VOA慢速英语2020 新型的安全社交方式：“圆顶小屋”

Are there safe ways to spend time with friends during the pandemic?

在疫情期间，是否有安全的方法与朋友相处? 

To answer this question, health experts have been looking at one method, called a COVID-19 "support bubble¹."

为此，卫生专家一直在研究一种被称为新冠肺炎“圆顶小屋”的方法。 

They found that forming such a group -- or bubble -- with a few close friends can be safe.

他们发现，和几个亲密的朋友小聚时使用这种办法有利于保护大家的安全。 

Support bubbles² are also known as "quarantine pods."

“圆顶小屋”也被称为“隔离舱”。 

Experts claim these groups may help to fight off loneliness and fear after months of social distancing.

专家称，这些“小屋”可能有助于人们消除数月社交隔离后的孤独感和恐惧感。 

United States health officials define³ social distancing as keeping space between yourself and people from outside your home.

美国卫生官员将社交距离定义为自己和外界保持一定的距离。 

With social distancing, people should stay at least two meters, or about two arms length, from other people.

社交距离要求人们应该与他人保持至少两米或大约两臂长的距离。 

The Associated Press reports that the idea for support bubbles started in New Zealand.

美联社报道称，“圆顶小屋”的想法始于新西兰。 

It calls for two people or families to agree to socialize in person only with each other.

该国要求两个人或两家人同意只与对方进行面对面的社交活动。 

The numbers are kept small to limit the risk of infection.

通过限制会面人数降低感染的风险。 

Experts give this warning:Do not try forming a support bubble

专家们警告称：不要试图自我形成“圆顶小屋"关系， 

unless everyone agrees to follow social distancing rules while away from the support bubble s members.

除非大家达成共识——即时在其它情况下也会遵守社交距离规则。 

One of those experts is Aaron Milstone, a doctor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

亚伦·米尔斯通就是其中一位专家，他是约翰霍普金斯大学医学院的医生。 

He used a swimming pool for a comparison⁴.

他以泳池来做比喻。 

"You are now swimming in the same pool with not just that person," he said, "but all the people those people are interacting⁵ with."

“你现在不仅仅是跟某个特定的人在同一个泳池里, ”他说, “你同时也跟那些所有与他接触过的人待在一起。”

As many places begin to re-open, support bubbles are already becoming more popular in the U.S. and other countries.

随着许多地方开始重新开放，“圆顶小屋”在美国和其他国家已经变得越来越普遍。 

In Britain, Prime⁶ Minister Boris Johnson announced this month that adults living alone, or single parents, can form support bubbles with another household.

英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊本月宣布，独居的成年人，或单亲父母，可以与另一个家庭组建“圆顶小屋”。

Members of a support bubble can meet, inside buildings or in outdoor, open spaces – without staying two meters apart.

“圆顶小屋”的成员可以在建筑物内或室外的开放空间中见面，同时不用保持两米距离。 

They can also stay overnight⁷ in each others homes as if they were members of the same household.

他们也可以在彼此的家里过夜，就像他们是同一个家庭的成员一样。 

The British government website notes a few other rules.Support bubbles must be exclusive⁸.

英国政府官网还提到了一些其他规定。“圆顶小屋”必须具有唯一性。 

You should not change who is in your bubble or have close contact with anyone you do not live with.

你不可以更换“小屋”内的成员或者与其他小屋的人员进行密切接触。 

Also, if you or someone in your support bubble is showing signs of the coronavirus,

此外，如果你或你的“小屋”内的某个人显示出感染冠状病毒的迹象， 

or is living in self-quarantine, everyone in your bubble should stay home.

或处于自我隔离中，那么“圆顶小屋”里的所有人都应该居家隔离。 

It is too soon to say whether support bubbles will work with larger numbers of people.

现在判断“圆顶小屋”是否会对更多的人起作用还为时过早。 

But a recent study showed that bubbles with more limited contacts worked better to flatten⁹ the curve¹⁰ of infection compared with other methods.

但最近的一项研究表明，与其他方法相比，使用社交更有限的“小屋”，更有利于感染曲线的平稳化。

One such method is limiting contacts to your own neighborhood.

其中一种方法是限制与邻居的接触。 

Per Block of Britains Oxford¹¹ University is one of the writers of a report on the study.

英国牛津大学的佩尔·布洛克是这项研究报告的作者之一。 

He says there is no guarantee of "complete safety" when people have "face-to-face contact with others outside their household."

他表示，当“与家人以外的人面对面接触”时，不能保证“百分百安全”。 

But he added that limiting interactions¹² to one other family presents a much smaller risk than going back to traditional methods of socializing.

但他补充说，与回到传统的社交方式相比，限制与其他家庭的交流，风险要小得多。 

Im Anna Matteo.

安娜·马泰奥为您播报。 

1 bubble   

n.泡，水泡，气泡；泡影，妄想；v.(使)起泡

参考例句：

• The water begins to bubble.水开始起泡了。
• Their hopes of success have burst like a bubble.他们成功的希望已经成了泡影。

2 bubbles   

泡( bubble的名词复数 )； 泡影； 肥皂泡； （欲表达的）一点感情

参考例句：

• Bubbles are rising from the bottom of the boiling water. 水泡从沸水的底部升到水面。
• The incorporation of air bubbles in the glass spoiled it. 玻璃含有气泡，使它质量降低。

3 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。

4 comparison   

n.比较，对照；比拟，比喻

参考例句：

• They make a comparison of New York to a beehive.他们把纽约比作一个蜂巢。
• This dress is really cheaper by comparison.比较起来，这件衣服确实便宜。

5 interacting   

adj.相互影响的；相互作用的

参考例句：

• The interacting surfaces were lubricated with a mineral oil. 相互作用表面是用矿物油润滑的。
• Proteins which have two separate but interacting sites are called allosteric proteins. 这种具有两个不同而又相互作用位置的蛋白质叫做变构蛋白质。

6 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

7 overnight   

ad.前一天晚上，一夜间 a.前一天晚上的

参考例句：

• She stayed overnight in the hotel. 她在旅馆过了一夜。
• Our success is not won overnight. 我们的成功不是一夜之间得来的。

8 exclusive   

adj.不包括的，不算在内的，独有的，独享的

参考例句：

• The hotel charges 6 pounds a day,exclusive of meals.这家旅馆一天收六英镑，不包括饭钱。
• This bathroom is for the President's exclusive use.这间浴室是总统专用的。

9 flatten   

v.把．．．弄平，使倒伏；使(漆等)失去光泽

参考例句：

• We can flatten out a piece of metal by hammering it.我们可以用锤子把一块金属敲平。
• The wrinkled silk will flatten out if you iron it.发皱的丝绸可以用熨斗烫平。

10 curve   

n.曲线，弯曲，曲球；v.弯，使...弯曲

参考例句：

• The train slowed its speed as it went around the curve.火车在弯道行驶时放慢了速度。
• The path of an arrow is a curve.箭的轨迹是一条曲线。

11 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

12 interactions   

一起活动( interaction的名词复数 )； 合作； 互相影响； 互动

参考例句：

• Only then will we be able to design appropriate interactions and interfaces. 只有那时，我们才能够设计合适的交互行为和界面。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• These interactions are typically supported by clear cursor hinting. 一般来说，清晰的光标暗示辅助支持这样的交互。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓