4月18日午间英语新闻：拜登政府万亿刺激计划导致美国高通胀

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Airlines bank on upgraded services to boost revenue
航空公司推出'行李到家'服务

Domestic airlines are taking the brunt of financial pressures caused by the latest resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have launched additional innovative services to stay afloat. Yet, analysts remain cautious about the extent to which the service can help carriers increase revenues. Hainan Airlines, China's fourth-largest carrier, launched a service in late March that helps passengers deliver their luggage home. The service is available at Beijing Capital International Airport and Haikou Meilan International Airport. 
随着近期疫情反弹，面临巨大经济压力的国内航空公司为求生存纷纷推出附加的创新服务。然而，分析师对于这些服务是否能帮助航空公司增加收入仍持有保留态度。国内第四大航空公司海南航空3月底在北京首都机场、海口美兰机场推出了“行李到家”服务。

By ordering the service online, passengers will be able to save the time of waiting for their checked luggage, and they don't have to carry heavy suitcases. It costs at least 85 yuan to deliver one piece of luggage. For passengers who bought flight tickets for business class, they can get complimentary delivery service for one piece of luggage weighing less than 30 kilograms. 
旅客只需线上下单，即可享受从机场到家门口的行李送达服务，从而为旅客节约行李提取等待时间，免除大件行李搬运的劳累和不便。据了解，海南航空“行李到家”服务费用为85元/件起，购买公务舱机票旅客可免费体验“行李到家”服务，为1件不超过30公斤的行李办理此项服务。

重点词汇
1、afloat
英 [əˈfləʊt]  美 [əˈfloʊt] 
adj. 经济上周转得开的，不欠债的；漂浮的；在流传中的，当前的；在船（或艇）上的；海上的；浸水的
adv. 不欠债地，周转顺畅地；漂浮着；在流传中，当前；在海上；浸满水

2、complimentary
英 [ˌkɒmplɪˈmentri]  美 [ˌkɑːmplɪˈmentri] 
adj. 免费赠送的；赞美的，表示钦佩的

Biden’s big-spending policies helped fuel inflation
拜登政府万亿刺激计划导致美国高通胀

Washington's multi-trillion-dollar spending habit has driven inflation across the US higher than in most other Western countries, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. A report released by the bank said the US inflation rate spiked higher than other countries in March 2021, shortly after Congress passed President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. 
据旧金山联邦储备银行称，拜登政府的万亿美元财政刺激政策导致美国的通胀率高于其他西方国家。该机构发布报告称，2021年3月，美国国会通过拜登总统的1.9万亿美元（约合12.1万亿元人民币）新冠纾困计划不久之后，美国的通货膨胀率飙升，超过其他国家。

“Fiscal support measures designed to counteract the severity of the pandemic's economic effect may have contributed to this divergence by raising inflation about 3 percentage points by the end of 2021,” analysts wrote.
分析人士称：“这些财政支持政策旨在抵消疫情对经济造成的严重影响，但2021年底美国的通胀率因此提高了约三个百分点。”

重点词汇
1、counteract
英 [ˌkaʊntərˈækt]  美 [ˌkaʊntərˈækt] 
v. 抵制，抵消，中和

2、divergence
英 [daɪˈvɜːdʒəns]  美 [daɪˈvɜːrdʒəns]
n. 差异，不同；（气流或洋流的）分开处；（数）发散

Risk of serious blood clot events spike after COVID-19
研究：新冠感染明显增加血栓风险

New observational research out of Sweden has tracked more than one million COVID-19 cases for months after their acute illness, in order to determine how the disease influences subsequent risk of blood clots. The findings indicate COVID-19 significantly increases a person's risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in the months after infection.

 瑞典一项观察研究对100多万新冠病例进行了数月追踪，以确定新冠是如何影响感染者随后出现血栓的风险的。研究结果表明，人们在感染新冠后几个月内深静脉血栓形成和肺栓塞的风险明显增加。

Factoring in acute disease severity, the researchers found those initially hit hardest with COVID-19 did experience greater long-term risk for blood clotting events. However, the increased risk was not zero in those experiencing mild COVID. Those with only a mild infection still showed a three-fold risk of DVT and a seven-fold risk of pulmonary embolism.
研究人员发现，重症感染者血栓形成的风险更大。但轻症感染者血栓形成的风险也有所增加。轻症患者的深静脉血栓形成风险增加3倍，而肺栓塞风险增加7倍。

重点词汇
1、acute
英 [əˈkjuːt]  美 [əˈkjuːt] 
adj. 严重的，危险的；急性的，剧烈的；灵敏的；敏锐的，有洞察力的；锐角的；带尖音符的；（声音）高的，尖的

2、thrombosis
英 [θrɒmˈbəʊsɪs]  美 [θrɑːmˈboʊsɪs] 
n. [病理] 血栓形成；血栓症

3、pulmonary
英 [ˈpʌlmənəri]  美 [ˈpʌlməneri]
adj. 肺的；有肺的；肺状的

4、embolism
英 [ˈembəlɪzəm]  美 [ˈembəlɪzəm]
n. 栓塞；闰日

Microplastics found deep in lungs of living people
科学家首次在活人肺部深处发现微塑料

Microplastic pollution has been discovered lodged deep in the lungs of living people for the first time. The particles were found in almost all the samples analyzed. The scientists said microplastic pollution was now ubiquitous across the planet, making human exposure unavoidable and meaning “there is an increasing concern regarding the hazards” to health. Samples were taken from tissue removed from 13 patients undergoing surgery, and microplastics were found in 11 cases. 
科学家首次在活人肺部深处发现微塑料污染。这些微塑料颗粒出现在几乎所有接受分析的样本中。科学家指出，微塑料污染如今在地球上无所不在，不可避免地会殃及人类，这意味着微塑料造成的健康风险“引发的担忧与日俱增”。科学家从13名接受手术的患者体内切下的组织中获取了样本，并在其中11例样本中发现了微塑料。

The most common particles were polypropylene, used in plastic packaging and pipes, and PET, used in bottles. People were already known to breathe in the tiny particles, as well as consuming them via food and water. Workers exposed to high levels of microplastics are also known to have developed disease.
最常见的微塑料是用于塑料包装和管道的聚丙烯以及用于制作塑料瓶的聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯。众所周知，人们会吸入小颗粒物，并会通过食物和水摄入微塑料。据悉，暴露在大量微塑料环境中的工人会因此而得病。

重点词汇
1、ubiquitous
英 [juːˈbɪkwɪtəs]  美 [juːˈbɪkwɪtəs] 
adj. 普遍存在的，无所不在的