2020年经济学人 Covid-19:世界已做好准备(1)

International

来源于2月22日刊《国际》版块

Covid-19

2019新型冠状病毒

Watchful¹ waiting

伺机而动

Experts predict that covid-19 will spread more widely; the world is getting ready

专家预测，covid-19将会更广泛地传播；世界已做好准备

“There are so many crises in Congo.” Gervais Folefack, who coordinates² the emergency programmes run by the World Health Organisation³ (who) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has mastered the art of the understatement. The country has been shattered by war and corruption⁴. “All the time we are responding to crises,” says Dr Folefack. He lists the most recent: Ebola, measles⁵, cholera⁶. To them, he may well have to add covid-19, a respiratory disease that originated in China. Those who would need to respond to a surge in covid-19 cases are already busy with the Ebola outbreak that began in 2018. “We are trying to prepare,” continues Dr Folefack, but there is simply not enough time.

瑞尔威·福莱法克在刚果负责协调世卫组织紧急项目，他已经掌握了轻描淡写的艺术:“刚果危机太多了。”这个国家被战争和腐败搞得支离破碎。”我们一直在应对危机，”福莱法克博士称。他列举了最近的危机：埃博拉、麻疹、霍乱。除此之外，他可能还得加上一种起源于中国的呼吸道疾病——covid-19。那些本就忙于应对始于2018年的埃博拉疫情的人们现在又需要应对covid-19病例激增。福莱法克博士说“我们正努力做准备”，但是时间根本不够。

So far 99% of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus have been in China. Of the 1,000-odd cases outside mainland China, more than half have been on the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship docked in Japan; the rest are scattered⁷ among 27 countries, mostly in Asia. Covid-19 has spread rapidly in China despite the government locking down entire cities for weeks. China’s efforts, along with the travel restrictions⁸ that many countries have imposed on its citizens, have slowed the virus’s progress. But many experts fear that it will inevitably⁹ become a pandemic. Health authorities are frantically¹⁰ trying to prepare.

到目前为止，99%的新冠状病毒确诊病例发生在中国。在中国大陆以外的1000多例确诊病例中，超过一半发生在停靠在日本的“钻石公主”号游轮上；其余的分布在27个国家，大部分在亚洲。尽管政府封锁了整个城市数周，Covid-19还是迅速传播开来。中国的努力，以及许多国家对中国公民实施的旅行限制，减缓了病毒的传播速度。但许多专家担心它将不可避免地成为一种流行病。卫生主管部门正竭尽全力做好准备。

1 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

2 coordinates   

n.相配之衣物；坐标( coordinate的名词复数 )；（颜色协调的）配套服装；[复数]女套服；同等重要的人（或物）v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的第三人称单数 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• The town coordinates on this map are 695037. 该镇在这幅地图上的坐标是695037。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

6 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

7 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

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 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

10 frantically   

ad.发狂地, 发疯地

参考例句：

• He dashed frantically across the road. 他疯狂地跑过马路。
• She bid frantically for the old chair. 她发狂地喊出高价要买那把古老的椅子。