5月29日午间英语新闻：火锅统一辣度标准? 四川火锅协会回应了

>Americans no longer want to move for work. Here's why.

美国人不再愿意为了工作搬家 原因是……

After two years of grousing that no one wants to work anymore, America's employers might have a new line of complaint: No one wants to move.

过去两年来，美国雇主一直在抱怨找不到人干活，如今，他们又多了一件烦心事：没人愿意为工作而搬家。

After steadily falling for decades, the rate of Americans moving for work fell to a record low of just 1.6% in the first three months of the year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

再就业服务公司Challenger, Gray & Christmas的数据显示，美国人为工作而搬家的比例在今年1-3月降到了历史新低1.6%，过去几十年来这一比例一直在稳步下降。

"This is the lowest quarterly result that we've seen, among all the job seekers we've worked with, since 1986," said the company's senior vice president, Andrew Challenger.

该公司的高级副总裁安德鲁•查林杰表示：“就我们合作的求职者而言，这是自1986年以来我们见过的最低季度水平。”

The trend is evidence of a decline in the dynamism of the US economy, experts say, while also undercutting the historic narrative of Americans as a population of pioneers and risk-takers boldly venturing into new terrain in pursuit of opportunity.

专家称，这一趋势印证了美国经济活力的衰退，同时也削弱了美国人作为敢于追逐机遇开疆拓土的先驱和冒险者的历史形象。

A confluence of factors led to Americans' declining willingness to relocate for work, according to economists. First, despite businesses' push to bring employees back to the office, remote jobs are still plentiful for white-collar workers — that gives them options if they decide to seek new positions.

经济学家指出，多个因素导致美国人越来越不愿意为了工作而搬家。首先，尽管企业敦促员工返岗上班，白领工人仍然可以找到很多远程工作，这让他们想换工作就可以换。

The pandemic-fueled run up in home prices, coupled with the surge in mortgage rates over the past year, also has made it much more difficult to move as housing costs have shot up much faster than incomes.

其次，疫情推高了房价，再加上去年按揭利率的飙升，住房成本比收入的上涨速度更快，这导致搬家难度大增。

Skyrocketing housing prices are a major roadblock to mobility. Nationwide, home prices have soared nearly 25% over the last two years, coupled with mortgage rates that have more than doubled since the start of 2022. 

房价飙升是流动性的一大障碍。从全美范围来看，过去两年来房价已经飙升近25%，按揭利率自2022年初以来已经涨了一倍还多。

Meanwhile, nearly 1 in 4 existing mortgages today have a rate under 3%, the research firm said. That's contributing to many homeowners feeling "locked in" to their current home, loath to trade it for a new place shackled to a much higher mortgage rate.

与此同时，这家调研机构发现，目前近四分之一按揭房的房贷利率不到3%。这让许多房主不愿舍弃现在的房子，因为不愿将其置换成一个房贷利率高得多的新房。

> Sichuan Hot Pot Association prepares spicy index plan.

火锅统一辣度标准? 四川火锅协会回应了

A netizen made a post suggesting a more scientific and unified index for spiciness in hot pot. The Sichuan Hot Pot Association responded that the suggestion was good and they are preparing a plan.

有网友在社交平台上发帖建议制定一个更科学、更统一的火锅辣度指数。收到建议后，四川省火锅协会作出回应：网民建议靠谱，正在研究方案。

Yan Long, the president of the association, stated that the spiciness of hot pot can indeed be measured using professional measuring tools. Currently, the association is researching a standardized grading system for the spiciness of hot pot seasoning, including chili peppers, using a "degree" system to represent the level of spiciness, allowing consumers to choose a broth base more accurately.

协会执行会长严龙表示：火锅的辣度确实可以借助专业测量工具测算，目前火锅协会正在研究为火锅辣味定级的统一标准，将用“度数”来表示火锅底料等辣椒调味品的辛辣程度，让消费者可以更精确地选择锅底。

Eating spicy food can produce a variety of physiological reactions, like a tingling in the tongue and lips, as well as sweating, said David Julius, a physiologist at the University of California, San Francisco. "We all enjoy sensory experiences; spicy foods make life more interesting," he said. But not all of the potential responses are welcome, even for those who enjoy the taste.

加利福尼亚大学旧金山分校的生理学专家David Julius解释道，吃辣时，我们的身体产生诸如舌头和嘴唇发麻、身体出汗等一系列生理反应。“我们的身体享受感官刺激，因此辛辣食物让生活更有趣。”但是，即便是对那些喜欢吃辣的人来说，并非所有潜在的反应都是受欢迎的。

Spicy food lovers are likely to be familiar with one immediate physical reaction — sweating. That's because some of the spiciest foods contain compounds that bind to nerve receptors along the gastrointestinal tract, including the mouth, that are activated by heat.

喜欢吃辣的人应该很熟悉其带来的最直接身体反应——出汗。这是因为一些辛辣食物中含有能够与胃肠道以及口腔神经受体结合的化合物，这些受体会被热量激活。

Chiles, the flavorful backbone of many spicy dishes, contain the compound capsaicin, which binds to those receptors when eaten and then sends a pain signal to the brain, as Dr Julius discovered in his Nobel Prize-winning work on the topic.

辣椒是许多辛辣食物的主料，其中含有复合辣椒素，在人们食用辣椒时，辣椒素会与神经受体相结合，然后向大脑发送疼痛信号，这是Julius博士在他的诺贝尔奖获奖作品中的发现。

The main chemicals found in peppercorns, horseradishes and mustard also bind to the same receptors, albeit less potently. These nerves send similar signals to the brain as they would if you came into contact with actual fire, which is why you might start sweating or become flushed; that's the body's way of cooling itself down.

花椒、辣根和芥末中的化学物质也能与上述神经受体相结合，不过作用较弱。这些神经会向大脑发出一种类似于你接触到火时的信号，这就是为什么你会开始出汗或脸红，那是身体降温的一种方式。

It can also cause gastrointestinal distress. Eating spicy food in moderation is generally safe for people who don’t already have stomach issues. However, it can cause inflammation to the areas that aid digestion and can sometimes lead to heartburn, stomachaches or diarrhea. People with gastritis, which occurs when the lining of the stomach is inflamed, may be especially susceptible to increased abdominal pain.

吃辣可能会引起肠胃不适。对于没有胃病的人来说，适度吃辣通常是没有问题的。不过辛辣刺激的食物可能会导致消化系统发热，有时会引起胃灼热、胃痛或腹泻。胃部有炎症的人吃辣之后腹痛的可能性更大。

However, spiciness may benefit health, though more research is needed. Studies have shown that consuming spicy foods can be associated with some health benefits. For example, one study found that taking a daily supplement of capsaicin sped up metabolism, where participants burned the equivalent of an extra 200 calories per day over a 14-week period.

吃辣可能对健康有益处，不过这一点还需要更多的证据来证明。有研究显示，每天补充辣椒素可以加快人体新陈代谢，实验参与者在14周的时间内每天多燃烧相当于200卡路里的热量。