5月6日午间双语新闻：奥斯卡准线上影片参赛 Oscars rules change during pandemic

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1 /Oscars rules change during pandemic

奥斯卡准线上影片参赛

Movies will no longer be required to have a seven-day theatrical run in Los Angeles County to be eligible for Oscars consideration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday. 

美国电影艺术与科学学院28日宣布，由于新冠肺炎疫情，电影无须在洛杉矶郡的电影院上映7天后，才能获得入围奥斯卡奖的资格。

The relaxed rule, which applies until theaters in the US reopen, will grant films that are available only on Netflix or other streaming platforms a chance to collect a gold statue. 

这项放宽的规定将一直适用至美国影院重新营业。如此一来，只在奈飞或其他流媒体平台上放映的电影也有机会参加奥斯卡奖项的评选了。

"The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theater. Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering," Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson asserted in a statement.

美国电影艺术与科学学院院长大卫·鲁宾和首席执行官道恩·哈德森在一项声明中表示："要体验电影的魅力，没有比在电影院看电影更棒的方式了，美国电影艺术与科学学院对此坚信不疑。

"Nonetheless, the historically tragic COVID-19 pandemic necessitates this temporary exception to our awards eligibility rules." The awards ceremony for next year's Oscars is still scheduled to be held on Feb 28 in Hollywood.

但是，历史性不幸的新冠肺炎疫情使我们不得不对奖项入围规则实行暂时的例外。"明年的奥斯卡颁奖典礼仍定于2021年2月28日在好莱坞举行。

重点词汇：

unwavering

英 /ʌnˈweɪvərɪŋ/ 美 /ʌnˈweɪvərɪŋ/

adj. 坚定的；不动摇的

2 /Virus detected in air pollution

空气污染传播新冠病毒?

Coronavirus has been detected on particles of air pollution by scientists investigating whether this could enable it to be carried over longer distances and increase the number of people infected. 

科学家日前在空气污染物颗粒上发现了新冠病毒，他们正在研究，这是否能使病毒传播得更远，并增加感染人数。

The work is preliminary and it is not yet known if the virus remains viable on pollution particles and in sufficient quantity to cause disease. Leonardo Setti at the University of Bologna in Italy led the work. 

这项研究还处于初步阶段，目前还不清楚新冠病毒是否能在污染颗粒上存活，以及病毒数量是否足以致病。意大利博洛尼亚大学的莱昂纳多·塞蒂是这项研究的负责人。

A statistical analysis by Setti's team suggests higher levels of particle pollution could explain higher rates of infection in parts of northern Italy before a lockdown was imposed, an idea supported by another preliminary analysis. The region is one of the most polluted in Europe. Neither of the studies by Setti's team have been peer-reviewed and therefore have not been endorsed by independent scientists. But experts agree their proposal is plausible and requires investigation.

塞蒂研究团队的一项统计分析显示，意大利北部的部分地区是欧洲空气污染最严重的地区之一，在实施封锁措施之前，这些地区的大气颗粒物污染水平较高，而那里的新冠病毒感染率也较高。另一项初步分析研究也支持了这一发现。塞蒂研究团队的这两项分析结果还没有经过同行评审，因此尚未得到独立科学家的认可。但专家们认为这一结果是合理的，需要进一步调查研究。

重点词汇：

preliminary

英 /prɪˈlɪmɪnəri/ 美 /prɪˈlɪmɪneri/

adj. 初步的；开始的；预备的

n. 初步行动；准备工作；预赛，预试

plausible

英 /ˈplɔːzəbl/ 美 /ˈplɔːzəbl/

adj. 看似可信的；花言巧语的，巧言令色的；貌似真实的，貌似有理的

3 /Flowers cut to deter visitors

日本剪花防止民众聚集

Local authorities in Japan are sacrificing tens of thousands of flowers to deter visitors, as the country attempts to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Workers began severing the buds of about 3,000 rose bushes at Yono park in Saitama, north of Tokyo, in an attempt to keep flower viewers away. 

日本正在努力遏制新冠肺炎疫情，为了阻止游客，地方政府牺牲了数万株鲜花。为了不让赏花者前来，东京北部埼玉县Yono公园的工作人员开始给约3000株玫瑰剪除花苞。

The local government had already canceled the annual rose festival, but the park is still open to the public, prompting the decision to rid the venue of its main attraction – 180 varieties of rose bushes that reach their peak from around the middle of May. 

当地政府已经取消了一年一度的玫瑰节，但是公园仍然向公众开放，促使当局做出去除主要景观的决定——180种玫瑰植株将在五月中旬前后迎来盛开期。

In Sakura, a town 50 km east of Tokyo, officials razed more than 100,000 tulip stems and canceled its annual festival after crowds defied social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus emergency. The cut flowers have not gone to waste, however. Officials said they had been donated to local kindergartens.

在东京以东50千米处的佐仓市，官员们剪掉了10万多株郁金香的花朵，并取消了一年一度的郁金香节。此前有许多人去观赏郁金香，不把新冠疫情危机期间的社交隔离指导意见放在眼里。不过，剪下的鲜花也没有浪费掉。官员称，鲜花被捐给了当地的幼儿园。

重点词汇：

venue

英 /ˈvenjuː/ 美 /ˈvenjuː/

n. 聚会地点；举行场所；犯罪地点；发生地点；（英格兰律）审判地（指郡或区）

4 /US Q1 GDP shrinks by 4.8%

美国一季度GDP下滑4.8%

US real gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter contracted at an annual rate of 4.8% amid the COVID-19 impact, the biggest decline in over a decade, the US Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Widespread "stay-at-home" orders and other measures to contain the virus led to "rapid changes in demand," as businesses and schools switched to remote work or canceled operations, and consumers canceled, restricted or redirected their spending, the bureau noted.

美国商务部29日表示，受新冠肺炎疫情影响，今年第一季度美国实际国内生产总值(GDP)按年率计算下滑4.8%，创下十多年来的最大降幅。美国商务部表示，广泛实施的居家令以及其它控制新冠肺炎病毒的措施导致了"需求端的迅速变化"，企业和学校转向远程办公或暂停运营，消费者取消、限制或重新调整了支出。

 "The contraction that occurred in the first quarter is just a hint at what is to come in Q2," Jay H Bryson, acting chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities, wrote in an analysis. Noting that the lockdown of the economy, which occurred in most states, did not really start to take effect until mid-March or early April, Bryson said "we look for real GDP to contract at an unprecedented annualized rate in excess of 20% in Q2." 

富国银行代理首席经济学家布赖森在一则分析中写道："一季度的经济萎缩还只是序幕，第二季度美国经济将面临更严重的下滑。"布赖森表示，由于美国多数州的经济封锁措施是在3月中旬或4月初才真正实施，该机构预计第二季度美国实际GDP按年率计算将前所未有地萎缩超过20%。

重点词汇：

shrink

英 /ʃrɪŋk/ 美 /ʃrɪŋk/

v. （使）缩小，（使）收缩；（尤指因恐惧而）退缩，畏缩，回避；（衣服、布料）缩水

n. 收缩；畏缩；（非正式）精神病医生，精神病学家，心理学家

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

No.1 unwavering

"The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theater. Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering," Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson asserted in a statement.

No.2 preliminary

The work is preliminary and it is not yet known if the virus remains viable on pollution particles and in sufficient quantity to cause disease. Leonardo Setti at the University of Bologna in Italy led the work. 

No.3 plausible

 But experts agree their proposal is plausible and requires investigation.

No.4 venue

The local government had already canceled the annual rose festival, but the park is still open to the public, prompting the decision to rid the venue of its main attraction – 180 varieties of rose bushes that reach their peak from around the middle of May. 

No.5 shrink

US Q1 GDP shrinks by 4.8%

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