12月26日午间英语新闻：美国研究——嗅觉味觉减退的新冠感染者或产生更高水平抗体

UK faces longest recession since records began
毕马威：英国经济衰退或将持续至明年年底

The UK has fallen into a recession which could be the longest since records began in the 1950s, economists have warned. Accountancy firm KPMG said the country dropped into recession, defined as two consecutive quarters of decline, in the third quarter of the year.
经济学家警告称，英国经济已陷入衰退，这将是自上世纪50年代以来持续时间最长的衰退。会计师事务所毕马威（KPMG）称，英国经济今年第三季度陷入衰退，连续两个季度下滑。

Forecasters expect the downturn to last until the end of next year, knocking 1.9 percent off the UK's economic output. Chief economist Yael Selfin said the decline is being driven by the soaring energy and food prices facing households. Selfin said families, particularly those on lower incomes, will rein in spending in the New Year, and eat out less often. Households had already started cutting back by the time energy bills shot up to £2,500 for a typical household in October.
分析人士预测，衰退将持续到明年年底，经济产出将萎缩1.9%。毕马威首席经济学家耶尔·塞尔芬表示，英国民众面临能源和食品价格飙升的问题，这推动了英国经济陷入衰退。塞尔芬说，英国家庭，尤其是低收入家庭，将在新年期间控制开支，减少外出就餐的次数。今年10月，英国普通家庭在能源账单飙升至2500英镑时，已经开始削减开支。

Soaring interest rates in the wake of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng's disastrous mini-Budget also 'added a headwind' to growth, KPMG said in its economic outlook report.
毕马威在其经济前景报告中表示，利兹·特拉斯和夸西·夸滕灾难性的“迷你预算”导致市场利率大幅上升，也给经济增长带来了阻力。

KPMG added that by the middle of 2024 spending in the UK per person will have fallen by 3.4 percent. Despite Britain facing the longest recession on record, Selfin said it will be 'less severe' than downturns in the 1970s and the recession caused by the financial crisis in 2008. Selfin said the picture could turn more positive, particularly if energy bills return to more normal levels.
毕马威还表示，到2024年中期，英国人均支出将下降3.4%。尽管英国面临着有记录以来最长的衰退，但塞尔芬表示，与上世纪70年代的衰退和2008年金融危机造成的衰退相比，这次衰退“没那么严重”。塞尔芬认为，情况可能会变得更加积极，特别是如果能源价格恢复到更正常水平。

重点词汇
1、recession
英/ rɪˈseʃ(ə)n /  美/ rɪˈseʃ(ə)n /
n. （经济的）衰退（期）；<正式>退后，撤回；（天文）退行；凹处

2、accountancy
英/ əˈkaʊntənsi /  美/ əˈkaʊntənsi /
n. 会计学，会计工作，会计行业

accountancyfirm

会计师事务所

3、downturn
英/ ˈdaʊntɜːn /  美/ ˈdaʊntɜːrn /
n.（商业经济的）下降，衰退期
v. 下翻，下转

4、disastrous
英/ dɪˈzɑːstrəs /   美/ dɪˈzæstrəs /
adj. 灾难性的，使损失惨重的；极失败的，很糟的

5、headwind
英/ ˈhedwɪnd /  美/ ˈhedwɪnd /
n. 逆风；顶头风

Impaired taste & smell after a Covid-19 infection linked to higher levels of antibodies
美国研究：嗅觉味觉减退的新冠感染者或产生更高水平抗体

In a new study published in the journal PLOS One, a group of researchers based in the United States found that the odds of developing greater amounts of antibodies to the coronavirus could be two times higher among those who experienced altered smell and taste post infection.
美国一项新研究发现，感染新冠病毒后出现嗅觉和味觉减退的人，其产生更高水平抗体的可能性要高出两倍。该研究发表在PLOS One期刊上。

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, loss of smell and taste were identified as one of the key symptoms of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. It has been reported that loss of smell is experienced by at least 43% up to 62% of people who had Covid-19 and tends to occur in the early stages after catching the virus. 
在疫情初期，嗅觉味觉丧失被确定为新冠感染的主要症状之一。据报道，新冠病毒感染者中，至少43%至62%的人会出现嗅觉失灵，并且该症状往往发生在感染病毒后的初期阶段。

To gain a better understanding of how people with altered smell and taste might have developed antibodies after a Covid-19 infection, the researchers enrolled 309 patients who are a part of the NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center convalescent plasma trials. All of them had been diagnosed with Covid-19 recently when the trial had begun in 2020. More than 60% of them were white women. Around 64% of them reported loss of smell and/or loss of taste. “Results from our study suggest that loss of smell and taste during COVID-19 infection are strong predictive factors for a robust immunologic response.” the researchers concluded.
为了更好地研究感染新冠后嗅觉味觉减退的人产生抗体的情况，研究人员招募了309名患者，他们参加了纽约长老会医院和哥伦比亚大学欧文医学中心的恢复期血浆试验。2020年研究开始时，这些参与者都刚刚确诊新冠，其中超过60%是白人女性。大约64%的人报告了嗅觉和（或）味觉失灵。研究人员总结称：“研究结果表明，感染新冠期间的嗅觉和味觉失灵是强免疫反应的强预测因素。”

However, a major limitation of the study is that the participants had themselves reported whether or not they experienced a loss of smell and taste during and after a Covid-19 infection. That means several participants might have faced difficulties in recalling whether their sense of smell or taste was altered or not. 
然而，该研究存在一个主要局限性。参与者自己报告他们是否在感染期间和之后出现嗅觉味觉失灵。这意味着一些参与者可能无法准确回忆起自己的嗅觉或味觉是否改变。

A 2022 study revealed that at least 90% of people who lost their sense of smell or taste gradually get it back within a span of two years. The good news is, only 5% of people who reported losing their sense of smell or taste said it lasted for six months, although, women seem to be more prone to suffer from this symptom than men. While there are several theories as to why a Covid-19 infection might alter an individual’s sense of smell and taste, a lot of uncertainties still persist.
2022年的一项研究显示，至少90%嗅觉或味觉失灵的新冠感染者在两年内逐渐恢复嗅觉或味觉。好消息是，报告嗅觉或味觉失灵的人群中，只有5%的人表示这种症状持续了六个月，女性似乎比男性更易出现该症状。关于感染新冠可能改变个体嗅觉和味觉的原因有多种解释，但这些理论仍存在许多不确定性。

重点词汇
1、impaired
英/ ɪmˈpeəd /
美/ ɪmˈperd /
adj. 受损的，出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的
v. 损害，削弱（impair 的过去式和过去分词）

2、plasma
英/ ˈplæzmə /  美/ ˈplæzmə /
n. 血浆；等离子（气）体；原浆，原生质；深绿玉髓；等离子显示屏、电视机

3、immunologic 
英/ ˌɪmjʊnəˈlɒdʒɪk /
美/ ˌɪmjunəˈlɑːdʒɪk /
adj. 免疫学的