1月29日午间英语新闻：中国“银发经济”蕴含巨大发展机遇

> 'Silver economy' offers great biz potential
中国“银发经济”蕴含巨大发展机遇

China has seen new growth opportunities arising from its aging populace, and its latest decision to promote the "silver economy" will significantly address the needs of the graying demographic and inject new impetus into the economy, officials said on Monday.
国家发展改革委22日表示，中国从老龄化人口看到了新的发展机遇，新出台的支持“银发经济”发展的文件将积极应对老龄化人口需求，为经济注入新动能。

"The development of the silver economy is a powerful measure to drive high-quality development. It involves a wide range of fields with a long industrial chain and diverse types of businesses, covering the primary, secondary and tertiary industries. It creates new business opportunities," said Zhang Shixin, deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission.
国家发展改革委副秘书长张世昕指出：“发展银发经济是推动高质量发展的有力举措。银发经济涉及面广、产业链长、业态多元，涵盖一二三产业，孕育着新机遇。”

Zhang said at a news conference that the new move to boost the silver economy aims to respond to the core concerns of the elderly and boost their sense of well-being.
张世昕在新闻发布会上表示，推动银发经济发展的新举措旨在回应老年人核心关切，提升老年人幸福感。

The State Council, China's Cabinet, recently released a guideline encouraging companies and industry participants in sectors such as healthcare, tourism and financial consultancy to optimize services and products for the elderly.
近期印发的《国务院办公厅关于发展银发经济增进老年人福祉的意见》（下称《意见》）鼓励各行各业参与到医疗保健、银发旅游、养老金融等领域，优化老年人产品和服务供给。

With a population of 1.41 billion, the nation is facing an increasingly serious aging issue. As of the end of 2022, China had more than 280 million people aged above 60, roughly 20 percent of the total population, according to the country's annual statistical communique regarding 2022 national economic and social development.
总人口14.1亿的中国正面临日益严重的老龄化问题。2022年国民经济和社会发展统计公报显示，截至2022年底，我国60岁及以上老年人口数量超过了2.8亿，占比近20%。

He Yaqiong, head of the consumer products industry department at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, highlighted the importance of closing the elderly digital divide, saying it will accelerate efforts to boost the development of the smart eldercare sector. The focus will be placed on fields including the internet plus healthcare, smart nursing homes and intelligent communities, he said.
工业和信息化部消费品工业司司长何亚琼指出了弥合老年人“数字鸿沟”的重要性，称将加快培育壮大智慧养老产业。他表示，工信部将重点发展互联网+医疗健康、智慧养老院、智慧社区等领域。

重点词汇：
demographic 
英 /ˌdeməˈɡræfɪk/
美 /ˌdeməˈɡræfɪk/
adj. 人口的，人口统计的
n.（具有某种特征的）群体；人口统计数据

communique
英 /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪ/
美 /kəˌmjuːnəˈkeɪ/
n.（尤指对报界发布的）公报

> Extreme cold still happens in a warming world 
全球变暖 极端寒冷事件依旧频发

Extremely cold Arctic air and severe winter weather swept southward into much of the U.S. in mid-January 2024, breaking daily low temperature records from Montana to Texas. Tens of millions of people were affected by dangerously cold temperatures, and heavy lake-effect snow and snow squalls have had severe effects across the Great Lakes and Northeast regions.
2024年1月中旬，极端寒冷的北极气流和恶劣的冬季天气向南席卷了美国大部分地区，打破了从蒙大拿州到得克萨斯州的日最低气温纪录。数千万人受到危险低温的影响，严重冷流降雪和暴风雪对五大湖和东北部地区造成了严重影响。

No single weather event can prove or disprove global warming. Many studies have shown that the number of extreme cold events is clearly decreasing with global warming. Whether global warming may, contrary to expectations, be playing some supporting role in the intensity of these events is an open question. Some research suggests it does.
任何单一的天气事件都不能证明或否定全球变暖的事实。许多研究表明，随着全球变暖，极端寒冷事件的数量明显减少。全球变暖是否会与预期相反，对这些事件的强度起到一定的辅助作用，这还是一个未解之谜。尽管一些研究表明确实如此。

More recently, for large areas of the U.S., Europe and Northeast Asia, while the number of these severe cold events is clearly decreasing – as expected with global warming – it does not appear that their intensity is correspondingly decreasing, despite the rapid warming in their Arctic source regions.
最近，在美国、欧洲和东北亚的大部分地区，尽管这些严寒事件的数量明显减少——符合全球变暖的预期——但其强度似乎并没有因北极源头地区的快速变暖而相应减弱。

So, while the world can expect fewer of these severe cold events in the future, many regions need to remain prepared for exceptional cold when it does occur. A better understanding of the pathways of influence between Arctic surface conditions, the stratospheric polar vortex and mid-latitude winter weather would improve our ability to anticipate these events and their severity.
因此，尽管全球可以预期未来此类严寒事件会减少，但许多地区仍需为可能出现的极端严寒天气做好准备。更好地了解北极地表条件、平流层极地涡旋和中纬度冬季天气之间的影响途径，将提高人们预测这些事件及其严重性的能力。

重点词汇：
vortex
英 /ˈvɔːteks/
美 /ˈvɔːrteks/
n. [航][流] 涡流；漩涡；（动乱，争论等的）中心；旋风

latitude
英 /ˈlætɪtjuːd/
美 /ˈlætɪtuːd/
n. 纬度；纬度地区；选择的自由，回旋余地；（感光乳剂，相纸）曝光宽容度