#EZTALK #你不知道的美國大小事
#coronavirus
America starts to open up—but is it ready?
🇺🇸美國開始解除封城，但，真的準備好了嗎？👀
許多國家的肺炎疫情已逐漸趨緩，因此美國日前陸續宣布解禁，但是這樣子解禁是否言之過早？
進入文章之前，先看看單字～
1. toll「傷亡；損失」：death toll「死亡人數」，而economic toll就是「經濟損失」。
2. staggering「令人咋舌的，驚人的」
3. criterion「標準，準則」：複數型比較特別，是criteria。
4. downward「朝下地」：字尾 -ward有「朝向～、往～」的意思。
5. trajectory「軌跡」：指將物體拋出去之後的軌跡。
6. legally binding「有法律約束力的」：bind當動詞，指「綑綁」，所以binding的意思延伸為「有約束力的」。
7. peak「達到高峰」：peak在這裡當動詞，也可當名詞，指「最高點，高峰」。
8. plateaue「穩定，停滯」：一樣在這裡當動詞。
9. (Only) time will tell.「唯有時間能證明。」：指某件事情的真相只能等真正發生之後才能知道。
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In the United States, the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a huge death toll. Over 76,000 deaths have been recorded as of May 8, and the total is expected to reach 100,000 by the end of the month. But the virus has taken a huge economic toll as well. The unemployment rate has risen to a staggering 14.7 percent, the highest since the Great Depression of the 1930s. And then there’s the emotional toll. After months of social distancing, people are lonely, depressed and desperate to see their friends and loved ones.
新冠病毒疫情在美國造成大量死亡。到5月8日為止，死亡人數超過7萬六千名，預計這個月底會攀升到十萬人。這個病毒也引發大量經濟損失；失業率攀升到驚人的14.7百分比，是1930年代經濟大蕭條以來的最高記錄。除此之外，人們的心理創傷也到達頂點。在經過數月的社交隔離，大家因無法跟朋友與親人見面而感到孤單、憂鬱甚至絕望。
Worried that mass unemployment may eventually cause more loss of life than the coronavirus, the federal government has made the decision to begin reopen the economy and let people return to work. The White House hopes that states will only reopen their economies if they meet the following criteria: (A) a “downward trajectory” in new coronavirus cases over a 14-day period; (B) an upward trend in testing and contact tracing. These criteria aren’t legally binding, however, and in many of the states that are opening up, case numbers are still rising.
出於擔心高失業率所導致的死亡人數將多過病毒所直接引發的死亡人數，聯邦政府日前決定重啟經濟，讓民眾返回職場。白宮表示，各州如果能滿足以下標準，就能解除封城：（A）病毒感染案例連續超過14天持續下降。（B）採檢與追蹤感染案例持續上升。不過這些標準不具法律強制效果，而許多陸續放鬆解禁的州，該地的疫情依然攀升中。
In Missouri, for example, where the number of new positive cases is still growing, businesses will be allowed to open again this week, and people will be allowed to attend concerts—as long as people stay at least six feet apart. But is this a wise decision? Although the outbreak has either peaked or plateaued in most of the country, the vast majority of the population hasn’t been infected yet, and has no immunity. Some experts worry that opening up too quickly could lead to a second wave of infections in the fall. The decision of when to open up is a difficult one to make for each state, and only time will tell if their decision was correct.
以密蘇里州為例，新感染人數持續攀升，同時商業活動也將在本週開放，人們將可以參加演唱會，只要人與人之間距離拉開至少6尺。但這是個明智的決定嗎？雖然美國多數地區的疫情已達到高峰或出現平緩，絕大多數人口尚未被感染，因此缺乏免疫力。部分專家擔憂，太早解除封城會導致秋天第二波疫情爆發。決定解除封城的時間是各州政府頭痛的問題，只有時間才能告訴我們這個決定是否正確。
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