《中国日报》地球自转加速一天变短

1 / S. Korean population falls 韩全年人口首次负增长 South Korea's population fell year-on-year for the first time in 2020, census data showed Sunday, with a record low number of births getting surpassed by deaths to cause a natural decrease. 1月3日公布的韩国人口普查数据显示，2020年韩国首次出现人口负增长，死亡人口数超过新生人口数，新生人口数创历史新低。   According to the latest census figures released by the Ministry of Interior and Safety, South Korea had 51,829,023 people as of Dec 31, 2020, down 20,838 from the end of 2019. For 2020, South Korea reported 275,815 births, down 10.65% from the previous year. But 307,764 people died in 2020, a 3.1% increase from 2019. In an increasingly aging society, the 60-and-over population made up 24% of the country. The census data also showed a 2.72% increase in the number of households, which now sits at 23,093,108. That is largely attributed to the rise in single-person households.  根据韩国行政安全部公布的最新人口普查数据，截至2020年12月31日，韩国人口为5182万9023人，同比上年减少了20838人。2020年韩国新出生人口数为27万5815人，同比上年减少10.65%。但是，2020年死亡人口数为30万7764人，同比上年增加3.1%。韩国社会老龄化日益加重，60岁以上的人口占全国总人口的24%。人口普查数据还显示，由于独居人口比例上升，韩国家庭户数增加了2.72%，目前共有2309万3108户。 重点词汇 1. census 英 /ˈsensəs/  美 /ˈsensəs/ n. 人口普查，人口调查；（官方的）统计，调查 vt. 实施统计调查 2. Ministry of Interior and Safety （韩国）内政部和安全部 2/ US may cut vaccine doses 美考虑将疫苗剂量减半 The US government is considering giving some people half the dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in order to speed vaccinations, a federal official said on Sunday. Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine program, said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that officials were in talks with Moderna and the Food and Drug Administration about the idea.  一位联邦政府官员1月3日表示，美国政府正在考虑将莫德纳公司研发的新冠疫苗每针剂量减半，以加快疫苗接种速度。联邦新冠疫苗项目曲速行动的负责人蒙塞夫•斯拉维在接受美国哥伦比亚广播公司《面向全国》节目采访时表示，联邦官员正在与莫德纳公司、美国食品和药物管理局就上述设想进行沟通。  Moderna's vaccine requires two injections. "We know that for the Moderna vaccine, giving half of the dose to people between the ages of 18 and 55, two doses, half the dose, which means exactly achieving the objective of immunizing double the number of people with the doses we have," Slaoui said. "We know it induces identical immune response" to the full dose, he added. Moderna and the FDA could not immediately be reached for comment. 莫德纳公司的疫苗需要注射两次。斯拉维说："给18岁到55岁之间的人群注射一半剂量的莫德纳疫苗，注射两剂，这样可以在现有疫苗存量情况下让接种人数增加一倍。" 他还说，这样做与注射全部剂量产生的免疫反应差不多。目前莫德纳公司和美国食品和药物管理局对此没有发表评论。 重点词汇 1. dose 英 /dəʊs/  美 /doʊs/  n. 剂量；一剂，一服 vi. 服药 vt. 给药；给…服药 2. identical 英 /aɪˈdentɪkl/  美 /aɪˈdentɪkl/  adj. 同一的；完全相同的 n. 完全相同的事物 3/ 2020 saw spike in homicides 2020年美国凶杀案激增 2020 has been a killer year in every way, including murder. The US has experienced the largest single one-year increase in homicides since the country started keeping such records in the 20th century, according to crime data. Killings nationwide increased by 20.9% in the first nine months of the year, according to the FBI, due largely to gun violence.  2020年无论从哪方面来说都是致命的一年，从谋杀案数量上来看亦不例外。犯罪数据显示，自上世纪开始统计每年凶杀案数量以来，美国经历了凶杀案数量增幅最大的一年。美国联邦调查局表示，去年前九个月，全美范围内的凶杀案增长了20.9%，其中大部分是枪支暴力事件。  In the nation’s capital, nearly 200 homicides were reported in 2020, about a 20% increase that is in line with the national FBI figures. In New York City, killings rose almost 40%, and shootings nearly doubled from the previous year. Experts agree the pandemic has played a huge role in the rise in killings. 美国首都华盛顿2020年共报告了近200起凶杀案，数量较前一年增加20%左右，这与美国联邦调查局公布的数据一致。在纽约市，去年的凶杀案数量较前一年增加了近40%，枪击案的数量则几乎翻倍。专家们一致同意，疫情是导致凶杀案数量上升的重要因素。 重点词汇 1. homicide 英 /ˈhɒmɪsaɪd/  美 /ˈhɑːmɪsaɪd/ n. 故意杀人；杀人犯 4/ Earth is spinning faster 地球自转加速一天变短? The Earth is spinning faster than it has in five decades, scientists say. Since last year, a full day has been taking less than the normal 24 hours. July 19, 2020, was the shortest day since scientists began keeping records in the 1960s - 1.4602 milliseconds shorter than the full 24 hours.  科学家表示，地球现在自转的速度比过去50年都要快。从去年开始，一整天的时间就比正常的24小时要短。2020年的7月19日是自上世纪60年代科学家开始做记录以来最短的一天，全天比24小时缩短了1.4602毫秒。  A 2015 study published in Science Advances suggests global warming may be the reason behind the Earth's speedier rotation. As glaciers melt, mass redistribution is causing the planet to shift and spin faster on its axis. "It's quite possible that a negative leap second will be needed if the Earth's rotation rate increases further," Peter Whibberley, a senior research scientist at the National Physical Laboratory, told The Telegraph. "But it's too early to say if this is likely to happen." 2015年发表在《科学进展》上的一项研究表明，全球变暖可能是地球自转速度加快的背后原因。随着冰川融化，质量重新分布导致地球自转速度加快。英国国家物理实验室的高级研究科学家彼得•韦博利告诉《每日电讯报》："如果地球自转速度进一步加快，很可能需要加上一个负闰秒，但现在还为时尚早，说不准这种情况是否可能发生。" 重点词汇 1. millisecond 英 /ˈmɪlisekənd/  美 /ˈmɪlisekənd/  n. 毫秒；千分之一秒 2. rotation 英 /rəʊˈteɪʃn/  美 /roʊˈteɪʃn/  n. 旋转；循环，轮流 3. axis 英 /ˈæksɪs/  美 /ˈæksɪs/  n. 轴；轴线；轴心国