teachers are often in short supply. District leaders often try to improve and increase their recruiting efforts.学区知道 ESL 教师经常供不应求。区领导经常尝试改进和增加他们的招聘工作。Grace Benson is the director of ESL and bilingual education of Waco schools.Grace Benson 是韦科学校 ESL 和双语教育的负责人。She said, “Being in ESL and bilingual education I am always recruiting, even when we’re not in a pandemic — just because bilingual education as a whole is under a shortage.”她说：“在 ESL 和双语教育中，我一直在招聘，即使我们没有大流行——只是因为整个双语教育都处于短缺状态。”Benson said she has been able to fill almost all ESL positions for this school year.本森说她已经能够填补本学年几乎所有的 ESL 职位。In Austin, Texas, the city school district requires all elementary school teachers, as well as middle and high school English teachers to be trained in ESL instruction. Assistant Superintendent Dessynie Edwards said that is a large reason why there is currently no shortage of ESL teachers in Austin, where more than 27 percent of the city’s 75,000 students are learning English.在德克萨斯州奥斯汀市，市学区要求所有小学教师以及初中和高中英语教师接受 ESL 教学培训。助理学监 Dessynie Edwards 表示，这也是奥斯汀目前不缺 ESL 教师的一个重要原因，该市 75,000 名学生中有 27% 以上在学习英语。Jackie Leroy is head of ESL programs for Syracuse City School District in New York. She said when she started working there 22 years ago, 5 percent of students were ESL learners. Now, more than 18 percent of the city’s students are English learners. She said that even though job applications have slowed lately, the city has been “very active” in recruiting teachers. She also said many students that have gone through Syracuse’s ESL program later return as teachers.Jackie Leroy 是纽约雪城学区 ESL 课程的负责人。她说，当她 22 年前开始在那里工作时，5% 的学生是 ESL 学习者。现在，该市超过 18% 的学生是英语学习者。她说，尽管最近求职申请有所放缓，但该市在招聘教师方面“非常积极”。她还说，许多参加过雪城 ESL 课程的学生后来都回到了教师岗位。English learners are among the students who have struggled the most during the pandemic, school district officials say.学区官员说，在大流行期间，英语学习者是最挣扎的学生之一。Edwards, with Austin schools, said a large percentage of the city’s ESL students were “not faring well” during the early part of the pandemic. “A larger percent had failing grades,” she said.爱德华兹在奥斯汀学校工作时说，在大流行初期，该市很大一部分 ESL 学生“表现不佳”。“更大的比例有不及格的成绩，”她说。Learning and studying in a home where English was not the main language spoken proved to be very hard for many students. Some parents of ESL students had difficulty communicating with teachers and understanding what learning materials their children needed.在英语不是主要语言的家庭中学习和学习对许多学生来说非常困难。一些 ESL 学生的家长难以与老师沟通，也无法理解孩子需要什么学习材料。“If they’re in their home the whole time, and there’s no one that speaks English and all their assignments are in English, how do they get that extra support?” Leroy said.“如果他们一直呆在家里，没有人会说英语，而且他们所有的作业都是英语，他们如何获得额外的支持？”勒罗伊说。Edwards said ESL students in Austin have greatly benefited from the return to in-person classes. Students are now able to have a full day of classes and the district has started providing small group instruction.爱德华兹说奥斯汀的 ESL 学生从重返面对面的课程中受益匪浅。学生现在可以上一整天的课，学区已经开始提供小组教学。But it is largely unknown how many students are behind in their English and academic progress, said the researcher Vi

Ninety-year-old actor William Shatner, flew into space Wednesday. The performer is known for playing Captain Kirk in the Star Trek television series and films. He is the oldest person to ever reach space.90 岁的演员威廉·夏特纳 (William Shatner) 于周三飞入太空。这位表演者以在《星际迷航》电视剧和电影中饰演柯克船长而闻名。他是有史以来到达太空的最年长的人。Shatner was a passenger on a spaceship built by Blue Origin, the company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.夏特纳是亚马逊创始人杰夫贝索斯拥有的蓝色起源公司建造的宇宙飞船的乘客。The Star Trek actor and three other passengers flew about 106 kilometers over the desert of western Texas to the edge of space. The ship operates without a pilot. It spent about three minutes at zero gravity then safely returned to Earth by parachute. The flight lasted just over 10 minutes.星际迷航演员和其他三名乘客在德克萨斯州西部的沙漠上空飞行了大约 106 公里，到达太空边缘。这艘船在没有飞行员的情况下运行。它在零重力下度过了大约三分钟，然后通过降落伞安全返回地球。飞行持续了10多分钟。“How about that, guys? That was unlike anything they described,” the actor said as the ship came back to Earth.“那个怎么样，伙计们？这与他们所描述的完全不同，”这位演员在飞船返回地球时说道。Shatner broke the record for the oldest person in space by eight years. Pilot Wally Funk set the earlier record in July, also on a Blue Origin rocket.夏特纳打破了太空中最年长人的记录八岁。飞行员沃利·芬克 (Wally Funk) 在 7 月创造了较早的记录，同样是在蓝色起源火箭上。Science fiction fans enjoyed the chance to see the man best known as Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise.夏特纳打破了太空中最年长人的记录八岁。飞行员沃利·芬克 (Wally Funk) 在 7 月创造了较早的记录，同样是在蓝色起源火箭上。“This is a pinch-me moment for all of us to see Captain James Tiberius Kirk go to space,” said Blue Origin launch commentator Jacki Cortese before liftoff. She said she, like many others, became interested in the space business because of shows like Star Trek.“对于我们所有人来说，看到詹姆斯·提比略·柯克船长进入太空，这是一个让我紧张的时刻，”蓝色起源发射评论员杰基·科蒂斯在升空前说。她说，像许多其他人一样，因为《星际迷航》这样的节目，她对太空业务产生了兴趣。Bezos is also a Star Trek fan. He once played an outer space creature in one of the later Star Trek movies. Shatner flew on the ship for free as his invited guest.贝索斯也是《星际迷航》的粉丝。他曾在后来的一部星际迷航电影中扮演外太空生物。夏特纳作为他的受邀客人免费登上了这艘船。The launch brings attention to Bezos’ space travel company.此次发射引起了贝佐斯太空旅行公司的关注。Bezos himself drove the four passengers to the launch area. He closed the ship’s door after they climbed into the 18-meter rocket. And he was there to welcome the crew after the ship returned.贝佐斯亲自驾驶四名乘客前往发射区。在他们爬上 18 米火箭后，他关上了船的门。船返回后，他在那里欢迎船员。“Hello, astronauts. Welcome to Earth!” Bezos said as he opened the door and was hugged by Shatner.“你好，宇航员。欢迎来到地球！”贝佐斯一边说，一边打开门，被夏特纳抱住。The space tourism industry is quickly growing. Many passengers without government spaceflight training have been able to fly into space recently.太空旅游业正在迅速发展。许多没有接受过政府航天训练的乘客最近已经能够飞入太空。Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson went into space in his own rocket in July, followed by Bezos nine days later on Blue Origin’s first flight with a crew. Elon Musk’s company SpaceX made its first private flight last month, but without Musk as a passenger. Last week, Russia launched an actor and a film director to the International Space Station to film a movie.维珍银河的理查德布兰森在 7 月乘坐他自己的火箭进入太空，九天后贝佐斯与机组人员一起进行了蓝色起源的首次飞行。埃隆马斯克的公司SpaceX上个月进行了首次私人飞行，但没有马斯克作为乘客。上周，俄罗斯派遣一名演员和一名电影导演前往国际空间站拍摄电影。Also on the flight was Audrey Powers, Blue Origin vice president. There were two other passengers who paid: Chris Boshuizen, a former NASA engineer, and software businessman Glen de Vries. Blue Origin would not release the cost of their flights.飞行中还有蓝色起源副总裁奥黛丽·鲍尔斯。还有另外两名乘客支付了费用：前 NASA 工程师 Chris Boshuizen 和软件商人 Glen de Vries。Blue Origin 不会公布他们的航班费用。After the flight, Shatner told Bezos that he gave him “the most profound experience I can imagine.”飞行结束后，沙特纳告诉贝索斯，他给了他“我能想象到的最深刻的体验”。Through tears, the actor said, “I’m so filled with emotion about what just happened. It’s extraordinary. I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don’t want to lose it.”这位演员流着泪说：“我对刚刚发生的事情充满了情感。这是非凡的。我希望我永远不会从这件事中恢复过来。我希望我能保持现在的感觉。我不想失去它。”

Swiss researchers say they have completed the most detailed virtual reality (VR) map of the universe ever created.瑞士研究人员表示，他们已经完成了有史以来最详细的宇宙虚拟现实 (VR) 地图。The map permits users to “travel through space and time,” the researchers said in a recent statement. It can be imagined as a kind of Google Earth, but for the universe. The map was created by a team at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).研究人员在最近的一份声明中说，该地图允许用户“穿越时空”。它可以被想象成一种谷歌地球，但对于宇宙而言。该地图由洛桑瑞士联邦理工学院 (EPFL) 的一个团队创建。With the help of VR headsets, users can visit places in the universe virtually. This includes the International Space Station, the Moon, Saturn and far away exoplanets.在 VR 耳机的帮助下，用户可以虚拟地访问宇宙中的地方。这包括国际空间站、月球、土星和遥远的系外行星。The software program is called the Virtual Reality Universe Project, or VIRUP. The researchers said they combined the largest data set of information about the universe to create the three-dimensional (3D) experience.该软件程序称为虚拟现实宇宙项目，或 VIRUP。研究人员表示，他们结合了关于宇宙的最大信息数据集来创造三维 (3D) 体验。People can see the virtual universe through VR equipment or with 3D glasses in a theater. A personal computer can also be used to see the universe in a non-3D way.人们可以通过 VR 设备或在影院中通过 3D 眼镜看到虚拟世界。个人计算机也可用于以非 3D 方式查看宇宙。Jean-Paul Kneib is the director of EPFL's astrophysics laboratory. He told The Associated Press one of the best parts of the project was putting together parts of the data set “into one framework.”Jean-Paul Kneib 是 EPFL 天体物理学实验室的主任。他告诉美联社，该项目最好的部分之一是将部分数据集“整合到一个框架中”。“You can see the universe at different scales -- nearby us, around the Earth, around the solar system, at the Milky Way level," Kneib said. "To see through the universe and time up to the beginning -- what we call the Big Bang." Many scientists believe the Big Bang is the explosion that created the universe.“你可以看到不同尺度的宇宙——我们附近、地球周围、太阳系周围、银河系，”Kneib 说。“看透宇宙和时间直到开始——我们称之为大爆炸。”许多科学家认为大爆炸是创造宇宙的爆炸。VIRUP produces images that can appear as close as one meter or seemingly at an infinite distance. It is available to everyone for free, but does require at least a computer and is best experienced with VR equipment that can also show 3D images.VIRUP 生成的图像可以近至一米，也可以看似无限远。每个人都可以免费使用它，但至少需要一台计算机，并且最好使用还可以显示 3D 图像的 VR 设备。It aims to get many kinds of visitors. This includes both scientists looking to get a virtual picture of the data they collect and people seeking a new way to explore the universe.它旨在吸引多种游客。这包括希望获得他们收集的数据的虚拟图片的科学家和寻求探索宇宙的新方法的人们。The software has been released in its first, or beta version. This version can run on personal computers, but not Mac computers from Apple.该软件已发布第一个或测试版。此版本可以在个人电脑上运行，但不能在 Apple 的 Mac 电脑上运行。Downloading the software and content can be difficult for less skilled computer users. Users seeking the best experience will also need a powerful computer with a lot of storage.对于不太熟练的计算机用户来说，下载软件和内容可能很困难。寻求最佳体验的用户还需要拥有大量存储空间的功能强大的计算机。There are different versions of the software. A smaller version is aimed at the public and a larger one is meant for scientists or astronomy experts.有不同版本的软件。较小的版本面向公众，较大的版本面向科学家或天文学专家。The project combines information from eight databases. It includes at least 4,500 known exoplanets, tens of millions of galaxies and hundreds of millions of space objects. More than 1.5 billion light producing objects from the Milky Way alone are included.该项目结合了来自八个数据库的信息。它包括至少 4,500 颗已知系外行星、数千万个星系和数亿个空间物体。仅来自银河系就包括超过 15 亿个发光物体。The researchers expect to continually add data, meaning the virtual experience will keep getting better with time. Future databases could include space rocks called asteroids in our solar system or farther objects in our galaxy.研究人员希望不断添加数据，这意味着虚拟体验会随着时间的推移而变得越来越好。未来的数据库可能包括我们太阳系中称为小行星的太空岩石或银河系中更远的物体。Yves Revaz is an astrophysicist with the EPFL who spoke to the AP about the effort. He called the system “a very efficient way of visiting all the different scales that compose our universe.” Revaz added: ”A very important part of this project is that it's a first step toward treating much larger data sets which are coming."Yves Revaz 是 EPFL 的一名天体物理学家，他向美联社谈到了这项工作。他称该系统是“一种访问构成我们宇宙的所有不同尺度的非常有效的方式”。Revaz 补充说：“这个项目的一个非常重要的部分是，它是处理即将到来的更大数据集的第一步。”

Quillay trees are rare evergreens found mainly in the South American country of Chile. And they are increasingly important to producing new vaccines.奎莱树是罕见的常青树，主要分布在南美国家智利。它们对于生产新疫苗越来越重要。The native Mapuche people have long used them to make soap and medicine. In recent years, quillay trees, also known as quillaja saponaria, have been used in the processing of food and drinks. They have also been used to make a highly successful vaccine against shingles, a painful viral disease, and the world’s first malaria vaccine.土著马普切人长期以来一直用它们制作肥皂和药品。近年来，奎莱树也被称为皂荚树，已被用于食品和饮料的加工。它们还被用来制造非常成功的带状疱疹疫苗，一种痛苦的病毒性疾病，以及世界上第一种疟疾疫苗。Now, molecules extracted from the bark, or outer covering, of older quillay trees are being used for a COVID-19 vaccine. It is being developed by American drug-maker Novavax. Over the next two years, Novavax plans to produce billions of treatments of the vaccine for use in developing countries.现在，从较老的奎莱树的树皮或外壳中提取的分子被用于 COVID-19 疫苗。它由美国制药商 Novavax 开发。在接下来的两年中，Novavax 计划生产数十亿种疫苗用于发展中国家。Novavax uses two molecules to make adjuvant, a substance that improves the human immune system. One of those, called QS-21, is more difficult to find. The substance is found mainly in quillay trees that are at least 10 years old.Novavax 使用两个分子来制造佐剂，这种物质可以改善人体免疫系统。其中一种称为 QS-21，更难找到。该物质主要存在于至少 10 年树龄的奎莱树中。British drug-maker GlaxoSmithKline uses QS-21 in its highly successful vaccine against shingles called Shingrix. It is also used in several other promising experimental vaccines. The quillay-based adjuvant used in Shingrix is also part of the world’s first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix.英国制药商葛兰素史克 (GlaxoSmithKline) 在其名为 Shingrix 的带状疱疹疫苗中使用了 QS-21。它还用于其他几种有希望的实验疫苗。Shingrix 中使用的基于奎莱的佐剂也是世界上第一种疟疾疫苗 Mosquirix 的一部分。Less than one milligram of quillay extract is required to make a vaccine treatment. But the supply of quillay is stretched by the demand from other industries. Quillay products are used as a natural additive in animal feed. They also are used to kill harmful insects and as an agent to reduce pollution in mining.进行疫苗治疗只需要不到 1 毫克的奎莱提取物。但奎莱的供应因其他行业的需求而捉襟见肘。Quilay 产品用作动物饲料中的天然添加剂。它们还用于杀死有害昆虫和作为减少采矿污染的药剂。Some drug-makers are developing a manufactured version of QS-21. But it could take years to get approval. Exchanging the substance for another in any existing vaccine would require new drug tests to prove the product is safe and effective.一些制药商正在开发 QS-21 的制造版本。但获得批准可能需要数年时间。在任何现有疫苗中将这种物质换成另一种物质都需要进行新的药物测试以证明该产品是安全有效的。Jason Paragas, a vice president at drug company Agenus, said, “The shortage of QS-21 has been an issue for a while.” He added, “We saw it before COVID, and we made the hard decision that we had to change.”制药公司 Agenus 的副总裁 Jason Paragas 说：“QS-21 的短缺问题已经有一段时间了。”他补充说：“我们在 COVID 之前就看到了，我们做出了必须改变的艰难决定。”The American company in Massachusetts stopped selling the natural version of QS-21 several years ago. It now centers on trying to grow it from quillay plant cells in a laboratory. Paragas said it is too soon to know when it will be ready.几年前，这家位于马萨诸塞州的美国公司停止销售 QS-21 的天然版本。现在的重点是尝试在实验室中从奎莱植物细胞中培育出它。帕拉加斯说，现在知道什么时候准备好还为时过早。Botanical Solution, a California-based company, says it can already produce QS-21 from quillay seeds in the laboratory. The company adds that it aims to produce the substance in large quantities for drug companies.总部位于加利福尼亚的公司 Botanical Solution 表示，它已经可以在实验室中从奎莱种子中生产 QS-21。该公司补充说，它的目标是为制药公司大量生产这种物质。No one knows how many healthy quillay trees are left in Chile to meet the demand. Experts and industry officials believe that they will at some point need to switch to grow the evergreens on farms or in laboratories.没有人知道智利还剩下多少健康的奎莱树来满足需求。专家和行业官员认为，他们在某个时候需要转向在农场或实验室种植常青树。Ricardo San Martin developed the pruning and extraction process that created the modern quillay industry. He said producers must immediately work toward making quillay products from younger, farm-grown trees.Ricardo San Martin 开发的修剪和提取工艺创造了现代奎莱产业。他说，生产商必须立即努力从更年轻的农场种植的树木中生产奎莱产品。“My estimate four years ago was that we were heading towards the sustainability limit,” he said.“我四年前的估计是，我们正朝着可持续性极限迈进，”他说。Quillay producers say the harvest can continue for now without destroying the supply of older trees. Novavax told Reuters that the company is working with suppliers to make sure “life-saving vaccines will be prioritized.”奎莱生产商表示，现在可以继续收割，而不会破坏老树的供应。Novavax 告诉路透社，该公司正在与供应商合作，以确保“优先使用挽救生命的疫苗”。Andres Gonzalez runs Desert King International which operates a quillay farm in Chile. It is Novavax’s only supplier and the largest quillay exporter in the country. He said it produces enough quillay extract from older trees to make up to 4.4 billion vaccine treatments in 2022.安德烈斯·冈萨雷斯 (Andres Gonzalez) 经营着沙漠之王国际公司，该公司在智利经营着一家奎莱农场。它是 Novavax 唯一的供应商，也是该国最大的奎莱出口商。他说，它从老树中生产的奎莱提取物足够到 2022 年进行 44 亿次疫苗治疗。With new supplies from privately owned forests, he said, the operation can meet demand for the rest of this year and part of the next. He admitted, however, that “at some point, these native forests will come to an end.”他说，有了来自私有森林的新供应

In the past few years, Lee Reich, a well-known gardener, has planted several sorts of nuts, including Hazelnuts. Hazelnuts come from the hazel tree. They are often eaten and ground into a mixture that can be spread.在过去的几年里，著名的园丁李瑞奇种植了多种坚果，包括榛子。榛子来自榛树。它们经常被食用并研磨成可以传播的混合物。Hazelnuts are also known as filbert nuts, especially from the European sort. After planting the young trees, Reich found they produced their first nuts within three years. Sadly, the nuts could not be eaten. They were small and did not taste good. He did find the catkins, the male flowers, to be beautiful in the winter. And each autumn, the trees’ leaves turned to bright colors. 榛子也被称为欧洲榛子坚果。种植幼树后，Reich 发现他们在三年内生产了第一批坚果。遗憾的是，坚果不能吃。它们很小，味道不好。他确实发现柳絮，雄花，在冬天很漂亮。每年秋天，树木的叶子都会变成鲜艳的颜色。A few years after planting those trees, he planted more hazels. The newly planted trees were from a sort that was made to produce large flavorful nuts. They come from the European hazel trees. They are found around the Mediterranean area of Europe or in the northwest of North America. They produce the nuts that are found in supermarkets.种下这些树几年后，他种了更多的榛子。新种植的树来自一种用来生产大而美味的坚果。它们来自欧洲榛树。它们分布在欧洲地中海地区或北美西北部。他们生产超市里常见的坚果。Enter a disease谈及疾病A disease called filbert blight is what has historically kept people from growing filberts in the eastern United States. Blight is a name for any plant disease.一种叫做榛子枯萎病的疾病历来阻止人们在美国东部种植榛子。枯萎病是任何植物病害的名称。Filbert blight is native to North America and had little effect on hazel trees native to North America. However, it is very dangerous to the European ones.榛树枯萎病原产于北美，对北美原产的榛树影响不大。然而，这对欧洲人来说是非常危险的。The blight causes a collapse and death of the branches. The disease can go years without being seen due to its long lifetime. It can be ten years before a tree is killed.枯萎病导致树枝倒塌和死亡。由于其寿命很长，这种疾病可以持续数年而不被发现。一棵树被杀死可能需要十年时间。Easy workaround for disease轻松解决疾病Cutting off infected branches, or pruning, and spraying chemicals are two ways to deal with blight.切断受感染的树枝或修剪和喷洒化学物质是应对枯萎病的两种方法。The disease found its way to commercially grown filbert trees in northwestern North America. This created the need to find sorts of hazels that are resistant.这种疾病在北美西北部商业种植的榛树中找到了途径。这就产生了寻找各种具有抗性的榛子的需要。Two trees were identified early on: Hall’s Giant and Willamette. Now, there are many that are resistant. Lee Reich plans to plant these resistant trees in his garden.早期发现了两棵树：Hall's Giant 和 Willamette。现在，有许多抗药性。Lee Reich 计划在他的花园里种植这些抗病树木。He keeps the young trees healthy by covering the ground with mulch and, if needed, providing nutrients. He removes some leaves and branches to start new growth and to stop diseases. This also permits all the branches to have light and air. He found these efforts create 15 to 25 centimeters of new growth. This growth permits continuously good nut production.他通过用覆盖物覆盖地面来保持幼树健康，并在需要时提供营养。他移除一些叶子和树枝以开始新的生长并阻止疾病。这也让所有的树枝都有光和空气。他发现这些努力创造了 15 到 25 厘米的新增长。这种增长允许持续良好的坚果生产。Lee Reich regularly writes about gardening for The Associated Press. He has also written several books, including “Growing Figs in Cold Climates” and “The Pruning Book.”Lee Reich 定期为美联社撰写有关园艺的文章。他还写了几本书，包括“在寒冷气候下种植无花果”和“修剪书”。

American scientists say they have created a vaccine patch that provides greater protection against infectious diseases than traditional injections.美国科学家表示，他们创造了一种疫苗贴剂，与传统注射剂相比，可以提供更好的传染病保护。A 3D printer is used to make the patch, which is smaller than the tip of a finger. Each patch – which contains many small “micro-needles” – can be put directly on the skin.3D 打印机用于制作比指尖还小的贴剂。每个贴片——包含许多小“微针”——可以直接放在皮肤上。The researchers said in a statement the experiments showed the patch provided an immune response 10 times greater than vaccines injected into arm muscles. And they reported it offered an immune response 50 times greater than vaccines injected under the skin.研究人员在一份声明中说，实验表明，该贴剂提供的免疫反应是注射到手臂肌肉中的疫苗的 10 倍。他们报告说，它提供的免疫反应是皮下注射疫苗的 50 倍。The tests were carried out on mice, with plans to expand the experiments to humans.这些测试是在老鼠想要进行的，并计划将实验扩展到人类。The results were recently described in a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The team was led by scientists from Stanford University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill.最近在美国国家科学院院刊 (PNAS) 上发表的一项研究中描述了这一结果。该团队由斯坦福大学和教堂山北卡罗来纳大学 (UNC) 的科学家领导。The researchers say the increased effectiveness happens because the patch releases substances directly into the skin, which is full of immune cells that are targeted by vaccines.研究人员表示，之所以能提高有效性，是因为贴剂将物质直接释放到皮肤中，皮肤上充满了疫苗靶向的免疫细胞。The scientists say that in addition to the patch vaccine being better at fighting disease, it has several other advantages over traditional injections. The patch is painless, does not require cold storage and can be given by individuals themselves.科学家们说，除了贴剂疫苗更擅长对抗疾病之外，它还有其他几个优于传统注射剂的优势。该贴片是无痛的，不需要冷藏，可以由个人自己给予。The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of vaccines as a way to control viruses in massive populations. But there are barriers that prevent some populations from getting the injections. One of these is the need to keep the vaccines in cold storage. Another is that it can be difficult for people in many parts of the world to get to a place that can administer the shots.COVID-19 大流行已经证明了疫苗作为一种在大量人群中控制病毒的方式的重要性。但是有一些障碍会阻止某些人群进行注射。其中之一是需要将疫苗冷藏。另一个原因是，世界上许多地方的人可能很难到达可以进行注射的地方。The researchers developing the patch say they hope the method will one day help solve these issues and increase vaccine access to millions more people around the world. And because of how the patch works, a smaller amount of vaccine can be used.开发该贴片的研究人员表示，他们希望该方法有朝一日能帮助解决这些问题，并增加全球数百万人获得疫苗的机会。而且由于贴剂的工作原理，可以使用较少量的疫苗。Shaomin Tian is a researcher in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the UNC School of Medicine. She helped lead the study. She said in a statement that the team was able to overcome manufacturing difficulties that have hurt efforts in the past to create an effective patch vaccine that uses micro-needles.田少民是北卡罗来纳大学医学院微生物学和免疫学系的研究员。她帮助领导了这项研究。她在一份声明中说，该团队能够克服制造困难，这些困难阻碍了过去创造使用微针的有效贴剂疫苗的努力。Tian said one problem with past methods was a reduction in needle sharpness from repeated manufacturing using patch molds.田说，过去方法的一个问题是使用贴片模具重复制造会降低针的锋利度。But the researchers’ new method permitted them to directly 3D print the patches. “Which gives us lots of design latitude for making the best micro-needles from a performance and cost point-of-view,” Tian said.但是研究人员的新方法允许他们直接 3D 打印贴剂。“从性能和成本的角度来看，这为我们制造最好的微针提供了很大的设计空间，”田说。The team says it is continuing to work on developing ways to include current COVID-19 vaccines - such as those from Pfizer and Moderna - for use in micro-needle patches for future testing. The method could be used for other disease vaccines as well.该团队表示，它正在继续努力开发将当前的 COVID-19 疫苗（例如辉瑞和 Moderna 的疫苗）纳入微针贴剂以供未来测试的方法。该方法也可用于其他疾病疫苗。Other research has been done on the use of vaccine patches. Last year, scientists from the University of Pittsburgh announced they had developed a COVID-19 vaccine that could be delivered into the skin through a patch of 400 micro-needles.已经对疫苗贴剂的使用进行了其他研究。去年，匹兹堡大学的科学家宣布他们已经开发出一种 COVID-19 疫苗，可以通过 400 根微针将其输送到皮肤中。And in Australia, researchers from the University of Queensland reported in June they had created a vaccine patch that demonstrated “extremely clear” results in tests on mice. The scientists said the patches produced “much stronger and more protective immune responses against COVID-19” than traditional vaccine delivery methods.在澳大利亚，昆士兰大学的研究人员在 6 月份报告说，他们研制了一种疫苗贴剂，在对小鼠的测试中显示出“非常清楚”的结果。科学家们表示，与传统的疫苗投递方法相比，这些贴剂产生了“针对 COVID-19 的更强大、更具保护性的免疫反应”。

Reporters Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. The two won the prize for their fight for freedom of expression in countries where journalists have faced continuing pressure, attacks and even murder.周五，菲律宾记者玛丽亚·雷萨和俄罗斯记者德米特里·穆拉托夫获得了 2021 年诺贝尔和平奖。两人因在记者面临持续压力、袭击甚至谋杀的国家争取言论自由而获奖。Berit Reiss-Andersen chairs the Norwegian Nobel Committee. She said the two were awarded "for their courageous fight for freedom of expression" in their countries.Berit Reiss-Andersen 担任挪威诺贝尔委员会主席。她说，两人因在各自国家“为言论自由而进行的勇敢斗争”而获奖。Reiss-Andersen added, "They are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions," She added, "Free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda."Reiss-Andersen 补充说：“在一个民主和新闻自由面临越来越不利条件的世界中，他们是所有捍卫这一理想的记者的代表，”她补充说，“自由、独立和基于事实的新闻有助于保护反对滥用权力、谎言和战争宣传。”Maria RessaRessa is the first winner of a Nobel prize in any field from the Philippines.Ressa 是菲律宾第一位在任何领域获得诺贝尔奖的人。The Nobel committee noted that, in 2012, Ressa co-founded Rappler. The news website has centered critical attention on what the Nobel committee called President Rodrigo Duterte's “controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign” in the Philippines. Rappler has also shown how social media is being used to spread false news and attack opponents.诺贝尔委员会指出，2012 年，Ressa 与他人共同创立了 Rappler。新闻网站将批评的注意力集中在诺贝尔委员会称之为菲律宾总统罗德里戈·杜特尔特的“有争议的、凶残的禁毒运动”上。Rappler 还展示了社交媒体如何被用来传播虚假新闻和攻击对手。Ressa was found guilty last year of libel and sentenced to jail. In August, a Philippine court dismissed the case. Ressa said she hopes the Nobel Peace prize will help investigative journalism “that will hold power to account.”雷萨去年因诽谤罪被判入狱。8 月，菲律宾法院驳回了此案。雷萨说，她希望诺贝尔和平奖能够帮助“能够追究责任”的调查性新闻。Dmitry MuratovDmitry Muratov is the first Russian to win the Nobel Peace prize since Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990. Gorbachev used some of his prize money to help what would become Novaya Gazeta newspaper. The money went toward buying office equipment and computers.德米特里·穆拉托夫 (Dmitry Muratov) 是自 1990 年苏联领导人米哈伊尔·戈尔巴乔夫 (Mikhail Gorbachev) 以来第一位获得诺贝尔和平奖的俄罗斯人。戈尔巴乔夫用他的部分奖金资助了后来的《新公报》(Novaya Gazeta) 报纸。这笔钱用于购买办公设备和电脑。Muratov was one of the founders of Novaya Gazeta. The Nobel committee called the publication “the most independent newspaper in Russia today.” The committee praised the paper for providing Russians with important information “rarely mentioned by other media.”穆拉托夫是新报的创始人之一。诺贝尔委员会称该出版物为“当今俄罗斯最独立的报纸”。委员会称赞该报为俄罗斯人提供了“其他媒体很少提及”的重要信息。Muratov dedicated his award to six Novaya Gazeta journalists who were murdered for their reporting on human rights violations and corruption. He said, "Igor Domnikov, Yuri Shchekochikhin, Anna Politkovskaya, Stas Markelov, Anastasia Baburova, Natasha Estemirova - these are the people who have today won the Nobel Prize.”穆拉托夫将他的奖项献给了六名因报道侵犯人权和腐败行为而被谋杀的《新报》记者。他说：“Igor Domnikov、Yuri Shchekochikhin、Anna Politkovskaya、Stas Markelov、Anastasia Baburova、Natasha Estemirova——这些人是今天获得诺贝尔奖的人。”The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that 17 media workers were killed in the Philippines over the past 10 years. Twenty-three were killed in Russia, the group reported.保护记者委员会报告说，在过去 10 年里，菲律宾有 17 名媒体工作者被杀。据该组织报道，有 23 人在俄罗斯丧生。The French group Reporters without Borders, or RSF, has worked with Ressa and Muratov to defend journalism in their countries. RSF noted, “This prize is a great signal a very powerful message to defend journalism everywhere.”法国无国界记者组织 (RSF) 与 Ressa 和 Muratov 合作，捍卫他们国家的新闻业。RSF 指出，“这个奖项是一个很好的信号，是一个非常有力的信息，可以捍卫世界各地的新闻业。”Reiss-Andersen told Reuters that she believes the awards will force leaders of both the Philippines and Russia “to defend the present situation." She added, "I am curious how they will respond.”Reiss-Andersen 告诉路透社，她相信这些奖项将迫使菲律宾和俄罗斯的领导人“捍卫当前局势。”她补充说，“我很好奇他们将如何回应。”

A Russian actor and film director left Earth on a spaceship this week to start filming a movie. Russian officials said the movie will shine a light on Russia’s success in space.一位俄罗斯演员兼电影导演本周乘坐宇宙飞船离开地球开始拍摄电影。俄罗斯官员表示，这部电影将揭示俄罗斯在太空方面的成功。Dmitry Peskov is press secretary for President Vladimir Putin.德米特里·佩斯科夫（Dmitry Peskov）是弗拉基米尔·普京总统的新闻秘书。“We have been pioneers in space and maintained a confident position,” Peskov said, adding that space exploration is great for Russia.佩斯科夫说：“我们一直是太空领域的先驱，并保持着自信的地位。”他补充说，太空探索对俄罗斯来说是件好事。Actor Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko took off from a site in Kazahkstan Tuesday with cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov. They arrived about three hours later at the International Space Station where they will stay for 12 days.演员尤利娅·佩雷西尔德 (Yulia Peresild) 和导演克里姆·希彭科 (Klim Shipenko) 周二与宇航员安东·什卡普罗夫 (Anton Shkaplerov) 从哈萨克斯坦的一个地点起飞。大约三小时后，他们抵达国际空间站，将在那里停留 12 天。The future film is called Challenge. It tells the story of a doctor who hurries to the space station to help an astronaut with a heart problem.未来的电影叫做挑战。它讲述了一位医生赶往空间站帮助一位患有心脏问题的宇航员的故事。The passengers had four months to get ready for the space trip.乘客有四个月的时间为太空旅行做准备。Peresild said training for the trip was difficult. But, she said, once they reach their goal, “all that will seem not so difficult and we will remember it with a smile.”Peresild 说这次旅行的训练很困难。但是，她说，一旦他们达到目标，“所有这些似乎都不会那么困难，我们会微笑着记住它。”Shipenko said he will finish the movie back home after filming in space. Two other Russian cosmonauts already on the space station will also perform in the movie.希彭科表示，他将在太空拍摄后回家完成这部电影。已经在空间站上的另外两名俄罗斯宇航员也将在电影中表演。Dmitry Rogozin heads the Russian space agency Roscosmos and has been a major force behind the project.德米特里·罗戈津 (Dmitry Rogozin) 是俄罗斯航天局 Roscosmos 的负责人，并且一直是该项目背后的主要力量。“Space deserves being shown in a more professional, artful way,” he said.“太空值得以更专业、更巧妙的方式展示，”他说。Rogozin said he edited the script himself to correctly represent the realities of space travel. “We describe some real emergencies that may happen out there,” he said.Rogozin 说他自己编辑了剧本，以正确表现太空旅行的现实。“我们描述了一些可能发生在那里的真实紧急情况，”他说。Oleg Novitskiy is an experienced Russian cosmonaut. He will play the character with the heart problem in the movie. When that is done, he will return to captain’s seat of the Soyuz spacecraft and bring the actor and director back to Earth奥列格·诺维茨基是一位经验丰富的俄罗斯宇航员。他将在电影中饰演有心脏问题的角色。完成后，他将返回联盟号飞船的船长座位，并将演员和导演带回地球

比较简单，应该不需要文本

Most people would not think of friendship and cooperation when considering the animals called vampire bats.大多数人在考虑吸血蝙蝠时不会想到友谊与合作。But experts say maybe we should.但专家说也许我们应该这样做。New research shows that vampire bats have deeper social relationships with one another than scientists had thought. The study shows that vampire bats form friendships and meet at feeding time to hunt together.新的研究表明，吸血蝙蝠彼此之间的社会关系比科学家们想象的要深。研究表明，吸血蝙蝠会建立友谊，并在喂食时间相遇一起捕猎。Researchers attached small devices to 50 vampire bats in Panama to follow their path as they feed at night. The bats drink blood from wounds they cause on cows in open fields. The study involved female bats, as researchers believe they have stronger social relationships than males.研究人员将小型装置连接到巴拿马的 50 只吸血蝙蝠身上，以便它们在夜间觅食时跟随它们的路径。蝙蝠从它们在空地上给奶牛造成的伤口喝血。该研究涉及雌性蝙蝠，因为研究人员认为它们比雄性具有更强的社会关系。Twenty-three bats born in the wild had been captured and studied for about two years for related research into bat social behavior. Social connections had already been observed among some of them. They live together in trees, clean each other and share meals.23 只出生在野外的蝙蝠被捕获并研究了大约两年，用于蝙蝠社会行为的相关研究。在其中一些人之间已经观察到社会联系。他们一起住在树上，互相打扫卫生，一起吃饭。The scientists used tiny sensor devices on the flying mammals to learn whether their hunting behavior was also social. The sensor data showed that the bats would often join a "friend" while searching for food.科学家们在飞行的哺乳动物身上使用微型传感器设备来了解它们的狩猎行为是否也具有社会性。传感器数据显示，蝙蝠在寻找食物时经常会加入“朋友”。Gerald Carter is a scientist with the Ohio State University and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. He led the research published in the journal PLoS Biology.Gerald Carter 是俄亥俄州立大学和史密森热带研究所的科学家。他领导了发表在 PLoS Biology 杂志上的研究。"This study opens up an exciting new window into the social lives of these animals," he said. "Each bat maintains its own network of close cooperative social bonds."“这项研究为了解这些动物的社会生活打开了一扇令人兴奋的新窗口，”他说。“每只蝙蝠都维持着自己紧密合作的社会纽带网络。”The researchers suspect that the bats join their friends during the hunt to help each other. They think the bats might exchange information about prey position or access to an open wound for feeding.研究人员怀疑，蝙蝠在狩猎期间会加入他们的朋友，互相帮助。他们认为蝙蝠可能会交换有关猎物位置或接近暴露的伤口进行进食的信息。Vampire bats live in the warmer areas of Central and South America. They have wingspans of about 18 centimeters and are the only warm-blooded animals with a blood-only diet. They live in groups called colonies that can number from the tens to thousands of individuals.吸血蝙蝠生活在中美洲和南美洲较温暖的地区。它们的翼展约为 18 厘米，是唯一一种以纯血为食的温血动物。他们生活在称为殖民地的群体中，数量从数万到数千不等。Simon Ripperger is a researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and a writer of the study. He said people’s first reaction to vampire bats is usually fear.西蒙·里珀格 (Simon Ripperger) 是史密森尼热带研究所的研究员，也是该研究的作者。他说人们对吸血蝙蝠的第一反应通常是恐惧。He added, “But once you tell them about their complex social lives, they are quite surprised that we can find such behavior that is somewhat similar to what humans do - and which one would maybe expect in primates - in bats." 他补充说：“但是一旦你告诉他们他们复杂的社会生活，他们就会非常惊讶我们会发现这种行为与人类在蝙蝠中的行为有些相似——而且可能会在灵长类动物身上看到这种行为——蝙蝠。”Ripperger noted that the bats are fast runners and have heat sensors in their noses to help them target a good place to bite prey.Ripperger 指出，蝙蝠跑得很快，鼻子里有热传感器，可以帮助它们瞄准咬猎物的好地方。The bats attack from the ground, using their sharp teeth to open a wound on an animal. Then, they use their tongues to get blood from the wound.蝙蝠从地面攻击，用它们锋利的牙齿撕开动物身上的伤口。然后，他们用舌头从伤口上取血。Gerald Carter said there is reason to fear vampire bats because they can spread the deadly disease rabies to both animals and people.杰拉德卡特说，有理由害怕吸血蝙蝠，因为它们可以将致命的狂犬病传播给动物和人。"But I do think they are beautiful and interesting animals in their own right," Carter added. "In this way they are a bit like grizzly bears, sharks, rats and venomous snakes: animals that might not help people in any way and might even endanger them, but should still be appreciated for their own sake."“但我确实认为它们本身就是美丽而有趣的动物，”卡特补充道。“从这个意义上说，它们有点像灰熊、鲨鱼、老鼠和毒蛇：这些动物可能不会以任何方式帮助人们，甚至可能危及他们，但为了他们自己，仍然应该受到赞赏。”

The African Union’s top health official wants to get the world’s first approved malaria vaccine to African countries as soon as possible.非洲联盟的最高卫生官员希望尽快向非洲国家提供世界上第一个获得批准的疟疾疫苗。This comes one day after the World Health Organization (WHO) said the vaccine should be given to children across Africa to stop the spread of the disease.这是在世界卫生组织 (WHO) 表示应向非洲各地的儿童接种疫苗以阻止疾病传播的一天之后。John Nkengasong is the director of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He told an online news conference Thursday, "We will be engaging withGAVI (the vaccine alliance) and WHO in the coming days to understand first of all the availability of this vaccine.”John Nkengasong 是非洲疾病控制和预防中心的主任。他在周四的在线新闻发布会上说：“我们将在未来几天内与 GAVI（疫苗联盟）和世卫组织合作，首先了解这种疫苗的可用性。”He noted that by the end of 2021, malaria will likely have killed many more people in Africa than COVID-19 will have.他指出，到 2021 年底，疟疾在非洲造成的死亡人数可能比 COVID-19 死亡人数多得多。WHO recommends malaria vaccine世卫组织推荐疟疾疫苗WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called it “a historic moment” Wednesday after the health agency’s advisory groups approved the use of a vaccine to fight malaria.在卫生机构的咨询小组批准使用疫苗对抗疟疾之后，世卫组织总干事谭德塞周三称这是“历史性时刻”。Dr. Matshidiso Moeti is the WHO’s Africa director. She said, “We expect many more African children to be protected from malaria and grow into healthy adults.”Matshidiso Moeti 博士是世卫组织的非洲主任。她说：“我们希望更多的非洲儿童免受疟疾侵害并成长为健康的成年人。”The WHO said its decision was based largely on results from ongoing research in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. The research followed more than 800,000 children who have received the vaccine since 2019. The WHO said side effects were rare, but sometimes included a high temperature that could result in temporary sudden movements called convulsions.世卫组织表示，其决定主要基于加纳、肯尼亚和马拉维正在进行的研究结果。该研究跟踪了自 2019 年以来接种疫苗的 800,000 多名儿童。世卫组织表示副作用很少见，但有时包括高温，可能导致称为抽搐的暂时性突然运动。The vaccine, known as Mosquirix, was developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline in 1987. While it is the first to be authorized, the vaccine is only about 30 percent effective. It requires up to four treatments and its protection decreases after several months.这种名为 Mosquirix 的疫苗是由英国制药商葛兰素史克于 1987 年开发的。虽然它是第一个获得授权的疫苗，但该疫苗的有效性只有 30% 左右。它最多需要四次治疗，几个月后其保护作用就会减弱。But scientists say the vaccine could have a major effect against malaria in Africa. Most of the world’s 200 million cases and 400,000 malaria deaths each year are in Africa.但科学家表示，这种疫苗可能对非洲的疟疾产生重大影响。全世界每年有 2 亿例疟疾病例和 40 万例疟疾死亡病例，其中大部分发生在非洲。Julian Rayner, director of the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, said, “It’s an imperfect vaccine, but it will still stop hundreds of thousands of children from dying.”剑桥医学研究所所长朱利安·雷纳 (Julian Rayner) 说：“这是一种不完美的疫苗，但仍将阻止数十万儿童死亡。”Dr. Alejandro Cravioto is head of the WHO vaccine group that gave the guidance. He said designing a shot against malaria was difficult because it is a parasitic disease spread by insects called mosquitoes.Alejandro Cravioto 博士是提供指导的世卫组织疫苗组组长。他说设计一种针对疟疾的疫苗很困难，因为它是一种由称为蚊子的昆虫传播的寄生虫病。“We’re confronted with extraordinarily complex organisms,” he said. “We are not yet in reach of a highly efficacious vaccine, but what we have now is a vaccine that can be deployed and that is safe.”“我们面临着极其复杂的生物体，”他说。“我们还没有获得高效疫苗，但我们现在拥有的是一种可以部署且安全的疫苗。”Azra Ghani is chair of infectious diseases at Imperial College London. She said the WHO guidance would hopefully be a “first step” to making better malaria vaccines.Azra Ghani 是伦敦帝国理工学院传染病学系主任。她说，世卫组织的指南有望成为制造更好的疟疾疫苗的“第一步”。She added that efforts to produce a second-generation malaria vaccine could receive help from messenger RNA technology. The drug company BioNTech recently said it would begin researching for a possible malaria vaccine. The company and its partner Pfizer made one of the most successful COVID-19 vaccines with mRNA.她补充说，生产第二代疟疾疫苗的努力可以得到信使 RNA 技术的帮助。制药公司 BioNTech 最近表示将开始研究可能的疟疾疫苗。该公司及其合作伙伴辉瑞公司用 mRNA 制造了最成功的 COVID-19 疫苗之一。

Today, we talk about burning and the effects of extreme heat. There is a special word for this. Scorch is a damaged area or mark that is caused by burning.今天，我们谈论燃烧和极端高温的影响。这有一个特殊的词。烧焦是由燃烧引起的损坏区域或痕迹。Scorch is also a verb. When we scorch something, we burn it. But scorch sounds more serious than a burn. For example, I would not say I scorched dinner. I would say I burned it.Scorch 也是一个动词。当我们烧焦某物时，我们会烧掉它。但烧焦听起来比烧伤更严重。例如，我不会说我把晚餐烤焦了。我会说我烧焦了它。Sometimes we use it to describe a verb meaning to produce extreme heat. For example, the sun scorched the bare earth.有时我们用它来形容一个动词，意思是产生极热。例如，太阳烤焦了光秃秃的大地。And that brings us to today’s expression – scorched-earth.这给我们带来了今天的表达——焦土。Scorched-earth describes a kind of policy or way of doing something. For example, it is a kind of military policy. This policy makes sure that all resources – houses, food crops, factories, vehicles – are destroyed before an enemy can use them. You destroy all things of value so that they cannot be used against you.Scorched-earth 描述了一种做某事的政策或方式。例如，这是一种军事政策。该政策确保所有资源——房屋、粮食作物、工厂、车辆——在敌人使用之前被摧毁。你摧毁了所有有价值的东西，这样它们就不会被用来对付你。A scorched-earth approach is also used in the world of business. It is similar to the military policy. A scorched-earth approach is when a company gets rid of the best parts of its business during a hostile takeover. This is to make it less appealing to another company that might want to buy it.焦土方法也用于商业领域。这与军事政策相似。焦土方法是指公司在敌意收购期间摆脱其业务的最佳部分。这是为了降低它对可能想要购买它的另一家公司的吸引力。In both military and business, a scorched-earth approach is often a last-ditch effort. We turn to a last-ditch effort when everything else has failed. Everything. Once everything is destroyed … there is no going back. It is a “point of no return.”在军事和商业领域，焦土方法通常是最后的努力。当其他一切都失败时，我们会采取最后的努力。一切。一旦一切都被摧毁了……就没有回头路了。这是一个“不归路”。Burning bridges is a related expression. We wrote about this in an earlier Words and Their Stories. This expression is often used in personal relationships. If you burn your bridges, you destroy your relationships. Again, there is no going back and saying you are sorry.Burning bridges 是一个相关的表达。我们在较早的Words和Their Stories中写到了这一点。这个表达经常用于个人关系。如果你烧掉你的桥梁，你就会破坏你的人际关系。再一次，没有回头说你很抱歉。However, when you burn bridges, relationships with others is the only thing you are destroying. So, these two expressions – burning bridges and scorched-earth are not interchangeable.然而，当你烧掉桥梁时，与他人的关系是你唯一破坏的东西。所以，这两个表达——燃烧的桥梁和焦土是不可互换的。But they have a similar goal -- destruction. 但他们有一个相似的目标——破坏。Let’s say a friend of mine, Georgina, was a talent agent. She represented many successful writers, artists and musicians in a large city. When the business got too big, she opened an agency with her friend, Stephanie. They grew the company, and it was very profitable. Georgina had all the contacts, but Stephanie knew how to oversee a company -- maybe too well.假设我的一个朋友乔治娜是一名人才经纪人。她在一个大城市代理了许多成功的作家、艺术家和音乐家。当生意变得太大时，她和她的朋友斯蒂芬妮开了一家代理公司。他们发展了公司，而且利润非常可观。Georgina 拥有所有联系人，但 Stephanie 知道如何监督一家公司——也许太了解了。One day, Georgina arrived to the office to find herself locked out! Her “friend” had tricked her into signing away her rights to the company.一天，乔治娜来到办公室，发现自己被锁在门外！她的“朋友”欺骗她签署了她对公司的权利。Georgina was out. She found that legally there was nothing she could do. So, she did the only thing she could do. She took a scorched-earth approach.乔治娜出去了。她发现在法律上她无能为力。于是，她做了她唯一能做的事。她采取了焦土方法。Georgina knew the most valuable things the company owned were the contacts she had. So, she burned all her bridges and destroyed the relationships with all those contacts. It took her a while. But, in time, the agency failed.乔治娜知道公司拥有的最有价值的东西是她拥有的联系人。所以，她烧毁了她所有的桥梁，破坏了与所有这些联系人的关系。她花了一段时间。但是，随着时间的推移，该机构失败了。Stephanie is still looking for work. But Georgina moved to a beautiful island and opened a restaurant. 斯蒂芬妮仍在找工作。但乔治娜搬到了一个美丽的岛屿，开了一家餐馆。And that’s all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories! Until next time...今天讲解this Words和Their Stories就到这，下次见...

Imagine you want to describe your day. Perhaps you have an English test that asks about what you do regularly. Or maybe you just want to tell a friend about your day’s activities. 想象一下你想要描述你的一天。也许你有一个英语测试，询问你经常做什么。或者，也许您只是想告诉朋友您一天的活动。In this Everyday Grammar, we will explore how you can describe the middle of your day. You will learn about how things that happen in the middle of the day connect with grammar. In particular, you will learn about direct objects, indirect objects and basic sentence structures. 在这本Everyday语法中，我们将探讨如何描述你一天中的事情。您将了解一天中发生的事情如何与语法联系起来。特别是，您将学习直接宾语、间接宾语和基本句子结构。But first, let’s explore some important terms and ideas. 但首先，让我们探索一些重要的术语和想法。Noun phrases名词短语A noun phrase is a group of words that acts like a noun in the sentence. 名词短语是在句子中充当名词的一组词。Noun phrases can appear as the subject of the sentence or in the predicate – the part of the sentence that says something about the subject. 名词短语可以作为句子的主语或谓语出现 - 句子中关于主语的部分。Consider this example: 考虑这个例子：I am eating my lunch. 我正在吃午饭。The noun phrase my lunch appears in the predicate, after the verb eat. 名词短语我的午餐出现在谓词中，在动词吃之后。When noun phrases appear in the predicate, they can play the part of the direct or indirect object. 当名词短语出现在谓语中时，它们可以起到直接或间接宾语的作用。The direct object is the receiver of the verb’s action. 直接宾语是动词动作的接受者。In our example, I am eating my lunch, the noun phrase my lunch is the direct object. 在我们的例子中，我正在吃我的午餐，名词短语我的午餐是直接宾语。Now consider how statements about the middle of the day might connect with direct objects. 现在考虑一下关于中午的陈述如何与直接宾语联系起来。Imagine you are telling someone about what you do every day. 想象一下，您正在告诉某人您每天都在做什么。You could say: 你可以说:I eat lunch. 我吃午饭。I drink tea. 我喝茶。I call my friends. 我打电话给我朋友。I use my phone. 我用我的手机。I take a nap. 我打个盹。All of these statements follow the same basic structure: subject, verb and noun or noun phrase – the direct object. 所有这些陈述都遵循相同的基本结构：主语、动词和名词或名词短语——直接宾语。Indirect objects间接宾语Now, let’s explore indirect objects. The indirect object is the receiver of the direct object. 现在，让我们探索间接宾语。间接宾语是直接宾语的接受者。Consider the following statement: 考虑以下语句：I send my friends text messages. 我给朋友发短信。In this case, the direct object is text messages. The indirect object is my friends. 在这种情况下，直接宾语是短信。间接宾语是我的朋友。You might make any number of statements about midday activities by using direct and indirect objects. 您可以使用直接和间接宾语对中午的活动做出任意数量的陈述。For example: 例如：I give my mom a call. 我给我妈打电话。Please note that indirect objects can also appear after prepositions, as in:请注意，间接宾语也可以出现在介词之后，例如： I take lunch to my brother. 我给我哥带午餐。If you are having trouble identifying direct and indirect objects, ask yourself what the different noun phrases refer to. 如果您在识别直接宾语和间接宾语时遇到困难，试问自己不同的名词短语指的是什么。For example, do the subject and noun phrases after the verb in the predicate refer to the same thing or different things? 例如，谓语动词后面的主语和名词短语指的是同一个东西还是不同的东西？In our example, I take lunch to my brother, the subject is I, the direct object is lunch, and the indirect object is my brother. These all refer to three different things. 在我们的例子中，我给我哥哥带午餐，主语是我，直接宾语是午餐，间接宾语是我的兄弟。这些都是指三个不同的东西。The next time you are listening to English speakers describing their days, pay careful attention to the kinds of sentences they use. Note how they use direct and indirect objects. 下次当您听讲英语的人描述他们的日子时，请仔细注意他们使用的句子种类。请注意他们如何使用直接和间接宾语。With time, you will master basic sentence structures that will permit you to communicate all kinds of ideas – perhaps about the middle of the day, or about many other things as well.随着时间的推移，您将掌握基本的句子结构，这将使您能够交流各种想法——也许是关于一天的中午，或者还有许多其他的东西。

In many countries, children have been going to school for more than a month. So far, fears the Delta coronavirus variant would prevent in-person learning have largely proven unfounded. 在许多国家，孩子们已经上学一个多月了。到目前为止，对 Delta 冠状病毒变体会阻止面对面学习的担忧在很大程度上被证明是没有根据的。In twelve countries with high vaccination rates in Asia, Europe and the United States, case rates increased in August. Now, they have mostly fallen back, according to local data and officials. 在亚洲、欧洲和美国的 12 个疫苗接种率高的国家，8 月份的病例率有所上升。根据当地数据和官员的说法，现在他们大多已经降低了。It is unclear how much the decrease is due to a worldwide decline in cases, and how much it is linked to vaccinations and other measures. Public health experts say they will continue to watch for signs of an increase in cases as winter nears. 目前尚不清楚这种减少有多少是由于全球病例减少所致，以及有多少与疫苗接种和其他措施有关。公共卫生专家表示，随着冬季临近，他们将继续关注病例增加的迹象。Monica Gandhi is a professor of medicine at University of California San Francisco Medical School. 莫妮卡甘地是加州大学旧金山分校医学院的医学教授。“In the United States, in-school transmission is higher in places with low adult vaccination and no mitigation, but, overall, schools have stayed open,” Gandhi said. “在美国，在成人疫苗接种率低且没有缓解措施的地方，校内传播率较高，但总体而言，学校保持开放，”甘地说。Gandhi described the situation in schools as “going better than expected.” 甘地将学校的情况描述为“比预期的要好”。Cases among children increased by nearly seven times in August. They reached their high in the first week of September, American Academy of Pediatrics data shows. 8月份儿童病例增加了近七倍。美国儿科学会的数据显示，它们在 9 月的第一周达到了最高点。Only about 2 percent of U.S. schools have closed temporarily because of COVID-19 outbreaks. That information comes from research company Burbio. 由于 COVID-19 的爆发，只有大约 2% 的美国学校暂时关闭。该信息来自研究公司 Burbio。Children represent the largest group of the unvaccinated in most wealthy countries. That is because either vaccinations for their age group have only just begun, or are not yet approved. 在大多数富裕国家，儿童是未接种疫苗的最大群体。那是因为他们年龄组的疫苗接种才刚刚开始，或者尚未获得批准。Public health experts suggest rising vaccinations, mitigation measures in schools and a broader decrease in community cases are helping.公共卫生专家表示，增加疫苗接种率、学校采取缓解措施以及社区病例的更广泛减少都有帮助。Not all countries have seen a decrease in cases. In Singapore, cases among children have been on the rise for all of September. 并非所有国家的病例都减少了。在新加坡，整个 9 月，儿童病例均呈上升趋势。But in Scandinavia, Scotland, Germany, France, South Korea and the United States, cases are falling. Earlier, there were fears the Delta variant would drive up infections. 但在斯堪的纳维亚半岛、苏格兰、德国、法国、韩国和美国，病例正在下降。早些时候，有人担心 Delta 变体会增加感染。In Sweden, schools have largely remained open throughout the coronavirus crisis. The country saw a rise in COVID-19 infections among children after the summer holidays. But cases are now at low levels - both among children and the wider population. 在瑞典，在整个冠状病毒危机期间，学校基本上保持开放。暑假过后，该国儿童中的 COVID-19 感染率有所上升。但现在病例处于低水平——无论是在儿童中还是在更广泛的人群中。In Norway, cases increased to a daily record of 1,785 after the first two weeks of school, before falling by 60 percent as of last week. 在挪威，开学头两周后，病例增加到每日记录的 1,785 例，但截至上周下降了 60%。Preben Aavitsland is a senior doctor at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Preben Aavitsland 是挪威公共卫生研究所的高级医生。"We do expect the current downward trend to continue for a few weeks and then level off at a low level, at least for a couple of months,” Aavitsland told Reuters by email. “我们确实预计目前的下降趋势将持续数周，然后在低位趋于平稳，至少会持续几个月，”Aavitsland 通过电子邮件告诉路透社。He added, “Then there are uncertainties about the winter season.” 他补充说，“那么冬季就存在不确定性。”Britain has seen some increase in cases in schools that opened early on, but it has not spread to the wider population, said Neil Ferguson of the Imperial College London. 伦敦帝国理工学院的尼尔·弗格森 (Neil Ferguson) 表示，英国在较早开学的学校中的病例有所增加，但并未蔓延到更广泛的人群。In Scotland, schools re-opened in mid-August, and COVID cases increased to record numbers by the end of the month. 在苏格兰，学校于 8 月中旬重新开放，到月底，新冠肺炎病例增加到创纪录的数字。Now, however, cases among the under 19 have fallen each week since the first week of September. 然而，现在，自 9 月的第一周以来，19 岁以下的病例每周都在下降。While cases began rising in Scotland before schools opened, some level of transmission appears to be happening in schools. 虽然苏格兰的病例在学校开学前就开始上升，但学校中似乎正在发生一定程度的传播。“It’s very hard to separate community transmission that is related to schools, to transmission in schools. However, clusters of cases in single classrooms do not appear to be particularly high, suggesting that it is at least a mix of both,” Rowland Kao of the University of Edinburgh wrote to Reuters by email.“很难将与学校有关的社区传播与学校传播分开。然而，单间教室的集群病例似乎并不是特别高，这表明它至少是两者的混合，”爱丁堡大学的 Rowland Kao 通过电子邮件写信给路透社。

Two scientists have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing a molecule-building tool that can produce many important compounds in a “greener” way.两位科学家因开发出一种分子构建工具而获得诺贝尔化学奖，该工具可以以“更绿色”的方式生产许多重要的化合物。The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the awards Wednesday for Germany’s Benjamin List and Scotland-born David MacMillan. List is with Germany’s Max Planck Institute, while MacMillan is a professor at America’s Princeton University.瑞典皇家科学院周三宣布了德国的 Benjamin List 和苏格兰出生的 David MacMillan 的奖项。List 在德国的马克斯普朗克研究所工作，而 MacMillan 是美国普林斯顿大学的教授。Work by the two scientists has permitted researchers to more effectively produce molecules for things like medicines and pesticides and with less environmental harm. The academy called the winners’ development method “an ingenious tool for building molecules.”两位科学家的工作使研究人员能够更有效地生产用于药物和杀虫剂等物质的分子，并且对环境的危害更小。该学院称获奖者的开发方法是“构建分子的巧妙工具”。The process of making molecules requires the linking of individual atoms together in specific positions. This can be very slow and difficult. For many years, chemists had only two methods -- or catalysts -- to speed up the process. These used either complex enzymes or metal catalysts.制造分子的过程需要将单个原子在特定位置连接在一起。这可能非常缓慢和困难。多年来，化学家只有两种方法——或催化剂——来加速这一过程。这些使用复杂的酶或金属催化剂。That all changed in 2000, when List and MacMillan independently reported that small organic molecules can be used to do the same job.这一切都在 2000 年发生了变化，当时 List 和 MacMillan 独立报告说有机小分子可以用来做同样的工作。The process has made the production of some drugs easier, including an antiviral and an anti-anxiety medication, the academy said. It noted that an estimated 35 percent of the world’s total Gross Domestic Product, GDP, “in some way involves chemical catalysis.”该学院表示，该过程使一些药物的生产变得更加容易，包括抗病毒药和抗焦虑药。它指出，估计全球 GDP 总量的 35%“在某种程度上涉及化学催化”。John Lorsch is director of the United States National Institute of General Medical Sciences. He likened the scientists' work to “molecular carpentry.”John Lorsch 是美国国家普通医学科学研究所所长。他将科学家的工作比作“分子木工”。“They’ve found ways to not only speed up the chemical joining," he said, “but to make sure it only goes in either the right-handed or left-handed direction."“他们找到了不仅可以加速化学结合的方法，”他说，“而且可以确保它只沿右手或左手方向进行。”Johan Åqvist, chair of the Nobel panel, called the new method as “simple as it is ingenious.” “The fact is that many people have wondered why we didn’t think of it earlier,” he added.诺贝尔委员会主席 Johan Åqvist 称这种新方法“既简单又巧妙”。“事实上，很多人都想知道为什么我们没有早点想到它，”他补充道。H.N. Cheng is president of the American Chemical Society. He said the two winners had developed “new magic wands.” He added that before their work, the usual molecule building methods often resulted in environmental damage or harm.H.N. Cheng 是美国化学学会的主席。他说这两位获奖者开发了“新的魔杖”。他补充说，在他们工作之前，通常的分子构建方法往往会导致环境破坏或危害。Speaking after the announcement, List said the award came as a "huge surprise.” He said at the beginning he did not know that MacMillan was working on the same subject, and he thought his effort might turn out to be, what he called, a “stupid idea.” But he added: “When I saw it worked, I did feel that this could be something big."在宣布这一消息后，List表示，该奖项是一个“巨大的惊喜”。他说一开始他不知道麦克米伦也在研究同一主题，他认为他的努力可能会变成他所说的“愚蠢的想法”。但他补充说：“当我看到它奏效时，我确实觉得这可能是一件大事。”MacMillan said the start of his catalysis work was "a pretty simple idea that really sparked a lot of different research.”麦克米兰说，他的催化工作的开始是“一个非常简单的想法，确实引发了许多不同的研究。”He added: “The part we're just so proud of is that you don’t have to have huge amounts of equipment and huge amounts of money to do fine things in chemistry."他补充说：“我们非常自豪的部分是，您不必拥有大量设备和大量资金就可以在化学领域做出出色的工作。”

American President again asked Congress to lift the United States debt limit after a meeting Wednesday with the nation’s business leaders.在周三与美国商界领袖会晤后再次要求国会取消美国的债务上限.The White House Council of Economic Advisors warned before the meeting that the United States government will default on its obligations if Congress does not raise the debt limit by October 18.白宫经济顾问委员会在会前警告称，如果国会在 10 月 18 日之前不提高债务限额，美国政府将违约。A default is a failure to meet the legal obligations of a loan.违约是指未能履行贷款的法律义务。The council said millions of Americans might not receive their payments from Social Security and government healthcare. A default could also affect national defense and pandemic services.该委员会表示，数百万美国人可能无法从社会保障和政府医疗保健中获得付款。违约还可能影响国防和流行病服务。Since many countries depend on the U.S. monetary policy, it said a default “would likely cause credit markets worldwide to freeze up and stock markets to plunge. Employers around the world would likely have to begin laying off workers.”由于许多国家依赖美国的货币政策，它表示违约“可能会导致全球信贷市场冻结和股市暴跌。世界各地的雇主可能不得不开始裁员。”What is the debt limit?什么是债务限额？Like some of us, governments sometimes spend more money than they receive from taxes. So, they have to borrow money by issuing bonds, or debts, to be repaid later.像我们中的一些人一样，政府有时花的钱多于税收。因此，他们必须通过发行债券或债务来借钱，以便日后偿还。In the U.S., Congress has the power to set a debt limit. It is “the maximum amount of debt that the Department of the Treasury can issue to the public or to other federal agencies.”在美国，国会有权设定债务限额。那就是“财政部可以向公众或其他联邦机构发行的最大债务金额”。Since 1960, Congress has changed the debt limit 78 times under both Republican and Democratic administrations to pay for government operations.自 1960 年以来，在共和党和民主党政府执政期间，国会已 78 次更改债务限额，以支付政府运营费用。Raising the debt limit does not mean that Treasury has more money to spend. It only permits the U.S. government to “finance existing legal obligations.” When the limit is reached, the Treasury cannot issue more debt or borrow more money.提高债务上限并不意味着财政部有更多的钱可以花。它只允许美国政府“为现有的法律义务提供资金”。当达到限额时，财政部不能发行更多的债务或借更多的钱。What is the current situation?目前情况如何？In August 2019, the U.S. Congress passed a budget deal, with support from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, that raised spending and suspended the debt limit for two years.2019 年 8 月，美国国会在共和党和民主党议员的支持下通过了一项预算协议，该协议增加了支出并将债务限额暂停了两年。Under the agreement, the money borrowed during the suspension of the debt limit will be added to the previous limit of $22 trillion. An additional $6.5 trillion had been borrowed since the 2019 tax cuts and pandemic spending, raising the nation’s debt limit to $28.5 trillion.根据协议，暂停债务限额期间借入的资金将在之前的限额22万亿美元的基础上增加。自 2019 年减税和大流行支出以来，又借入了 6.5 万亿美元，使该国的债务上限提高到 28.5 万亿美元。The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the federal government has a deficit of $2.7 trillion for the budget year ending in September 2021. The government also ran up deficits each year from 2016 to 2020.国会预算办公室估计，联邦政府在 2021 年 9 月结束的预算年度的赤字为 2.7 万亿美元。从 2016 年到 2020 年，政府每年都出现赤字。Technically, the U.S. has already reached its debt limit at the end of July as agreed to in the 2019 budget deal. Once the debt limit is reached, the U.S. cannot borrow more money to pay its bills. But Treasury could and has used “extraordinary measures” like delaying some payments to employees’ retirement funds to avoid a default.从技术上讲，美国已经在 7 月底达到了 2019 年预算协议中商定的债务上限。一旦达到债务上限，美国就不能再借更多的钱来支付账单。但财政部可以并且已经使用“非常规措施”，例如推迟向员工的退休基金支付部分款项以避免违约。Unless Congress acts to raise the debt limit, the Bipartisan Policy Center projects that the U.S. will most likely reach the limit between October 15 and November 4. The center added that a default would likely raise borrowing costs as investors will demand a higher rate of return on U.S. debts. Even a short-term default, it said, could also threaten the country’s current economic recovery.除非国会采取行动提高债务上限，否则两党政策中心预计美国很可能在 10 月 15 日至 11 月 4 日之间达到上限。该中心补充说，由于投资者要求更高的回报率，违约可能会提高借贷成本关于美国债务。它说，即使是短期违约，也可能威胁到该国目前的经济复苏。Why does the U.S. have a debt limit?为什么美国有债务上限？Before World War I, the U.S. Congress permitted borrowing only for special reasons, such as the building of the Panama Canal. In 1917, Congress passed a law that set a debt limit. It gave Treasury some flexibility in dealing with the national debt to pay for the war.第一次世界大战之前，美国国会只允许出于特殊原因借款，例如巴拿马运河的建设。1917 年，国会通过了一项设定债务限额的法律。它使财政部在处理国债以支付战争费用方面具有一定的灵活性。The U.S. is one of few countries around the world with a debt limit. Denmark is often noted as another developed country with a debt limit. But Denmark often sets its borrowing limit so high that a default is not really possible.美国是世界上为数不多的有债务限额的国家之一。丹麦经常被认为是另一个有债务限额的发达国家。但丹麦经常将其借款限额设置得如此之高，以至于违约是不可能的。For many years in the U.S., raising the debt limit was not an issue. The Republican Party has since only supported increase while it has controlled the White House. It has argued against raising the limit under Democratic administrations.多年来，在美国，提高债务限额不是问题。此后，共和党只在控制白宫的情况下支持加薪。它反对在民主党政府下提高限额。Earlier this year, Democrati

Hello, everyone. This is Buddhini for and our topic today is how much TV do you watch?Well, I should say right now I don't watch TV at all, yeah, because we are quite busy. I'm quite busy with my studies and part-time work at the same time, so you hardly have time to watch TV cause you watch the news and you read ... you get all the information from the internet and you have to talk to people and that's also using the internet so I guess the computer has taken over the duty of the television but basically for me time is problem. I don't have much time to watch TV but I make sure that I watch the news or read the news, maybe, yeah, and that's from my end.How about you guys? Do you manage to spare some for TV as well?

Hi, my name is Mike. I'm from Canada and this is for. The topic today is do you still read books?Well, do I still read books! I never stopped reading books and I think it's really important to read books because reading is a perfect way to gain information and someone who doesn't read definitely doesn't know a lot about the world in many different ways. Obviously, you can travel the whole world but there are certain things you'll never be able to experience and the only way you would be able to gain that information is to read it somewhere. Now whether you read it through a book or through the internet, it doesn't really matter, but there's so much stuff that is only in the form of written information and if you don't read that information simply won't get to you, so I think reading is important and I'm going to be reading for the rest of my life.

Hi, my name is Mike and I'm from Canada and this is for. The topic today is ... Are you prepared for a natural disaster?And, no, I'm not prepared for a natural disaster and truthfully I don't think anyone's prepared for a natural disaster. There are obviously steps you can take to be ready. For earthquakes, you can have an earthquake readiness kit, you know, full of water and supplies that are not going to go bad in case you are trapped in an earthquake and you need to survive. There's an escape route in every city that you can know, and especially if you live in Japan, there are earthquakes all the time, so it's something that you have to be aware of, but back to the topic, I don't think that anybody ever quite prepared for a natural disaster and although you talk about it and prepare for it, you really don't know what to do when a natural disaster actually occurs and it's actually quite devastating.

Hello, my name is Erina and I'm from Japan. This is for. The topic for today is would you like to do speed dating?Well, first of all, I don't know what speed dating is but from the sounding of it, I'm guessing that you meet a lot of people with a short period of time all at once and personally I don't enjoy meeting new people with the purpose of dating and I would way rather spend time with one person for a long time to actually get to know that person well, rather than meeting a lot of people at once and just introduce myself and just know the surface of it and you call that a date, I don't think so. Well, I don't think it matters because I have a boyfriend.

Hello. My name is Mike. I'm from Canada, and this is for. The question today is do you like going out to bars?Well, I'm a little indifferent about that question. Sometimes I like going out to bars and sometimes I don't. I like going out to bars when I can go with my girlfriend or go with a couple friends, have a few drinks, relax, talk. That's the type of time I like to spend at bars. But the type of time I don't like to spend at bars is when I go to the bar and I get completely wasted and I spend all my money and I go to sleep really late. I end up waking up feeling really sick and I look in my wallet and I have no money left and I'm starting to hate myself for going to the bar, and those are the times when I don't like going to bars, but if it's just going to bars and having a few drinks with friends, I think it's a great idea. I'd do it all the time.

Hi, my name is Erina and I'm from Japan. This is for. Today's topic is are you good at meeting people?Well, that is a good question, but I can't answer that for you. I don't think I'm very good at meeting people, but I can say that I love meeting new people. New people ... there are a lot of different people, different kinds of people who are very different from you and very similar to you and personally I like hanging out with people that are very different from me because I can learn so much from them that I don't have and I like hanging out with people that are very similar to me because I get along well with my friends, and from now I'm so young and I'm going to be working and I'm gonna be traveling. I'm sure I'm gonna meet so many people that I'm very looking forward to meeting new people.