Opposition to the Tokyo Olympics is intensifying in Japan
日本国内反对东京奥运会的声浪越来越大
As the Olympic torch passed through Hiroshima this week, organisers kept the relay away from the streets. A torch-lighting ceremony took place without spectators. Hiroshima, along with Tokyo, the host city, and seven other prefectures, is under a state of emergency amid a fourth wave of covid-19.***
本周,奥林匹克圣火的传递活动经过了日本的广岛,组织者们取消了道路上的接力活动。而圣火点燃仪式也在没有观众的情况下进行。受到第四波疫情的侵扰,广岛目前正处于紧急状态,同样处于这一状态的还有奥运会主办城市东京以及其他七个都道府县。
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The event underlined the contortions required to host a global sporting extravaganza during a pandemic. The Olympics are scheduled to kick off in two months. About 15,000 athletes and perhaps 90,000 hangers-on from some 200 countries are set to enter Japan. However, 60% of people in Japan would rather not hold the games at all.
广岛的圣火传递活动凸显了在疫情的大背景下,举办一项国际性体育盛会所面临的重重困难。奥运会计划在两个月后举办,来自 200 多个国家(和地区)的约 15000 名运动员和 90000 名陪同人员将来到日本。但是,60% 的日本人宁愿不举办这场盛会。
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With events planned in nine prefectures including Tokyo, training camps across the country, and volunteers coming from all over, more movement is inevitable — and with it, more cases.*** New viral variants complicate things even more. The more infectious b.1.1.7 strain already circulates widely. Participants could bring the virus back to their home countries, many of which have less robust health systems.
包括东京在内的九个都道府县都计划举行比赛,全国都驻扎着(运动员的)训练营,志愿者们从全国各地赶来,这些活动必然会带来更高的流动性,随之而来的是更多的感染病例。并且,新的新冠病毒变种会让情况更加复杂。传染性更强的变异病毒 b.1.1.7 已经(在日本)广泛传播。参加奥运会的人们可能会将这种变异病毒带回自己国家,而很多国家的卫生系统还不够健全。
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According to The Economist's covid-19 tracker, just 4.5% of Japan's adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, a shade behind Myanmar.*** More than 80% of Japanese believe the vaccine roll-out is moving too slowly. Approval of the cabinet has in turn slid to record lows.
根据《经济学人》杂志的疫情跟踪数据,只有 4.5% 的日本成年人接种了至少一剂疫苗,这一数据略落后于缅甸。超过 80% 的日本人认为疫苗的推广进展过于缓慢,本届内阁的支持率也因此滑落到历史低点。
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Cancelling the Olympics might help allay many voters' suspicions that Suga Yoshihide, Japan's prime minister, is giving priority to the games over their health. But it is not as simple as it seems. Olympic host-city contracts give the ioc the exclusive right to call off the games. If the Japanese government were to cancel unilaterally, the ioc would have the right to seek damages in court, says Matsumoto Taisuke, a sports-law expert at Waseda University in Tokyo.
取消奥运会或许将会有助于减轻许多选民的怀疑,他们此前认为日本的首相菅义伟把奥运会置于国民的健康问题之上。但这样做并不像看起来那么简单。《奥运会主办城市合约书》规定,只有国际奥委会才有权利取消运动会。东京早稻田大学体育法专家松本泰介表示,如果日本政府单方决定取消,国际奥委会将有权在法庭上提出索赔。
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主编:桃子
品控:桃子
审核:夏天
Photo Credit:
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
重点词汇
opposition
/ˌɑː.pəˈzɪʃ.ən/
n.(强烈的)反对,反抗
英文释义:strong disagreement
例句:China expressed firm opposition to the irresponsible remarks.
搭配短语:opposition parties
同义表达:the opposition
intensify
/ɪnˈten.sə.faɪ/
v.(使)变强,加强,加剧
相关词汇:intense(adj. 强烈的)
例句:India's health system has been under intense pressure recently.
词根词缀:-ify(表示“使......”)
相关词汇:simple(adj. 简单的);simplify(使简化)
相关词汇:pure(adj. 纯净的);purify(使净化)
例句:The fighting in the area has intensified sharply.
torch
/tɔ:rtʃ/
n. 火炬,火把
搭配短语:a flaming / blazing torch
搭配短语:put sth. to the torch
文化补充:东京奥运会圣火传递的理念是 Hope Lights Our Way,意为“希望照亮前路”。该理念希望传递相互支持、相互接受和相互鼓舞的想法,将日本人民团结起来。在抵达日本境内后,奥运圣火首先将在日本东北地区巡回,向日本“3.11”大地震和海啸灾区人民传达希望。
东京奥组委非常重视奥运火炬在广岛的传递,奥组委本来邀请了国际奥委会主席巴赫参加传递活动,参与接力的多名火炬手也与原子弹爆炸的历史事件有关联。不过,由于疫情原因,国际奥委会主席巴赫未能成行,多名火炬手退出了当天的接力活动,其中包括一位 104 岁的原子弹爆炸幸存者。
relay
/ˈriː.leɪ/
n. 接力赛;轮换者
搭配短语:the 4 × 100m relay
搭配短语:torch relay
prefecture
/ˈpriː.fek.tʃɚ/
n. 地方行政区域;(日本的)县
搭配短语:Saitama prefecture(琦玉县)
文化补充:日本的都道府县级别相当于中国的省级行政区,都是中央以下的一级行政区划。其中都和道都只有一个,即东京都、北海道。府一共有 2 个,分别是京都府和大阪府,而除了都、道、府以外,还有分布在日本全国的 43 个县,下设市、町、村。
在疫情蔓延的情况下,从当地时间 5 月 16 日开始,日本紧急状态地区新增了北海道、冈山、广岛,扩大至 9 个都道府县。政府表示在疫苗接种进行之前有必要继续进行基本的防疫措施,并再次要求国民佩戴口罩。
underline
/ˌʌn.dɚˈlaɪn/
v. 强调,突出;在(词语)下面画线
例句:The successful Mars landing underlines / highlights again the rapid progress that China is making.
近义词:highlight
contortion
/kənˈtɔːr.ʃən/
n. 困难,周折;扭曲的姿势
近义词:difficulty
词根词缀:con-(一起,共同)
相关词汇:torture(v./n. 折磨,虐待)
例句:He went through a series of contortions to get the ticket.
extravaganza
/ɪkˌstræv.əˈɡæn.zə/
n. 盛大演出;盛大活动
词根词缀:extra-(非常,格外)
搭配短语:Chinese New Year TV gala / extravaganza
kick off
(事件、比赛或讨论等)开始;开球
搭配短语:to kick off a new project
相关词汇:kick-off(n.(事件或活动的)开始)
搭配短语:kick-off meetings
hanger-on
/ˌhæŋ.ɚˈɑːn/
n. 跟随者;逢迎者
inevitable
/ˌɪnˈev.ə.t̬ə.bəl/
adj. 不可避免的;必然发生的
英文释义:certain to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented
例句:It seems inevitable that there would be job losses.
infectious
/ɪnˈfek.ʃəs/
adj.(疾病等)传染的,传染性的
相关词汇:infection(n. 感染)
例句:China reports world's first H10N3 human infection case.
搭配短语:an infectious disease
strain
/streɪn/
n. 种类,品种
近义词:variant
搭配短语:the b.1.1.7 variant
circulate
/ˈsɝː.kjə.leɪt/
v.(在密闭场所或系统内)传播,循环
相关词汇:circle(n. 圆圈)
英文释义:to form a circle
robust
/roʊˈbʌst/
adj.(体系、组织等)强大的,稳固的;强健的
例句:He looks robust and healthy enough.(强健的)
例句:China's robust economic momentum has carried into the second quarter.((体系等)强大的)
a shade
些许,少量
相关词汇:shade(n. 阴影)
roll-out
/ˈrəʊlaʊt/
n.(新产品的)投放,推广
相关短语:roll out(v. 把(面皮等)擀开,将......铺开来;推出(新产品))
搭配短语:to roll out new technology
搭配短语:a vaccine roll-out plan
approval
/ə'pru:.vəl/
n. 认可,赞许;批准
搭配短语:approval rating(支持率)
slide
/slaɪd/
v. 下滑,衰落;(货币)贬值;滑行,滑动
例句:Car exports slid by 40%.(车辆出口下滑了 40%。)
例句:The US dollar continued to slide.(美元在持续贬值。)
allay
/ə'leɪ/
v. 减轻,缓解
词义辨析:allay, relieve
两者都有“减轻,缓解”的意思,但是 relieve 侧重于减轻生理上的疼痛或者不适,让疼痛变得可以忍受;而 allay 更多指缓解恐惧、担忧等等情绪,而且这种缓解可能是暂时的,并不是长久之计。
例句:Drugs helped to relieve the pain.(药物帮助舒缓疼痛。)
例句:The president made a statement to allay public anxiety about the spread of the disease.(总统发表了一项声明,想要缓解人们对疾病蔓延的担心。)
exclusive
/ɪk'sklu:.sɪv/
adj. 专有的,独有的,排他的
相关词汇:exclude(把......排除在外)
搭配短语:the exclusive rights to offer live matches
call off
取消
同义词:cancel
例句:I have to call off my camping trip.
unilaterally
/ˌjuː.nəˈlæt̬.ɚ.əl.i/
adv. 单方面地
词根词缀:uni-(表示“单一”)
相关词汇:unique(adj. 独特的)
相关词汇:lateral(adj. 侧面的)
相关词汇:unilateral(adj. 单边的,单方的)
搭配短语:a unilateral decision(一个单方面的决定)
相关词汇:bilateral(adj. 双边的);multilateral(adj. 多边的)
加