3月1日午间英语新闻：那些试行四天工作制的企业，现在都怎样了？

HK to scrap mask mandate Wednesday

香港特区3月1日起全面取消口罩令

Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate on Wednesday, the city’s chief executive said on Tuesday. "(The) time is right for the mask mandate to be scrapped," John Lee Ka-chiu said to the media on Tuesday before the weekly Executive Council meeting. For high-risk venues such as hospitals and nursing homes, those in charge can require their staff and visitors to wear masks by issuing administrative instructions, he said. The decision was made based on pandemic statistics, which show no sign of rebound, and the fact Hong Kong has already built an extensive community defense against COVID-19, Lee said. The winter influenza season has also almost come to an end and the risks are under control, he added.

香港特区行政长官李家超28日上午宣布，香港3月1日起全面取消口罩令。“现在是时候取消口罩令了，” 李家超出席行政会议前会见媒体时说。他说，高风险地方例如医院和养老院等，负责人可以用“行政指令”方式要求职员及访客戴口罩。李家超说，取消口罩令基于几点考虑，包括数据显示香港疫情受控、并无大的反弹的迹象；香港已建立广泛及全面防疫屏障。他补充说，冬季流感已临近尾声，风险可控。

重点词汇

1、 influenza 

英/ ˌɪnfluˈenzə /  美/ ˌɪnfluˈenzə /

n. 流行性感冒

winter influenza season

冬季流感季节

Companies try four-day week, 92% keep it

那些试行四天工作制的企业，现在都怎样了？

Findings from a pilot program were released by Autonomy after 61 British companies with around 2,900 workers were enrolled in a trial four-day work week, with employees working an average of 34 hours per week between June and December 2022 while keeping their existing salary. 

2022年，英国智库Autonomy发起了一项四天工作制试点计划，共有61家英国公司，约2900名工人参与其中。在2022年6月至12月期间，员工们每周工作4天，每周平均工作34小时，同时保持现有的工资。

The pilot program has been hailed as a "resounding success" after employees reported improved well-being and a majority of participating companies said they would keep the change. Employees at companies that adopted a four-day work week without pay cuts said they were happier and healthier, while revenues did not fall.

这项四天工作制试点计划被视为“巨大的成功”，员工表示，幸福感提高了，大多数参与公司表示他们将维持四天工作制。实行四天工作制而不减薪的公司员工表示，他们更快乐、更健康，而收入并没有下降。

At the conclusion of the six-month trial, 56 of those companies, 92 percent, decided to stick with a four-day work week, and 18 did so permanently. The companies that participated were from a wide range of sectors and sizes and were permitted to design a policy tailored to their own needs, with the only conditions being that pay was not cut and employees were given a "meaningful" reduction in work time.

在六个月的试验结束时，61家公司中的56家（92%）决定坚持每周四天工作制，其中18家决定永久实行这一政策。参与研究的公司行业不同，规模不一，并可以根据自身需求设计每周工作四天的政策，唯一的要求是不减薪，并“实际”缩减员工工作时间。

A shorter work week was found to improve employees' well-being. Before and after data showed 39 percent of employees reported feeling less stressed, while 71 percent had reduced levels of burnout at the end of the trial. Surveyed employees said they also felt less anxious, less fatigued and were sleeping better.

研究发现，缩短工作时间可以提高员工幸福感。试点计划开展前后数据显示，39%的员工表示压力减轻，而71%的员工在试验结束时的倦怠程度有所降低。接受调查的员工表示，他们还感到不那么焦虑、疲劳，睡眠有所改善。

Employees also said their work-life balance improved, but the benefits were not limited to workers. Data also showed employees were much less likely to leave companies that participated in the trial program, with staff losses dropping by 57 percent in the trial period.

员工们还称，他们的工作与生活更加平衡，但四天工作制不仅仅给员工带来了好处。数据还显示，员工从参与试验的公司离职的可能性要小得多，在六个月的试验期内，员工流失率下降了57%。

Charlotte Lockhart, co-founder and managing director of 4 Day Week Global, said the results were encouraging and findings from similar programs around the globe would be forthcoming.

非营利组织“全球四天工作制”联合创始人兼总经理夏洛特·洛克哈特表示，试验结果令人鼓舞，全球各地类似试点项目的结果也即将出炉。

重点词汇

1、pilot 

英/ ˈpaɪlət /   美/ ˈpaɪlət /

n. 飞行员；领航员；（船只的）领航员；（电视）试播节目；常燃小火；航海手册；<非正式>职业骑师；<古>向导；（火车头前端的）排障器

adj. 试点的；（电信）控制引导信号

v. 驾驶（飞行器）；领航；试验，试行；使（新法律）顺利通过；<文>带领，指引

2、resounding

英/ rɪˈzaʊndɪŋ /  美/ rɪˈzaʊndɪŋ /

adj. 响亮清晰的；轰动的；彻底的

3、burnout

英/ ˈbɜːnaʊt /  美/ ˈbɜːrnaʊt /

n.（ 过劳或紧张导致的）精疲力竭，精神崩溃；（火箭或喷气式飞机的）熄火，燃油耗尽；（电器的）烧坏，烧毁；过度疲劳者；燃尽，烧光

Heart disease thought to be cause of giant panda Le Le’s death

旅美大熊猫“乐乐”死因初步确定！中方已准备接返“丫丫”

According to a media release from the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens on Feb 26, the giant panda Le Le, who died last month at Memphis Zoo in the United States, may have succumbed to heart disease, a joint autopsy by Chinese and US experts has showed.

据中国动物园协会2月26日消息，中方赴美大熊猫专家组抵达孟菲斯动物园后与美方专家，共同完成了对大熊猫“乐乐”的尸体解剖检查，初步判定心脏病变是其死亡原因。

Experts of the two countries ruled out common diseases that may have caused Le Le's death, such as intestinal twist, aortoclasia and ruptured pyogenic liver abscess. Based on the cardiac lesions they observed, the experts have preliminarily judged this was what caused the death of the panda. But further pathological diagnosis is still needed to confirm the cause.

两国专家的解剖排除了导致动物意外死亡的如肠扭转、主动脉破裂、肝脓肿破裂等常见病因。根据他们观察到的心脏病变，初步判定这是致其死亡的原因，但需要进一步的病理检测结果确认。

Le Le, born in 1998, came to the zoo with a female giant panda, Ya Ya, in 2003. In December, the zoo said that the iconic duo would "make the journey back to China within the next few months" as the current giant panda loan agreement with the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens was coming to an end.

“乐乐”出生于1998年。早在2003年，“乐乐”同雌性大熊猫“丫丫”一起抵达孟菲斯动物园开始旅美生涯。去年12月，动物园宣布由于目前同中国动物园协会达成的租借协议即将到期，“乐乐”和“丫丫”计划在未来数月内返回中国。

Le Le died before that transfer took place, passing away in his sleep on Feb 3. At the same time, the expert team inspected Ya Ya, informing the zoo about the abnormal condition of Ya Ya's hair and making suggestions for the care of the giant panda.

就在即将回国之际，孟菲斯动物园宣布“乐乐”于2月3日在睡梦中安详离世。专家组前往美国，现场察看了“丫丫”的健康状况，并与孟菲斯动物园就丫丫毛发异常情况进行了讨论，并就大熊猫的繁育和护理向当地代表提出了建议。

China and the US are presently in the process of facilitating Ya Ya’s return to China.

中美双方正在积极协调和办理相关手续，争取早日将丫丫带回中国。

重点词汇

1、succumb

英/ səˈkʌm /  美/ səˈkʌm /

v. 屈服，屈从；病情加重，死于（某疾病）

2、intestinal

英/ ˌɪnˈtestɪnəl /  美/ ˌɪnˈtestɪnəl /

adj. 肠的

3、aortoclasia

英/ eɪˌɔːtəˈkleɪzɪə /

[内科] 主动脉破裂

4、pathological 

英/ ˌpæθəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l /  美/ ˌpæθəˈlɑːdʒɪk(ə)l /

adj. 病理学的；病态的；由疾病引起的（等于 pathologic）

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