1
White House says Biden intends to run again in 2024
白宫表示拜登计划2024年再次竞选美国总统
Biden, 79, has suffered a drop in his polling numbers in recent months, leading some Democrats to speculate he might not seek another four-year term. “He is. That’s his intention,” said the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki. Democrats were rattled① by Republican victories in Virginia’s gubernatorial② election earlier this month and a narrow Democratic victory in New Jersey. The statement from the White House follows reports that Biden has been reassuring allies of his intentions to run again, and that he is keen to quash③ rumors of a one-term presidency. Biden underwent his first physical examination on Friday since taking office in January and doctors found he has a stiffened④ gait⑤ and attributed frequent bouts⑥ of coughing to acid reflux. Doctors said he was fit to serve. Biden was already the oldest presidential candidate to be elected as commander-in-chief when he beat Donald Trump in the November 2020 election, and will be 15 days short of his 82nd birthday on 5 November 2024, the next time voters in the US will be asked to choose their president. (Reuters)
现年79岁的拜登最近几月支持率下降，一些民主党人猜测他可能不会寻求连任。白宫新闻秘书珍·普萨基表示：“恰恰相反，他计划再度参选。”本月早些时候，共和党在弗吉尼亚州州长选举中取得胜利；而在新泽西州的选举中，民主党只是险胜共和党；这些都令民主党人十分不安。在白宫发表声明之前，有报道显示，拜登方一直在向其盟友保证拜登计划寻求连任，急欲打破“一届总统”传言。拜登11月19日进行了自1月上任以来的首次体检。医生发现拜登步态僵硬，胃酸反流导致他经常咳嗽，但诊断结果是他身体健康，可继续履职。拜登在2020年11月的选举中击败特朗普成为最高统帅时，已是美国年龄最大的总统候选人。2024年11月5日是新一轮的美国总统选举日，而15天后，拜登就将迎来82岁生日。
【注释】
① rattle: [ˈrætl] v. to make somebody nervous or frightened 使不安窘迫
② gubernatorial: [ˌɡuːbənəˈtɔːriəl] adj. connected with the job of state governor in the US （尤指美国的）州长的；与州长有关的
③ quash: [kwɒʃ] v. to gradually reduce the size or scale of 分阶段减少，逐步减少
④ stiffen: [ˈstɪfn] v. (of part of the body) to become, or to make something become, difficult to bend or move （身体）变僵硬；绷紧
⑤ gait: [ɡeɪt] n. a way of walking or running 步态
⑥ bout: [baʊt] n. a short period of great activity; a short period during which there is a lot of a particular thing, usually something unpleasant 一段；一阵；一番（尤指不好的事情）
(Credit: Reuters)
2
China-U.S. pairs conduct joint practice as “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” journey continues
中美混双战世乒，“乒乓外交”谱新篇
Players from the two nations joined in the mixed doubles competition in the World Table Tennis Championships in Houston this week to mark a milestone① in sporting and diplomatic history. Two Chinese-American pairs, Wang Manyu/Kanak Jha and Lin Gaoyuan/Lily Zhang, have advanced into the next round after winning the opening mixed doubles matches 3-0 at the world table tennis championships finals on Tuesday. Liu Guoliang, president of Chinese Table Tennis Association, described the tournament② in Houston as not just a chance to repair relations across the Pacific, but also a triumph over the pandemic. “These athletes, who are friends with each other, can work together in the competition; so that fans from both countries can cheer them on, opening a new chapter of Ping Pong Diplomacy in this new era,” Liu said. (CNN & CGTN)
2021年世界乒乓球锦标赛本周在休斯顿举行。中美跨国组合出战混双比赛，可谓体育史和外交史上的里程碑事件。11月23日，在世乒赛1/16决赛上，两对中美组合——王曼昱和卡纳克·贾哈、林高远和张安——均在首轮以3-0战胜对手，晋级下一轮比赛。中国乒协主席刘国梁将这次世乒赛看作是修复中美关系的一个契机和抗疫的胜利。刘国梁说：“让这几位原本就是朋友的运动员并肩上场，两个国家的球迷们共同为他们欢呼和呐喊，奏响新时期‘乒乓外交’新篇章。”
【注释】
① milestone: [ˈmaɪlstəʊn] n. a very important stage or event in the development of something 里程碑事件
② tournament: [ˈtʊənəmənt] n. a sports competition involving a number of teams or players who take part in different games and must leave the competition if they lose. The competition continues until there is only the winner left 比赛；锦标赛；联赛
(Credit: CFP)
3
China downgrades diplomatic ties with Lithuania
中国和立陶宛外交关系降为代办级
China announced on Sunday it was downgrading its diplomatic relations with Lithuania from ambassadorial to the level of chargé d’affaires① and sent “a stern warning” to Taiwan authorities days after a “Taiwanese Representative Office” was opened in the Baltic country. By ignoring China’s repeated warnings and allowing the office to open under the name of Taiwan on Thursday, Lithuania set “an egregious② precedent in the world” and undermined③the political foundation of its ambassadorial-level diplomatic relationship with China, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “There is only one China in the world and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China,” the ministry said. “The one-China principle is the overwhelming consensus of the international community, a widely recognized norm governing international relations and the political foundation for China and Lithuania to develop bilateral ties,” it said. On November 26, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania via diplomatic note of its decision to rename China’s diplomatic representation in Lithuania the Office of the Chargé d’Affaires of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Lithuania as well as its demand that the Lithuanian side change the name of its diplomatic representation in China accordingly. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China & China Daily)
11月21日，中方宣布将中立两国外交关系从大使级降至代办级，并就台湾当局在波罗的海沿岸国家立陶宛设立“驻立陶宛台湾代表处”一事，对台湾提出严正警告。中国外交部声明，11月18日，立陶宛不顾中方反复警告，允许以台湾名义在立陶宛设立“代表处”，在国际上制造了恶劣先例，破坏了中立赖以建立大使级外交关系的政治基础。外交部声明：“世界上只有一个中国，中华人民共和国政府是代表全中国的唯一合法政府。一个中国原则是国际社会普遍共识和公认的国际关系准则，是中国同立陶宛发展双边关系的政治基础。”11月26日，中国外交部正式照会立陶宛外交部，决定将中国驻立陶宛外交机构更名为中华人民共和国驻立陶宛共和国代办处，并要求立方相应更改驻华外交机构称谓。
【注释】
① chargé d’affaires: [ˌʃɑːʒeɪ dæˈfeə(r)] n. an official who takes the place of an ambassador in a foreign country when the ambassador is away 代办（代理大使职务的外交代表）
② egregious: [ɪˈɡriːdʒiəs] adj. extremely bad 极坏的
③ undermine: [ˌʌndəˈmaɪn] v. to damage or weaken (someone or something), especially gradually or insidiously 暗中破坏；逐渐削弱
(Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China)
4
Hayao Miyazaki prepares to cast one last spell
宫崎骏将制作最后一部动画作品
Now, at 80, Hayao Miyazaki’s coming out of retirement with another movie. Miyazaki wouldn’t share much about the -forthcoming① film, beyond the fact that it is called How Do You Live and is based on a 1937 novel of the same name by Genzaburo Yoshino, which Miyazaki has said is one of his favourite childhood books. The story concerns a 15-year-old boy in Tokyo, whose father has recently passed away. He gazes at the city and feels overwhelmed and starts to have an existential crisis. The English translation by Bruno Navasky was published in October, presumably② in advance of the film. When asked if he knows the answer to the question the title asks, Miyazaki told The New York Times, “I am making this movie because I do not have the answer.” Suzuki describes the film as “fantasy on a grand scale”. (New York Times & NYLON)
现年80岁的宫崎骏将携新作再度出山。宫崎骏不愿过多透露这部即将推出的电影的信息，仅提及该片名为《你想活出怎样的人生》，由1937年吉野源三郎所著的同名小说改编而成。宫崎骏表示，该小说是他最爱的童年读物之一。故事围绕一个15岁的东京男孩展开。刚刚失去父亲的男孩眺望都市，无所适从，并且开始怀疑自身存在。据悉，电影上映前，布鲁诺·纳瓦斯基的英译本已于10月出版。当被问及是否知道片名的答案时，宫崎骏告诉《纽约时报》：“正因为不知道‘为什么而活’，我才要执导这部电影。”制片人铃木敏夫形容该电影是“规模宏大的梦幻之作”。
【注释】
① forthcoming: [ˌfɔːθˈkʌmɪŋ] adj. going to happen, be published, etc. very soon 即将到来的
② presumably: [prɪˈzjuːməbli] adv. used to say that you think that something is probably true 想必；推测起来
(Credit: Takahiro Kaneyama / New York Times)
5
Italy’s Draghi, Russia’s Putin discuss migrant crisis, Ukraine-statement
普京与德拉吉就难民危机与乌克兰声明交换意见
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Monday and discussed the migrant crisis at the Polish-Belarus border, energy prices and Ukraine. The talks took place amid①intensified concerns about tensions over Ukraine. Putin stated that Ukraine was not fulfilling its obligations under the Minsk and Normandy settlement agreements, the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin also told Draghi that Russia stood ready to ensure a flawless② supply of natural gas to Europe, including via the Nord Stream 2 project. Last week, Germany temporarily halted③ the certification process for the new pipeline that will carry Russian gas into Europe, throwing up a new roadblock to the contentious④ project and driving up regional gas prices. Natural gas prices have been volatile⑤ in Europe in the past week since the suspension of the approval process and due to COVID 19-related lockdowns and the subsequent impact on energy demand. (Reuters)
11月22日，意大利总理马里奥·德拉吉与俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京通电话，双方就波兰—白俄罗斯边境难民危机、能源价格及乌克兰局势进行了讨论。此次会谈在对乌克兰紧张局势的担忧加剧的氛围下展开。克里姆林宫在一份声明中表示，普京指出，乌克兰未履行其在《明斯克协议》与“诺曼底模式”框架下相关协议的应尽义务。普京还向德拉吉表示，俄罗斯已做好准备，确保长期向欧洲供应天然气，包括使用“北溪–2”天然气管道来运输。此前一周，德国暂停对“北溪–2”天然气管道项目运营的认证审批。这项备受争议的项目进展受阻，欧洲天然气价格上涨。该项审批程序的暂停、新冠疫情导致的封锁，以及能源需求带来的后续影响，都使得上周欧洲的天然气价格剧烈波动。
【注释】
① amid: [əˈmɪd] prep. in the middle of or during something, especially something that causes excitement or fear 在……过程中；在……之中
② flawless: [ˈflɔːləs] adj. without flaws and therefore perfect 完美无瑕的
③ halt: [hɔːlt] v. to stop; to make somebody/something stop 停止；中断
④ contentious: [kənˈtenʃəs] adj. likely to cause people to disagree 有争议的；引起争论的
⑤ volatile: [ˈvɒlətaɪl] adj. (of a person or their moods) changing easily from one mood to another 易变的；动荡不定的
【相关阅读】
一周热闻｜中美承诺联手应对气候问题、法国归还掠夺文物、英国承认中国疫苗、迪士尼拟进军“元宇宙”……
(Credit: Reuters)
6
Countries shut borders over new South Africa variant
南非现新冠新变种，多国发布航班禁令
More countries are tightening their travel restrictions after the discovery of a new coronavirus variant① in South Africa earlier this week. The UK, Singapore and Japan are among those rushing in stricter quarantine② measures and banning flights from South Africa and neighboring countries. The EU is proposing to ban flights from the region across the whole bloc③. Scientists still have much to learn about the variant, but say they are very worried about it. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it will take a few weeks to understand the impact of the new variant, as scientists work to determine how transmissible it is. The variant is very different to the others that have emerged so far. Scientists have said it is the most heavily mutated④ version yet, which means vaccines, which were designed using the original strain, may not be as effective. The new variant right now is known as Omicron. (BBC)
本周初，南非发现新型冠状病毒变种后，很多国家正收紧对该国的旅行限制。英国、新加坡和日本等国出台了更严格的防疫措施，并且禁飞来自南非和其相邻国家的航班。欧盟正提议禁止整个非洲南部地区的航班入境。尽管科学家对该变种还需进一步了解，但他们对该变种的出现十分担忧。世界卫生组织表示，科学家正在研究该变种的传播力，其影响有待几周时间明了。该变种与以往出现的变种非常不同。科学家指出，这是新冠病毒迄今为止突变最严重的变种，意味着基于病毒原株研发的疫苗对该变种可能不那么有效。此新变种现被命名为Omicron（奥密克戎）。
【注释】
① variant: [ˈveəriənt] n. a thing that is a slightly different form or type of something else 变种
② quarantine: [ˈkwɒrəntiːn] n. a period of time when an animal or a person that has or may have a disease is kept away from others in order to prevent the disease from spreading 检疫；隔离
③ bloc: [blɒk] n. a group of countries that work closely together because they have similar political interests 集团；阵营
④ mutate: [mjuːˈteɪt] v. to develop or make something develop a new form or structure, because of a genetic change 变化；产生突变
(Credit: New York Times)
北京化工大学
王林霄、徐伊琳 编译
王润泽 朗读
张菊 审订