VOA常速英语2021--5月底前有足够疫苗供成年美国人接种

This is VOA news. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton. U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that thanks to a new cooperation between two drug companies, there will now be enough doses of the coronavirus vaccine¹ available for the entire adult population in the United States by the end of May. The president added, however, that it will take longer than that to inoculate² everyone and he urged people to remain vigilant³ by wearing masks. Mr. Biden had previously⁴ said there would be enough doses by the end of July. On Tuesday, he said the faster production of the vaccine was in part the results of an agreement by the pharmaceutical⁵ giant Merck & Co. to help manufacture the new Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. The unusual agreement between the two rivals announced on Tuesday was brokered⁶ by the White House. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use last week. But the company has encountered unexpected production problems.

欢迎收听美国之音新闻。我是玛丽莎·梅尔顿，为您远程报道。美国总统拜登宣布，由于两家制药公司的新合作，到5月底，美国将有足够剂量的冠状病毒疫苗可供所有成年人注射。然而，拜登总统补充说，让所有人接种疫苗需要更长的时间，因此他敦促人们戴上口罩保持警惕。拜登此前曾表示美国到7月底将会有足够的疫苗剂量。周二，他表示，疫苗生产速度加快的部分原因是制药巨头默克集团达成协议，帮助生产新的强生新冠疫苗。这两个竞争对手周二宣布的不同寻常的协议是由白宫斡旋达成的。美国食品和药物管理局上周批准强生疫苗的紧急使用。但强生公司遇到了始料不及的生产问题。

Texas is lifting its COVID-19 mask mandate⁷. Republican Governor Greg Abbott's announcement on Tuesday makes Texas the largest U.S. state to do away with a face-covering order. The new rule takes effect on March 10. The decision comes as governors across the United States are easing coronavirus restrictions⁸ despite warnings from health experts that the outbreak is far from over. Texas has seen a sharp plunge⁹ in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks. More than 42,000 people have died from the virus in Texas, however. It trails only California and New York. You can keep up on our coronavirus stories and everything that we're covering at VOA at our website voanews.com. You're listening to VOA news.

德克萨斯州正在解除其新冠口罩令。共和党州长阿博特周二发出的声明使德克萨斯州成为美国废除口罩令的最大州。新规定将于3月10日生效。这一决定是在美国各州州长放松新冠限制之际做出的，尽管卫生专家警告称，疫情远未结束。最近几周，德克萨斯州的病例和住院人数急剧下降。然而，德克萨斯州已经有超过4.2万人死于该病毒。其死亡人数仅落后于加利福尼亚和纽约。您可以通过网址voanews.com浏览更多新冠信息以及我们发布的其他新闻。欢迎收听美国之音新闻。

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 inoculate   

v.给...接种，给...注射疫苗

参考例句：

• A corps of doctors arrived to inoculate the recruits.一队医生来给新兵打防疫针。
• I was just meant to come out here and inoculate some wee babies.我是过来这边给小孩子们接种疫苗的。

3 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

6 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

7 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。