COVID-19
Recent research has found that even two years after Covid-19 diagnosis, adults remain at high risk for epilepsy, brain fog, dementia and other mental health disorders.
最近的研究發現，即使在診斷出 Covid-19 兩年後，成人患上癲癇症、腦霧、癡呆和其他心理健康疾病的風險仍然很高。
Children are also at increased risk of being diagnosed with epilepsy or seizures, encephalitis, and nerve root disorders that can cause pain, weakness or loss of sensation in an arms or a leg.
兒童被診斷出患有癲癇或癲癇發作、腦炎和神經根疾病的風險也會增加，這些疾病會導致手臂或腿部疼痛、虛弱或失去知覺。
NHS England will launch the Covid Booster programme on 5 September and will become the world’s first healthcare system to deliver next-generation vaccines against the original strain of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.
英國NHS會於9月5日啟動Covid助推器計劃，並成為世上第一個提供針對COVID-19原始毒株和Omicron變體的新一代疫苗的醫療保健系統。
More than 26 million people will be eligible for another Covid-19 vaccine in the next few months, but the likelihood that citizens will be mandated to wear masks on public transport this winter remains fairly high.
接下來的幾個月，將有超過2600萬人有資格獲得另一次Covid-19疫苗，但強制要求市民今年冬天在乘搭公共交通工具時戴上口罩的可能性仍然相當高。
Vocabulary
- Diagnosis (Verb) 診斷
- Epilepsy (Noun) 癲癇
- Dementia (Noun) 失智
- Disorder (Noun) 紊亂
- Seizure (Noun) 發作
- Encephalitis (Noun) 腦災
- Eligible (Adj) 有資格的
- Likelihood (Noun) 可能性
Source
Long Covid risk extends two years after infection. Here’s how to assess your risk (https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/18/health/long-covid-at-two-years-wellness/index.html)
NHS England to roll out dual-variant Covid jab from September (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/18/nhs-england-to-use-dual-variant-covid-vaccine-in-autumn-booster-programme-moderna-bivalent)
Crime 違法行爲
A man has been arrested on suspicion of abduction and sexual assault of a six-year-old girl in Greater Manchester.
一名男子因涉嫌在大曼徹斯特綁架和性侵犯 6 歲女孩而被捕。
A 44-year-old man has been charged with the stabbing of an 87-year-old man to death on a mobility scooter in London.
一名44歲男子被控在倫敦刺殺了一名坐代步車的87歲老人。
People living in London and Manchester must pay attention to the safety of themselves and those around them.
住在倫敦和曼徹斯特的朋友務必留意自身和身邊人的安全。
Vocabulary
- Suspicion (Noun) 懷疑
- Abduction (Noun) 綁架
- Assault (Noun/Verb) 襲擊
- Stab (Verb) 刺
- Mobility scooter (Noun) 代步車
Source
Man arrested on suspicion of abduction and sexual assault of girl, 6, in Droylsden, Greater Manchester (https://news.sky.com/story/man-arrested-on-suspicion-of-abduction-and-sexual-assault-of-girl-6-in-droylsden-greater-manchester-12676280)
Man arrested in London over murder of 87-year-old on mobility scooter (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/18/suspect-under-arrest-in-mobility-scooter）
Cost of living 生活成本
With soaring inflation, falling wages and the prediction up to £3,600 in energy bills, the rising cost of living has made many British families living in distress.
隨著飆升的通脹、下調的薪金、高達3600英磅的能源收費預算，不斷提升的生活成本讓不少英國家庭生活窘迫。
Research by property consultancy Dataloft shows that renters under the age of 30 are facing a greater financial crisis than other age groups. As four in 10 young renters are now locked into contracts that exceed 30% of their pay on rent, once the prices of energy and daily necessities soar, there are concerns on their affordability.
房地產諮詢公司 Dataloft 的研究顯示，30歲以下的租客正面臨比起其他年齡組別的租客更大的財務危機。因為他們之中有4成人將30%以上的工資用來交租，一旦水電能源和日用品價格飆升，他們可能會難以負擔。
The NHS believes that soaring prices mean that citizens may choose to skip meals, use less water and stop using heaters to make ends meet, which could in turn lead to outbreaks of disease across the country and widen health inequalities, so it is hoped that the government will act quickly to help households deal with the energy cost crisis.
NHS認為，價格飆升意味著市民可能會選擇減少用餐、減少用水和停用暖爐來維持收支平衡，這種降低生活水平的做法可能會反過來導致全國爆發疾病，擴大健康不平等的問題，因此希望政府能盡快採取行動，幫助英國家庭應對能源成本危機。
Vocabulary
- Distress (Noun) 苦惱
- Lock into (Verb) 鎖定
- Affordability (Noun) 負擔能力
- Households (Noun) 家庭
Source
Retail sales in Great Britain rise despite cost of living crisis (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/19/retail-sales-in-great-britain-rise-despite-cost-of-living-crisis)
Consumer confidence hits record low as prices soar (https://news.yahoo.com/consumer-confidence-hits-record-low-062908927.html)
UK workers suffer biggest hit to their wages since records began (https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/16/economy/uk-real-wages-biggest-drop-on-record/index.html)
Bills will hit nearly £3,600 from October, experts say in final prediction (https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/bills-hit-nearly-3-600-200538002.html)
Former BP chief urges freeze to UK energy price cap to help households (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/19/former-bp-chief-urges-freeze-to-uk-energy-price-cap-to-help-households)
Four in 10 under-30s locked into rent contracts that exceed 30% of pay (https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/aug/19/four-in-10-under-30s-locked-into-rent-contracts-that-exceed-30-per-cent-of-pay-great-britain)
Growing share of under-30s pay unaffordable rent (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62525269)
NHS leaders warn of ‘humanitarian crisis’ if government doesn’t act on energy costs (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/19/nhs-leaders-warn-of-humanitarian-crisis-if-government-doesnt-act-on-energy-costs)
Transport 交通
Transport in London was brought to a halt as Tube and buses kept up with the wave of walkouts on pay.
隨著地鐵和公車跟上罷工的浪潮，倫敦的交通一度陷入癱瘓狀態。
The three-day strikes will continue into Saturday and may continue to affect traffic on Sunday.
連續三日的罷工將會維持到星期六，也有可能持續影響星期日的交通。
Unions have demanded a pay rise which meets the rate of inflation, but the government fears that big wage increases could in turn fuel inflation. The union and the firms are currently in a confrontation situation, and it is not known whether a consensus can be reached in the short term.
工會組織要求能追上通脹的加薪，但政府擔心大幅加薪可能會反過來助長通脹。公會和鐵路公司目前形成對峙局面，暫時未知能否在短期內取得共識。
Vocabulary
- Bring to a halt 停下
- Strike / Walkout (Noun) 罷工
- Fuel (Verb) 助長
- Confrontation (Noun) 對抗
- Consensus (Noun) 共識
Source
Strikes over pay bring London’s transport network to a halt (https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/19/business/transport-strikes-london/index.html)
Transport strikes: More travel misery as London Underground and bus staff begin latest walkout (https://news.sky.com/story/transport-strikes-more-travel-misery-as-london-underground-and-bus-staff-begin-latest-walkout-12676263)
Weather 天氣
Parts of Wales have officially declared drought conditions after a prolonged period of dry weather and low rainfall caused water levels to plummet.
長時間的乾旱天氣和低降雨導致水位暴跌後，威爾士部分地區正式宣布進入乾旱狀態。
Pembrokeshire and parts of Carmarthenshire have implemented their first hosepipe ban in three decades amid strained public water supplies.
由於公共供水緊張，彭布羅克郡和卡馬森郡部分地區實施了三十年來首次的軟水管禁令。
Experts say any rains currently forecast is expected to be short, intense and unlikely to change the situation significantly, with very wet weather needed for the fall and winter ahead to ensure land recovery.
專家表示，目前預測的任何降雨都將是驟雨或是暴雨，不太可能大幅改變這種情況，未來的秋季和冬季都需要非常潮濕的天氣來確保土地恢復正常濕度。
Vocabulary
- Plummet (Verb) 直線下降
- Implemented (Verb) 實施
- Amid (Prop) 之中
- Strained (Adj) 緊張的
- Significantly (Adv) 顯著地
Source
Drought declared in parts of Wales after water levels plummet (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/19/drought-declared-parts-of-wales-water-levels-plummet)
Hosepipe ban starts as drought declared in south-west Wales (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-62592174)
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