VOA常速英语2021--阿斯利康将向欧盟额外供应900万剂新冠疫苗

Clashes broke out Sunday in the impoverished¹ Lebanese city of Tripoli. It was the latest violence between security forces and protesters furious at the economic fallout of strict coronavirus lockdown measures. Protesters took to the streets of Lebanon's second city after an otherwise calm weekend that followed days of angry demonstrations² that left one person dead and 400 others wounded. On Sunday afternoon, a few hundred demonstrators had gathered in central Tripoli's Al Nour square after calls on social media for people to rally in solidarity³. Then, later on Sunday evening, youths gathered outside government buildings, with police lobbing tear gas from the roofs to disperse⁴ the crowd. This is according to the French news agency which had a journalist on site. The army said on Sunday that 17 people had been arrested on charges including "rioting, destruction and attacking public and private property" during the week's protests. The Lebanese Red Cross said it treated 10 people hit by rocks or who were struggling to breathe because of tear gas. Protesters who began demonstrating January 25 say they are angry at pandemic lockdown restrictions⁵ that they say are destroying their livelihoods⁶.

黎巴嫩贫困城市的黎波里周日爆发冲突。这是安全部队和抗议者之间的最新暴力事件，起因是抗议者对严格的冠状病毒封锁措施所引发的经济后果感到愤怒。抗议者在本该平静的周末走上了黎巴嫩第二城市的街头，此前，抗议者们经历了数天的愤怒示威，导致一人死亡，400人受伤。周日下午，数百名示威者聚集在的黎波里市中心的努尔广场，此前他们曾在社交媒体上呼吁民众团结一致。然后，周日晚些时候，年轻抗议者们聚集在政府大楼外，警察从屋顶上投掷催泪瓦斯驱散人群。据一名当时出现在现场的法国通讯社记者报道。军方周日表示，在本周的抗议活动中，有17人被逮捕，罪名包括“引发骚乱、造成破坏、以及损坏公共和私人财产”。黎巴嫩红十字会表示，他们治疗了10名被石块击中或因催泪瓦斯而呼吸困难的人。1月25日开始示威的抗议者表示，他们对疫情封锁限制感到愤怒，他们说这些限制正在破坏他们的生计。

The EU says U.K.-Swedish drug firm AstraZeneca will now supply an additional nine million COVID vaccine⁷ doses by March after days of criticism of the bloc's vaccination⁸ program. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was a "step forward." But the 40 million doses now expected are still only about half of what had been hoped amid continuing supply problems. The commission has battled with both Britain and AstraZeneca this week. Critics condemned⁹ it over its threat to put checks on the Northern Ireland border to prevent vaccines¹⁰ produced in the EU from reaching the U.K. The border was one of the most difficult problems to overcome in the recently agreed Brexit deal following the U.K.'s departure from the EU. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton. From Washington, you're listening to VOA news.

欧盟称，英国-瑞典制药公司阿斯利康将在三月前额外供应九百万剂疫苗，该制药公司的疫苗方案之前数日一直受到批评。欧盟委员会主席乌苏拉·冯·德莱恩表示，这是“向前迈出的一步”，但由于供应问题持续存在，目前预计交付的4000万剂疫苗仍仅为预期的一半左右。欧盟委员会本周与英国和阿斯利康展开了斗争。批评者谴责欧盟威胁在北爱尔兰边境进行检查，以防止欧盟成员国生产的疫苗进入英国。在英国退出欧盟后，最近达成的英国退欧协议中，边界问题是最难克服的问题之一。我是玛丽莎·梅尔顿。美国之音，华盛顿报道。

1 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

3 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

4 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

5 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

6 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

7 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。

8 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

9 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

10 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。