VOA慢速英语2020 新冠病毒误导信息给美国科技公司制造麻烦

Companies in Silicon¹ Valley, California, America's technology capital, recently hurried to remove a misleading video from their websites. The video was of a discredited² researcher sharing several questionable³ or false theories about the new coronavirus, including that it was part of a plot by powerful people.

美国科技之都 -- 加州硅谷的公司最近急忙着从他们的网站上删除一段误导性视频。该视频是一位不足信的研究人员分享的关于新冠病毒的几种靠不住或错误的理论，包括称其是权势人物的阴谋的一部分。

However, internet companies could not take the video down quickly enough. Millions of people watched and reposted the 26-minute video called Plandemic, over several days. And it gained a huge following in Facebook groups that oppose vaccines⁴ or are protesting state leaders' stay-at-home orders.

然而，互联网公司无法足够快地撤下该视频。几天之内有数万人观看并转发了这条长达26分钟，名为《Plandemic》的视频。这条视频在反疫苗或抗议州领导人发布的居家令的脸书网群组中获得了大量追随者。

The spread of Plandemic demonstrates how easy it is to use social media to quickly share possibly problematic material to lots of people. It also shows how difficult it is for platforms to stop that spread.

《Plandemic》的传播表明利用社交媒体向许多人分享可能存在问题的资料是多么容易。它也揭示了社交平台要阻止其传播有多难。

Anti-vaccine activist⁵ Judy Mikovits created the video, in which she makes several unsupported claims. She tells her audience that the virus was manufactured in a laboratory, and that medical workers inject it into people through influenza⁶ vaccinations⁷. She also claimed that wearing face protection could lead to a coronavirus infection. These ideas helped strengthen and grow a social media army distrustful of the virus's threat.

反疫苗活动家朱迪·米科维茨创建了这段视频，并在视频中提出了一些未经证实的主张。她告诉听众，该病毒是在实验室中制造出来的，医院人员通过流感疫苗将其注射到人们体内。她还声称戴口罩可能会导致新冠病毒感染。这些观点有助于增强或发展出一支不相信病毒威胁的社交媒体队伍。

There are still many unanswered questions about the virus, which has changed everyone's lives. This has led many to distrust officials dealing⁸ with the crisis. People shared the video again and again on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. The video continues to spread even after the companies removed it from their sites.

关于这种改变了每个人生活的病毒仍然有很多悬而未决的问题。这导致很多人不信任应对这次危机的官员。人们在YouTube、脸书网和Instagram网站上不断分享这段视频。即使这些公司将其从网站上删除，这段视频仍然在传播。

One poster on a private Facebook group called Reopen California wrote, "The other video has already been deleted by YouTube. ... Let's get it to another million! Modern day book burning at its finest."

一个名为“解封加州”的脸书网私人群组的用户写道：“另一段视频已经被YouTube删除。让我们再把它传播1百万次。这本现代书烧得真好。”

Ari Lightman is a professor of digital media at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He spoke⁹ to The Associated Press about the video.

阿里·莱特曼是宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡市卡内基·梅隆大学的一名数字媒体学教授。他跟美联社谈到了这段视频。

"Once it is available, it has an infinite lifespan," he said.

他说：“一旦这个视频出现，它就再不会消失了。”

In just a few days, two of Mikovits' books became best-sellers on Amazon. Conservative radio talk shows and podcasts began playing the audio from Plandemic. She also appeared on politically extreme, internet shows to talk about the video.

在短短几天内，米科维茨的两本书就成为了亚马逊网站上的畅销书。保守电台脱口秀以及播客开始播放《Plandemic》的音频。她还出现在政治极端的互联网节目中谈论这段视频。

Mikovits did not answer The Associated Press' request for comment.

米科维茨并没有回复美联社让她予以置评的请求。

Ten years ago, Mikovits tried to spread a false theory that a virus known as XMRV in mice causes the condition called chronic¹⁰ fatigue¹¹ syndrome¹².

10年前，米科维茨试图传播一种错误的理论，即老鼠身上一种名为XMRV的病毒引发了慢性疲劳综合征。

Efforts by social media platforms to delete and ban Plandemic have led to the spread of other questionable claims, including that tech companies try to hide truths about the coronavirus.

社交媒体平台删除和禁播《Plandemic》的努力导致了其它靠不住的说法的传播，其中包括科技公司试图隐瞒有关新冠病毒的真相。

Facebook said it is removing full copies of the video that include Mikovits' suggestion that face masks can make a person sick. The company said that claim could "lead to imminent¹³ harm." YouTube and Vimeo both said the video violated their rules on harmful misinformation. Twitter said it had limited the spread of the video on its platform.

脸书网表示将会删除这段视频的全部副本，其中包括米科维茨声称口罩会使人患病。该公司表示，这种说法可能会“导致迫在眉睫的伤害。” YouTube和Vimeo网站都表示该视频违反了其关于有害错误信息的规定。 推特网说，它已经限制了该视频在其平台上的传播。

1 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

2 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

3 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

4 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

5 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

6 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

7 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

11 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

12 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

13 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。