VOA慢速英语2021 新冠病例激增 宗教领袖对疫苗保持沉默

The Bible Belt is often used to describe an area of the United States, mainly in the South, where people are deeply religious. As a result, religious leaders could help or hurt the campaign to vaccinate¹ people in areas affected² by high infection rates from the fast-spreading Delta³ variant⁴ of the coronavirus.

圣经地带通常被用来描述位于美国南部的一个地区，那里的人们信仰很深。因此在受到快速传播的新冠病毒德尔塔变种导致的高感染率影响的地区，宗教领袖可以有助于或是伤害到疫苗接种运动。

Some clergies⁵ are holding vaccination⁶ centers and praying for more shots. Others are against the vaccine⁷ or not talking about it at all.

一些圣职人员开始设立疫苗接种中心，并祈求获得更多疫苗。其他人则反对疫苗甚至完全不理会它。

Recently, the First Baptist Church of Trussville in the state of Alabama had an outbreak following its 200th-anniversary celebration. The church's leader promised more cleaning and face coverings. But he did not say the two words that health officials believe could make a difference: "Get vaccinated⁸."

最近，阿拉巴马州特拉斯维尔第一浸会教堂在庆祝其成立200周年之后爆发了疫情。该教堂的领袖承诺进行更多清洁并戴上口罩。但是他没有说出卫生官员认为关系重大的那四个字：接种疫苗。

Dr. Danny Avula is the head of Virginia's COVID-19 vaccination effort. He suspected he might have a problem getting religious leaders to publicly support the shots. Members of his church called them "the mark of the beast." It is a saying to describe loyalty⁹ to the devil in the church's teaching.

丹尼·阿武拉博士是弗吉尼亚州新冠疫苗接种工作的负责人。他怀疑他可能无法让宗教领袖公开支持疫苗。教会成员称疫苗是“野兽的印记。”这是教会学说中形容忠于魔鬼的一句谚语。

A few religious leaders have gained crowds or media attention for their opposition¹⁰ to the vaccines¹¹, like Tony Spell. He repeatedly ignored COVID-19 restrictions¹² to hold in-person church services in Baton¹³ Rouge¹⁴, Louisiana. He told followers¹⁵ vaccines are like the devil and urged them not to follow the government's "evil orders."

一些宗教领袖因为反对疫苗而受到群众或媒体的关注，例如托尼·斯佩尔。他一再无视新冠肺炎限制措施，在路易斯安那州巴吞鲁日举行现场教堂礼拜活动。他告诉信众，疫苗就像是魔鬼，并督促人们不要听从政府的“邪恶命令。”

Curtis Chang is a church leader who also teaches at Duke University. He said most clergies stay silent on the vaccine issue to avoid tensions in religious communities already struggling with the pandemic and political division.

柯蒂斯·张是一位教会领袖，他同时也在杜克大学任教。他说，大多数神职人员对疫苗问题保持沉默，以避免在已经与大流行和政治分歧作斗争的宗教社区中引发紧张局势。

The National Association of Evangelicals, a group of Christian¹⁶ leaders, found that 95 percent of its members plan to get vaccinated. But Chang said many leaders have not spoken in support of vaccination.

由宗教领袖组成的全国福音派协会发现其95%的成员计划接种疫苗。但是张表示，许多宗教领袖没有发声支持疫苗接种。

This matters because vaccination rates are generally low across the Bible Belt where many church-goers resist appeals from government leaders and health officials.

这很重要，因为疫苗接种率在整个圣经地带都很低，许多教会信众拒绝听从政府领导人和卫生官员的呼吁。

In the state of Missouri, more than 200 church leaders signed a statement urging Christians¹⁷ to get vaccinated as cases exploded last month. They noted¹⁸ the church's teaching to "love your neighbor as yourself." The mayor of Springfield, Missouri said the area saw a big jump in vaccinations¹⁹ after the leader of a large church told followers that it was the right thing to do.

在密苏里州，由于上个月病例激增，200多名教会领袖签署了一份声明，督促基督徒接种疫苗。他们指出，教会教导人们“爱人如己。”密苏里州斯普林菲尔德市市长表示，在一家大教会的领袖告知信众这是正确的做法之后，该地区的疫苗接种量大幅提升。

Dr. Ellen Eaton is an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She said churches could be effective at supporting vaccination as a way "to love your neighbors during this pandemic."

艾伦·伊顿博士是阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校的传染病专家。她说，教会可以有效地支持将疫苗接种作为“在大流行期间要爱护他人”的一种方式。

"Next to their personal physician, many here in Alabama routinely turn to their church leaders with health issues," she said.

她说：“除了私人医生，许多阿拉巴马州人也经常向宗教领袖求助健康问题。”

1 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

4 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

5 clergies   

（尤指基督教堂内的）牧师，教士（clergy的复数形式）

参考例句：

6 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

7 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

8 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

9 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 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。

12 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

13 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

14 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

15 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

16 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

17 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 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》