VOA常速英语2021--美国最大燃油管道运营商遭网络攻击关闭

The European Union has cemented its support for Pfizer-BioNtech and its novel COVID-19 vaccine¹ and technology by agreeing to a massive contract extension for potential 1.8 billion doses through the year 2023.

欧盟同意将18亿剂疫苗的大规模采购合同延长至2023年，从而巩固了对辉瑞-BioNtech及其新型新冠疫苗和技术的支持。

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday that her office has just approved the contract for guaranteed 900 million doses and with the same number of doses as a future option.

欧盟委员会主席乌苏拉·冯·德莱恩星期六表示，她的办公室刚刚批准了保证9亿剂疫苗订单的合同，且未来可选择再购买9亿剂。

The contract has unanimous backing from the 27 EU member nations.

该合同得到了欧盟27个成员国的一致支持。

Von der Leyen says that the contract providing 1.8 billion doses for a block of 450 million residents will give the EU a lot of options.

乌苏拉·冯·德莱恩表示，为4.5亿居民提供18亿剂疫苗的合同将使欧盟有很多选择。

Hundreds of people were seen partying on Sunday in Madrid, welcoming the end of Spain's 11 p.m. curfew,

马德里数百人在周日举行派对，庆祝西班牙晚上11点宵禁的结束。

which was lifted in all but 4 of the country's 17 regions at midnight.

午夜时分，西班牙17个地区中只剩4个地区还未解除宵禁。

State of emergency imposed last October, allowing the central government to enforce a nationwide curfew and local travel bans,

西班牙在去年10月发布进入紧急状态，并允许中央政府执行全国宵禁和本地旅行禁令。

ended at midnight and hundreds of young Madrid residents took to the square, traditionally used to celebrate New Year's Eve, to cheer freedom, dance, play the drums and drink with their friends.

宵禁在午夜结束时，数百名马德里年轻居民来到了传统上用来庆祝新年除夕的广场，他们欢呼自由、跳舞、打鼓、与朋友喝酒。

Many were seen maskless and not complying with social distancing.

许多人没有佩戴口罩，没有遵守社会距离。

Madrid has a second highest COVID-19 incidence rate in Spain at 318 per 100,000 people.

在西班牙，马德里的新冠感染率位列第二，每10万人中就有318人确诊。

Top US fuel pipeline² operator Colonial Pipeline has shut its entire network, the source of nearly half of the US East Coast fuel supply, after a cyber attack that company said it was caused by ransomware.

美国最大的燃油管道运营商Colonial Pipeline自称因遭受勒索软件的网络攻击而关闭了整个运输管道，该运输管道是美国东海岸近一半的燃料供应的来源。

The incident is one of the most disruptive digital ransom³ operations ever reported and has drawn⁴ attention to how critical US energy infrastructure⁵ is vulnerable to hackers⁶.

这起事件是有史以来最具破坏性的数字勒索行动之一，并引起了人们对美国能源基础设施容易受到黑客攻击程度的关注。

Shut down has raise fears of price spikes⁷ at gasoline pumps ahead of peak summer travel season if it persist.

运输管道的关闭也让人们忧心忡忡，如果持续关闭，汽油价格将在夏季旅游旺季到来之前飙升。

Colonial transports 2.5 million barrels per day of gasoline, diesel⁸, jet fuel and other refined products through 5,500 miles of pipeline linking refineries⁹ and refiners on the Gulf¹⁰ Coast, to the eastern and southern United States.

Colonial公司通过5500英里管道，将墨西哥湾沿岸炼油厂连接到美国东部和南部，输送250万桶汽油、柴油、喷气燃料和其他精炼产品。

The US Navy says it seized an arms shipment hidden aboard a vessel¹¹ in the Arabian Sea.

美国海军称在阿拉伯海扣押了一艘藏匿运送军火的船只。

The announcement Sunday marks the latest such interdiction¹² by sailors amid the long running war in Yemen.

他们在星期天发表的声明标志着海军在也门长期战争中的最新一次军火拦截行动。

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 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

3 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

4 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 hackers   

n.计算机迷( hacker的名词复数 )；私自存取或篡改电脑资料者，电脑“黑客”

参考例句：

• They think of viruses that infect an organization from the outside.They envision hackers breaking into their information vaults. 他们考虑来自外部的感染公司的病毒，他们设想黑客侵入到信息宝库中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Arranging a meeting with the hackers took weeks againoff-again email exchanges. 通过几星期电子邮件往来安排见面，他们最终同意了。 来自互联网

7 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

9 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

10 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

11 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

12 interdiction   

n.禁止；封锁

参考例句：

• the Customs Service's drug interdiction programs 海关的毒品查禁方案
• In addition to patrol duty, blastboats are dispatched for planetary defense and interdiction missions. 除了例行巡逻，炮艇还被赋予行星防御和封锁的任务。