VOA慢速英语2020 感恩节庆祝活动被新冠肺炎疫情改变

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Thanksgiving holiday plans for many American families.

新冠肺炎大流行将会影响许多美国家庭的感恩节假期计划。

The Associated Press reports that coronavirus cases are rising at a worrying speed across the United States. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center says the virus has killed over 250,000 people nationwide. Many people are getting infected every day.

美联社报道，新冠病毒病例在美国各地正以令人担忧的速度增长。约翰·霍普金斯大学冠状病毒资源中心表示，该病毒已经造成美国超过25万人丧生。每天都有很多人被感染。

The U.S. Centers for Disease¹ Control and Prevention (CDC) last week released² guidelines³ on the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving. The CDC is advising Americans not to travel over the holiday this year. And it is urging them against spending time with people from outside their immediate⁴ household.

美国疾病控制与预防中心上周发布了安全庆祝感恩节的指南。美国疾病控制与预防中心建议美国人今年假期不要出门旅游。而且它还督促美国人不要跟直系亲属以外的人聚会。

The warning is some of the firmest guidance yet from the CDC on how to limit the spread of the virus. The health care system is under great pressure in many communities. Sick patients are filling up hospital beds, while some medical workers are getting sick themselves.

这一警告是美国疾病控制与预防中心就如何限制这种病毒的传播所发出的最为坚决的指南。许多社区的医疗保健体系都承受着巨大压力。患者挤满了病床，而一些医务人员自己也开始生病。

Holiday celebrations seem like a perfect way to spread the coronavirus. In some families, people come together from different parts of the country. Holiday gatherings⁵ usually include many generations -- from young children to their grandparents.

庆祝节日似乎是传播新冠病毒的一种完美途径。在一些家庭中，人们从全国各地聚到一起。假期聚会通常包括从幼儿到祖父母的几代人。

Older adults may have health problems such as diabetes⁷, obesity⁸, or heart disease. The CDC website says that these conditions raise the risk "of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19."

老年人可能存在健康问题，例如糖尿病、肥胖或是心脏病。美国疾病控制与预防中心表示，这些症状增加了患上“新冠肺炎重症”的风险。

And people may not know they are infected with the coronavirus. Experts note that students returning home from college may carry the virus and not know it. Younger people are more likely to have asymptomatic infections.

而且人们可能不知道自己感染了新冠病毒。专家指出，从大学放假回家的学生可能携带了这种病毒而不自知。年轻人更容易出现无症状感染。

Experts have been advising people to limit their contact to a single group of people, called a "bubble⁹." Less contact with people outside the bubble means a lower risk of infection.

专家们一直建议人们只接触被他们称为“气泡”到单一人群。减少与气泡外人员的接触就意味着降低感染风险。

Thanksgiving usually is the busiest travel period of the year in the United States. Some 50 million Americans travel 80 or more kilometers to share a meal with friends and family. This information comes from AAA, an automotive and travel group.

感恩节通常是美国一年当中最为繁忙的旅游季。大约有5千万美国人出行80公里或更远与亲朋好友聚餐。该信息来自于美国汽车协会（AAA）这家汽车和旅游组织。

Crowded buses, trains, and waiting rooms with poor ventilation, or airflow, are places where the virus can easily spread. The longer the trip, the higher the risk.

拥挤的公交车、火车或是候车室通风不畅，很容易传播病毒。旅行的时间越长，风险越高。

Airplane travel is less clear.

飞行旅行不太明确。

The dangers begin before getting on a plane, train or bus, notes Cameron Wolfe, a professor at the Duke University School of Medicine.

杜克大学医学院教授卡梅隆·沃尔夫指出，危险在乘坐飞机、火车或公交之前就已经开始了。

Dangerous celebrations

危险的庆祝活动

Gathering⁶ family members and friends indoors¹⁰ for long periods of time raises the chances for the virus to spread.

亲朋好友在室内长时间聚集会增加病毒传播的风险。

This is happening already, notes Doctor Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy¹¹ and Infectious¹² Diseases¹³.

美国国家过敏和传染病研究所所长安东尼·福奇博士表示，这已经发生了。

"If you look around the country now, many of the infections are in small family-and-friend gatherings such as dinner parties and small social gatherings," he said.

他说：“如果你现在看一看全国的情况，许多感染都发生在小型的亲朋好友的聚会中，例如晚宴或是小型社交聚会。”

Fauci explained that the danger is when one person who is asymptomatic and infected gets others infected.

福奇解释说，危险是无症状感染者感染其他人。

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that about 40 percent of those infected do not have clear symptoms but can still spread the virus.

美国疾病控制与预防中心表示，大约40%的感染者没有明显症状，但是仍然可以传播病毒。

Getting tested for the coronavirus before traveling might be helpful. However, experts urge caution¹⁴.

出行前接受新冠病毒检测可能会有所帮助。但是专家督促谨慎。

Most rapid tests do not work well for people who are not showing signs of the disease, they note. Even the best tests can miss an early infection. And people can get infected in the time between getting tested and when they arrive for holiday celebrations.

他们指出，大多数快速检测不适用于未表现出疾病症状的人。即使是最好的检测手段也可能会漏过早期感染。从检测到抵达节日庆祝活动之间，人们也可能会感染。

1 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

2 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

3 guidelines   

n.指导方针，准则

参考例句：

• The government has drawn up guidelines on the treatment of the mentally ill. 政府制订了对待精神病人的指导方针。
• Planners seem a little uncomfortable with the current government guidelines. 规划师似乎不太接受现行的政府指道方针。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

8 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

9 bubble   

n.泡，水泡，气泡；泡影，妄想；v.(使)起泡

参考例句：

• The water begins to bubble.水开始起泡了。
• Their hopes of success have burst like a bubble.他们成功的希望已经成了泡影。

10 indoors   

adv.(在)室内，(在)户内

参考例句：

• Because of the coldness of the weather we stayed indoors.我们因天气寒冷呆在家里。
• It is very cold outside,you'd better come indoors across the board.外面很冷，你们所有人最好都进屋。

11 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

12 infectious   

adj.传染的，有传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。
• What an infectious laugh she has!她的笑声多么具有感染力啊！

13 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

14 caution   

n.小心，谨慎，警告；vt.告诫，警告

参考例句：

• You should exercise extreme caution when driving in fog.在雾中开车要极为小心。
• There is no need for such caution.不必如此小心谨慎。