11月15日英语：圆明园马首铜像终回家

Venice submerged by tide

威尼斯潮位达50年新高

Parts of the Italian city of Venice have been left underwater after the highest tide in more than 50 years. 

意大利城市威尼斯遭遇50多年来最高潮位，部分城区被淹没。

The waters peaked at 1.87m, according to the tide monitoring center. Only once since records began in 1923 has the tide been higher, reaching 1.94m in 1966. 

根据当地潮汐监测中心的数据，潮位最高达到1.87米，系1923年有记录以来的第二高潮位，仅次于1966年曾达到的1.94米。

St Mark's Square - one of the lowest parts of the city - was one of the worst hit areas. St Mark's Basilica was flooded for the sixth time in 1,200 years. 

威尼斯地势最低的地点之一圣马可广场是受灾最严重的区域之一，圣马可大教堂遭遇了1200年来的第六次水淹。

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said the situation was dramatic. "We ask the government to help us. The cost will be high. This is the result of climate change," he said on Twitter. "A high tide of 1.87m is going to leave an indelible wound," Brugnaro said.

市长布鲁尼亚罗表示形势严峻，他在推特发文说："我们请求中央政府帮忙。代价将非常高昂。这是气候变化的结果"。布鲁尼亚罗还表示，1.87米高的潮水将给城市留下不可磨灭的伤痕。

重点词汇：

1、submerge

英 /səbˈmɜːdʒ/   美 /səbˈmɜːrdʒ/ 

vt. 淹没；把…浸入；沉浸    vi. 淹没；潜入水中；湮没

2、indelible

英 /ɪnˈdeləbl/   美 /ɪnˈdeləbl/ 

adj. 难忘的；擦不掉的

Speed limit on Dutch roads

荷兰公路限速减少污染

The daytime speed limit on Dutch roads will be cut to 100km/h in a bid to tackle a nitrogen oxide pollution crisis, according to cabinet sources widely quoted by Dutch media. 

荷兰媒体广泛援引内阁的消息来源称，为了应对氮氧化物污染危机，荷兰公路上的日间限速值将降至每小时100公里。

Under the proposals, drivers would be allowed to revert to the current maximum between 19:00 and 6:00. Bringing the motorway speed limit down to 100km/h would make the Netherlands the lowest in Europe, on a par with Cyprus which has far fewer motorways. 

根据这些提案，司机只有在晚7点到早6点之间才能以目前的最高限速行驶。将车速限制在每小时100公里将使荷兰成为欧洲限速值最低的国家，和高速公路少得多的塞浦路斯持平。

The most common maximum speed limit in Europe is 130km/h while in the UK it is 112 km/h. The new limit is set to come in during 2020, public broadcaster NOS reports.

欧洲普遍的限速标准是每小时130公里，英国是每小时112公里。据荷兰国家电视台报道，新的限速标准将于2020年执行。

重点词汇：

1、nitrogen 

英 /ˈnaɪtrədʒən/  美 /ˈnaɪtrədʒən/ 

n. [化学] 氮

2、oxide

英 /ˈɒksaɪd/  美 /ˈɑːksaɪd/ 

n. [化学] 氧化物

3、cabinet

英 /ˈkæbɪnət/   美 /ˈkæbənət/ 

n. 内阁；橱柜；展览艺术品的小陈列室

adj. 内阁的；私下的，秘密的

4、revert

英 /rɪˈvɜːt/   美 /rɪˈvɜːrt/ 

vi. 回复；重提；返祖遗传；归还 vt. 使恢复原状 n. 恢复原状者

5、par

英 /pɑː(r)/   美 /pɑːr/ 

n. 标准；票面价值；平均数量  adj. 标准的；票面的

Horse-head statue back home

圆明园马首铜像终'回家'

A red bronze horse-head statue plundered from Beijing's Old Summer Palace was donated back by Macao-based tycoon and collector Stanley Ho Hung-sun and handed over to the National Cultural Heritage Administration on Wednesday. The administration said the statue will be given back to the Yuanmingyuan administration.

13日，澳门富豪、收藏家何鸿燊将国宝圆明园马首红铜铸像捐赠给国家文物局，使其正式"回家"。国家文物局表示，马首铜像将被交还给圆明园管理处收藏。

Ho purchased the national treasure at a Sotheby's auction in 2007. The sculpture is one of 12 bronze heads depicting zodiac animals that graced a water clock fountain in Yuanmingyuan, also known as the Old Summer Palace, which was destroyed by British and French troops in 1860. 

2007年，何鸿燊在苏富比拍卖行的拍卖会中购得了这尊马首铜像。马首铜像是圆明园水钟喷泉中雕刻的十二尊生肖兽首铜像中的一个。1860年圆明园遭英法联军毁坏。

Ho also purchased a priceless pig-head sculpture in 2003 and donated it to the country. The horse-head sculpture will join another six zodiac bronzes in an exhibition to showcase the progress of China's efforts to retrieve lost relics over the past seven decades. 

2003年，何鸿燊还出资购入价值连城的猪首铜像并将其捐赠给国家。马首铜像将与其他六尊兽首铜像在《回归之路—新中国成立70周年流失文物回归成果展》上一同展出。

重点词汇：

1、plunder

英 /ˈplʌndə(r)/   美 /ˈplʌndər/

v. 掠夺，抢劫；侵吞，剽窃；将……滥用殆尽

n. 抢夺；战利品；掠夺品

2、heritage

英 /ˈherɪtɪdʒ/   美 /ˈherɪtɪdʒ/ 

n. 遗产；传统；继承物；继承权

3、sculpture

英 /ˈkʌlptʃə(r)/   美 /ˈskʌlptʃər/

n. 雕塑；雕刻；刻蚀  vt. 雕塑；雕刻；刻蚀  vi. 从事雕刻

4、depict

英 /dɪˈpɪkt/    美 /dɪˈpɪkt/

vt. 描述；描画

5、zodiac

英 /ˈzəʊdiæk/   美 /ˈzoʊdiæk/ 

n. 黄道带，十二宫图；属相，星座

6、grace

英 /ɡreɪs/   美 /ɡreɪs/ 

n. 优雅；恩惠；魅力；慈悲  vt. 使优美

7、relic

美 /'rɛlɪk/ 

n. 遗迹；遗骸；纪念物

Singles Day payment data

央行发布双11’剁手’数据

China’s Singles Day online payments hit 1.48 trillion yuan, according to data released by the People’s Bank of China, the Chinese central bank, on Tuesday. 

中国人民银行12日发布数据称，本月11日的”双十一”购物节，我国网购总金额达1.48万亿元。

The Double 11 shopping spree, which falls on Nov 11 every year, saw 1.779 billion online payment transactions totaling 1.48 trillion yuan, with year-on-year growth rates of 35.49% and 162.6%, respectively, according to the central bank. These transactions were handled by Chinese online payment clearinghouse NetsUnion Clearing Corporation and UnionPay, the country’s largest bank card payment processor.

央行表示，”双十一”当天，我国在线支付清算机构网联清算有限公司以及我国最大银行卡支付处理服务商银联共处理网络支付业务17.79亿笔、金额1.48万亿元，同比分别增长35.49%、162.6%。

The payment figure is the equivalent of having every Chinese person order about 1,000 yuan worth of merchandise.

也就是说，相当于全国人民每人购买了1000元左右的商品。

重点词汇：

1、spree

英 /spriː/   美 /spriː/ 

n. 狂欢；无节制的狂热行为；欢闹  vi. 狂欢；狂饮

2、clearinghouse

英 /'klɪərɪŋhaʊs/  美 /'klɪrɪŋ,haʊs/

n. 票据交换所