1
Major European nations suspend use of AstraZeneca vaccine
欧洲多国“叫停”阿斯利康疫苗
Some 17 European countries have suspended① the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, amid unconfirmed suspicions that it may have been responsible for causing blood clots② in some recipients. The vaccine, which was created by British-Swedish pharmaceutical③ company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, was approved for use in the U.K. in December and across the 27 member states of the European Union the following month. However, as of March 17, major European countries including Austria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden have all suspended the AstraZeneca vaccine’s use over the past week, after reports that a small number of people had developed blood clots after receiving it. (Newsweek)
虽未经证实，但因怀疑阿斯利康新冠疫苗可能导致一些接种者出现血栓，约有17个欧洲国家已暂停使用该疫苗。阿斯利康新冠疫苗是由英国–瑞典制药公司阿斯利康和牛津大学联合研发的，该疫苗去年12月在英国获准使用，随后一个月在欧盟27个成员国获准使用。然而截至3月17日，欧洲主要国家包括奥地利、丹麦、爱沙尼亚、法国、德国、冰岛、爱尔兰、意大利、拉脱维亚、立陶宛、卢森堡、荷兰、挪威、罗马尼亚、斯洛文尼亚、西班牙和瑞典等已在过去一周内暂停使用阿斯利康疫苗。此前有报道称，有一小部分人在接种该疫苗后出现了血栓。
【注释】
① suspend: [səˈspend] v. to officially stop sth for a time; to prevent sth from being active, used, etc. for a time 暂停；中止；使暂停发挥作用（或使用等）
② clot: [klɒt] n. A clot is a sticky lump that forms when blood dries up or becomes thick. （血液的）凝块
③ pharmaceutical: [ˌfɑːrməˈsuːtɪkl] adj. connected with making and selling drugs and medicines 制药的；配药的；卖药的
(Credit: BBC)
2
North Korea cuts diplomatic ties with Malaysia over U.S. extradition①
朝鲜因美国引渡问题与马来西亚断交
North Korea on Friday severed diplomatic ties with Malaysia after that country’s highest court agreed to extradite a North Korean man accused of money laundering to the United States, a major coup in Washington’s efforts to choke② Pyongyang’s illicit③trade. Washington has sought to bring the North Korean man to the United States to face criminal charges that he laundered money through front companies and violated international sanctions by helping to ship prohibited luxury goods from Singapore to North Korea on behalf of the regime in Pyongyang. North Korea identified the United States as “the backstage manipulator and main culprit④” behind the extradition, warning that Washington will have to “pay a due price.” (The New York Times)
3月19日，朝鲜与马来西亚断绝了外交关系。此前，马来西亚最高法院批准将一名被控洗钱的朝鲜男子引渡到美国，这是华盛顿扼制平壤非法贸易的重大举措。华盛顿一直试图将这名朝鲜男子引渡到美国，指控他通过挂名公司洗钱，并且因代表平壤政权从新加坡向朝鲜运送违禁奢侈品而违反国际制裁。朝鲜称美国是此次事件的“幕后操纵者、主谋”，警告华盛顿将“付出应有的代价”。
【注释】
① extradition: [ˌekstrəˈdiʃən] n. the surrender of an accused or convicted person by one state or country to another (usually under the provisions of a statute or treaty) 引渡
② choke: [tʃəʊk] v. to block or fill a passage, space, etc. so that movement is difficult 阻塞，塞满，堵塞（通道、空间等）
③ illicit: [ɪˈlɪsɪt] adj. not allowed by the law 非法的；违法的
④ culprit: [ˈkʌlprɪt] n. a person who has done sth wrong or against the law 犯错的人；罪犯
3
China’s Better Days receives Oscar nod
《少年的你》获奥斯卡提名
Better Days—a smash hit directed by Chinese Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Tsang—has received a nomination① for Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, making it the first Chinese film in the 18 years since Zhang Yimou’s Hero to be nominated in the category, previously known as Best Foreign Language Film. Featuring stars Zhou Dongyu and Yi Yangqianxi, Better Days was a sleeper hit in recent years, resonating② with audiences for its look at campus bullying. Other contenders③ include Another Round (Denmark), Collective (Romania), The Man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia) and Quo vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina). So far, a total of seven Chinese films have received Oscar nominations, including Zhang’s Raise the Red Lantern and Chen Kaige’s Farewell, My Concubine. Among them, only Ang Lee’s martial arts tale Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has won the prize. (China Daily)
由中国香港导演曾国祥执导的大热影片《少年的你》获第93届奥斯卡金像奖最佳国际影片提名。该片是继张艺谋的《英雄》之后，时隔18年华语片再度获得该项提名，此前，该奖项被称为最佳外语片。由周冬雨、易烊千玺等明星主演的《少年的你》是近几年电影中的冷门，因对校园欺凌的关注而引起观众共鸣。与之一同入围竞争该奖项的影片包括《酒精计划》（丹麦）、《集体》（罗马尼亚）、《贩皮之人》（突尼斯）和《艾达怎么了》（波黑）。截至目前，共有7部华语片获得奥斯卡提名，包括张艺谋的《大红灯笼高高挂》、陈凯歌的《霸王别姬》，但只有李安的武侠电影《卧虎藏龙》获奖。
【注释】
① nomination: [ˌnɒmɪˈneɪʃn] n. the act of suggesting or choosing sb as a candidate in an election, or for a job or an award; the fact of being suggested for this 提名；推荐；任命；指派
② resonate: [ˈrezəneɪt] v. to remind sb of sth; to be similar to what sb thinks or believes 使产生联想；引起共鸣；和……的想法（或观念）类似
③ contender: [kənˈtendə(r)] n. a person who takes part in a competition or tries to win sth 竞争者；角逐者；争夺者
(Credit: Mtime)
4
Tokyo Olympics official resigns after calling female celebrity ‘Olympig’
称女性艺人为“奥运猪”，东京奥运会开幕式总导演辞职
For the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, its creative director, Hiroshi Sasaki, envisioned① a popular comedian and fashion designer, Naomi Watanabe, decked out in pig ears, tumbling② from the sky as an Olympic messenger. Or, as he put it, an “Olympig.” “Now many people know what I wrote. I cannot apologize enough to Ms. Watanabe,” he said, adding that he was a big fan of hers. “I have been trying not to hurt others by making fun of diversity, gender and physical appearances. But it was a great misunderstanding. I realized my low consciousness and insensitivity③.” On Thursday, one day after a Japanese magazine revealed that Mr. Sasaki, 66, had shared this idea with colleagues a year ago, he resigned and apologized. His departure④ came weeks after the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, Yoshiro Mori, stepped down⑤ after saying that women talk too much in meetings. (The New York Times)
东京奥运会开幕式总导演佐佐木宏曾设想由人气喜剧演员、时装设计师渡边直美带上猪耳朵，作为奥运使者从天而降。或者如他所说，是作为“奥运猪”出场。“现在很多人都知晓了我的言论，无论如何也不足以表达我对渡边女士的歉意。”他说道，并表示自己是渡边女士的忠实粉丝。“我一直尽量不以差异、性别和外表为由取笑他人，伤害他人。但这是一个很大的误会。我发觉自己缺乏这方面的意识并且没有顾及他人的感受。”3月17日，日本一家杂志披露66岁的佐佐木宏先生一年前曾与同事谈及这一想法，一天后，他辞职并道歉。佐佐木宏离职几周前，东京奥组委主席森喜朗因女性在会议上发言过多的言论而下台。
【注释】
① envision: [ɪnˈvɪzən] v. to imagine or expect that something is a likely or desirable possibility in the future 设想
② tumble: [ˈtʌmbəl] v. to fall quickly and without control 坠落
③ insensitivity: [ɪnˌsensɪˈtɪvəti] n. a lack of feeling or sympathy for other people’s feelings, or an unwillingness to give importance to something 迟钝
④ departure: [dɪˈpɑːtʃər] n. the act of leaving a job 离职
⑤ step down: to give up a job or position 辞职
5
Spain to launch trial of four-day working week
西班牙将试行一周四天工作制
Spain could become one of the first countries in the world to trial the four-day working week after the government agreed to launch a modest pilot project① for companies interested in the idea. Earlier this year, the small left-wing② Spanish party Más País announced that the government had accepted its proposal to test out the idea. Talks have since been held, with the next meeting expected to take place in the coming weeks. “With the four-day work week (32 hours), we’re launching into the real debate of our times,” said Iñigo Errejón of Más País on Twitter. “It’s an idea whose time has come.” (The Guardian)
西班牙可能成为世界上首个试行一周四天工作制的国家。此前，西班牙政府同意为有兴趣实行四天工作制的公司推出一个合适的试点项目。今年早些时候，西班牙左翼小政党为国党宣布，政府已经接受了他们关于试验这一制度的提议。此后已举行几次协商，下一次会议预计将在未来几周举行。为国党的伊尼戈·埃雷杨在推特上表示：“通过试行每周工作4天（32小时）的制度，我们将开展一场真正意义上当今时代的大辩论。这一计划的时机已然成熟。”
【注释】
① pilot project: activity planned as a test or trial 试点项目；试点工程
② left-wing: [ˌleftˈwɪŋ] adj. supporting the political left; relating to the belief that wealth and power should be shared between all parts of society 左翼的
(Credit: urbanjungle.ca)
6
Extreme weather: Beijing hit by worst sandstorm in ten years
极端天气：北京遭遇10年来最严重沙尘暴
On the morning of March 15, Beijing residents woke up to yellow skies as heavy sand and dust descended① on the city. The Air Quality Index soared② beyond the maximum level of 500, showing the capital is severely polluted. In some districts, the level of floating particles③ known as PM 10 reached over 2000 micrograms per cubic meter. And it’s not just here in Beijing. In northern China, including northeastern Jilin and Liaoning provinces, many cities are also smothered in sand and dust. Sandstorms are not uncommon in Beijing at this time of year, but one of this magnitude④ has not been seen in China’s capital city for years. The local environment monitoring center said the sand and dust blew in from southern Mongolia through the night. A lack of rainfall and rising temperatures are not helping either. Early this morning, the city’s meteorology⑤ bureau updated its warning from blue alert to yellow alert and said this is the worst sandstorm in ten years. (CGTN)
3月15日早，北京市民一觉醒来看到的就是重度沙尘侵染后的昏黄天空。空气质量指数飙升，超过最高值500，显示首都污染严重。漂浮颗粒物，即PM10含量在一些地区达到每立方米2000微克以上。不仅仅是北京，中国北方包括东北的吉林省、辽宁省等地，很多城市也被沙尘笼罩。沙尘暴每年这个时候在北京并不算罕见，但如此大规模的沙尘暴在首都已多年未见。当地环境监测中心表示，这些沙尘是一夜间从蒙古南部吹来的，降雨不足和气温上升也造成了影响。15日清晨，市气象局将预警从蓝色更新为黄色，并表示这是10年来最严重的沙尘暴。
【注释】
① descend: [dɪˈsend] v. to go or come down 下来
② soar: [sɔːr] v. to rise very quickly to a high level 激增
③ particle: [ˈpɑːtɪkəl] n. an extremely small piece of matter 颗粒
④ magnitude: [ˈmæɡnɪtʃuːd] n. large size or great importance 巨大
⑤ meteorology: [ˌmiːtiəˈrɒlədʒi] n. the scientific study of the processes that cause particular weather conditions 气象学
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(Credit: VCG)
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