1月3日英语：全国离婚人数15年上涨

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Tech verifies users by hands

亚马逊无人店'刷手'付款

Amazon filed a patent for technology that could identify you by scanning the wrinkles in the palm of your hand and by using a light to see beneath your skin to your blood vessels. 

亚马逊近日申请一项技术专利：通过扫描手掌上的皱纹，以及利用一种光线照射皮肤下的血管可识别人们的身份。

This new patent could have particular relevance for Amazon's cashierless brick-and-mortar Amazon Go stores. The resulting images could be used to identify you as a shopper at the stores.

这项新专利可能与亚马逊不设收银员的实体店Amazon Go关系尤为密切，其结果图可用于鉴别人们在Amazon Go商店的顾客身份。

Once implemented, the system will allow customers with Amazon Prime accounts to scan their hands at the store and link them to their credit or debit card. 

一旦得以应用，该系统将允许拥有亚马逊Prime账户的客户在店里"刷手"，并将此关联到他们的信用卡或借记卡上。

Shoppers can simply take the items they want and walk out, and sensors installed around the store will automatically bill their Amazon account.

顾客仅需拿走想要的商品然后走出商店，安装在商店周围的传感器将自动从他们的亚马逊账户上扣款。

重点词汇：

1、patent

英 ['pæt(ə)nt; 'peɪt(ə)nt] 美 ['pætnt]

n. 专利权；专利证；专利品

adj. 专利的；特许生产或销售的；显著的；公开的；（脉管等）开放的

v. 取得……的专利权；授予专利

2、brick-and-mortar

[,braikənd'mɔ:tə]

adj. （有）实体的；砖瓦加水泥（常用来比喻传统企业）

Ex-NBA commissioner dies

NBA前总裁斯特恩病逝

Former National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner David Stern, who oversaw the explosive growth in the popularity of the game during his tenure, died at the age of 77 on Wednesday. 

1月1日，全美篮球协会(NBA)前任总裁大卫•斯特恩逝世，享年77岁。

Stern, who served 30 years as the NBA's longest-tenured commissioner before Adam Silver replaced him on Feb 1, 2014, had been in serious condition after undergoing emergency surgery on Dec 12 in New York following a sudden brain hemorrhage. 

斯特恩在任期间，NBA人气爆炸式增长。他为NBA效力30年，是任期最长的总裁。2014年2月1日，亚当•肖华接替斯特恩成为新总裁。12月12日，斯特恩在纽约突发脑溢血，接受紧急手术治疗后病情仍然十分危重。

Stern's greatest accomplishment as commissioner is widely considered to be the way he transformed the NBA, which at one time was largely an unknown commodity outside the US, into a globally-televised powerhouse. 

外界普遍认为，斯特恩执掌NBA的最大成是他对NBA的"改造"，使NBA成为全球电视转播的顶级联赛，此前，NBA在美国以外的地区只是一个毫无知名度的商业产品。

Stern was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016.

2014年，斯特恩入选奈史密斯篮球名人堂，2016年他入选国际篮联名人堂。

重点词汇：

1、commissioner

英 [kəˈmɪʃənə(r)] 美 [kəˈmɪʃənər]

n. 理事；委员；行政长官；总裁

2、explosive

英 [ɪkˈspləʊsɪv; ɪkˈspləʊzɪv] 美 [ɪkˈsploʊsɪv,ɪkˈsploʊzɪv]

adj. 爆炸的；爆炸性的；爆发性的

n. 炸药；爆炸物

3、tenure

英 [ˈtenjə(r)] 美 [ˈtenjər]

n. 任期；占有

vt. 授予…终身职位

4、hemorrhage

英 ['hemərɪdʒ] 美 ['hɛmərɪdʒ]

n. [病理] 出血（等于haemorrhage）；番茄汁

vt. [病理] 出血

vi. [病理] 出血

PBOC cuts reserve ratios

新年伊始央行全面降准

The Chinese central bank decided to inject more than 800 billion yuan through a broad cut of the cash amount that financial institutions must hold as reserves, or the reserve requirement ratio (RRR), to keep liquidity ample and provide cheaper financing for the real economy. The RRR cut, 0.5 percentage point for most financial institutions, will take effect on Monday, the People's Bank of China, the central bank, announced on Wednesday. 

为保持市场流动性合理充裕，为实体经济提供更低的融资成本，中国人民银行1月1日宣布，决定于6日起下调金融机构存款准备金率0.5个百分点。此次全面降准将释放资金8000多亿元。

The cut will increase fund resources for financial institutions, and the PBOC asked commercial banks to use the released funds to strengthen support on small, micro and private companies, a statement on the PBOC website said. 

央行官网的一份声明称，此次降准增加了金融机构的资金来源，商业银行要积极运用降准资金加大对小微、民营企业的支持力度。

The central bank has cut the reserve ratio eight times since early 2018 to spur economic growth. The latest move should not be seen as a change in prudent monetary policy, and it is not a "flood irrigation type of easing", according to the central bank.

2018年初以来，央行为刺激经济共进行了8次降准操作。央行表示，此次降准并非"大水漫灌"，稳健货币政策取向没有改变。

重点词汇：

1、liquidity

英 [lɪˈkwɪdəti] 美 [lɪˈkwɪdəti]

n. 流动性；流动资产；[金融] 偿债能力

2、ample

英 [ˈæmpl] 美 [ˈæmpl]

adj. 丰富的；足够的；宽敞的

2、prudent

英 [ˈpruːdnt] 美 [ˈpruːdnt]

adj. 谨慎的；精明的；节俭的

3、irrigation

英 [ˌɪrɪˈɡeɪʃn] 美 [ˌɪrɪˈɡeɪʃn]

n. 灌溉；[临床] 冲洗；冲洗法

Divorce rates remain high

全国离婚人数15年上涨

For the 15th consecutive year, divorces are on the rise in China, with over 3.1 million couples filing for divorce in the first nine months of 2019, according to recently released figures by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. 

民政部近期公布的数据显示，我国离婚率连续15年上涨，2019年前三个季度，全国登记离婚夫妻数量超过310万对。

Nearly 80% of marriages dissolved due to "discord or an incohesive relationship." The average divorce came between two to seven years after marriage. 

近八成婚姻因"不和谐或毫无凝聚力的夫妻关系"而破裂。离婚大多发生在婚后2-7年。

Years of rapid development has transformed Chinese society. Better socio-economic status and more open social concepts can lead to higher tolerance for divorces, according to director of the Institute of Political Science of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Fang Ning. 

中国社科院政治学研究所所长房宁表示，多年的快速发展使我国社会发生了改变。更好的社会经济状况以及更开放的社会观念使得人们对离婚的容忍度更高。

Increased income also means that people have more options and are less dependent on the marriage to support the family. 

增长的收入也意味着人们有了更多的选择，不那么依赖婚姻来支撑家庭。

Now "couples have fewer extra worries and it is easier for them to leave each other once they find mutually incompatible," said Fang.

如今夫妻的后顾之忧更少，一旦双方发现彼此合不来，会更容易分道扬镳。

重点词汇：

1、incohesive

英 [,ɪnkəʊ'hiːsɪv]

adj. 无凝聚力的

2、socio-economic

美 [ˌsoʊsioʊ ˌiːkəˈnɑːmɪk,ˌsoʊsioʊ ˌekəˈnɑːmɪk]

adj. 社会经济的

3、incompatible

英 [ˌɪnkəmˈpætəbl] 美 [ˌɪnkəmˈpætəbl]

adj. 不相容的；矛盾的；不能同时成立的

n. 互不相容的人或事物

Hi everyone, here are words you should know from today's news.

No.1  brick-and-mortar 

This new patent could have particular relevance for Amazon's cashierless brick-and-mortar Amazon Go stores.

No.2  tenure

Former National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner David Stern, who oversaw the explosive growth in the popularity of the game during his tenure, died at the age of 77 on Wednesday.

No.3  liquidity

The Chinese central bank decided to inject more than 800 billion yuan through a broad cut of the cash amount that financial institutions must hold as reserves, or the reserve requirement ratio (RRR), to keep liquidity ample and provide cheaper financing for the real economy.

No.4  prudent

The latest move should not be seen as a change in prudent monetary policy, and it is not a "flood irrigation type of easing", according to the central bank.

No.5  incohesive

Nearly 80% of marriages dissolved due to "discord or an incohesive relationship."

No.6  socio-economic

Better socio-economic status and more open social concepts can lead to higher tolerance for divorces, according to director of the Institute of Political Science of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Fang Ning.

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That's all for today. Thanks for listening. See you next week!

总策划：韩鹤

主播：Anne Marie Ruisi

剪辑：韩鹤

编辑：马芮

文稿来源：中国日报网