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VOA慢速英语2020--新冠肺炎相关词汇

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The Language of an International Health Crisis

What is the difference between pandemic and epidemic1?

Do infectious and contagious2 mean the same thing?

How exactly does contact tracing work?

Even native English speakers may not fully3 know the answers to these questions.

As English learners, you have probably noticed some words and phrases you do not understand when reading reports about the new coronavirus. Today, we look at some of the most common COVID-19 terms.

We can start with epidemic versus4 pandemic.

An "epidemic" is when a disease spreads through a population and affects many individuals at the same time. An epidemic may affect a community, province or even a whole country.

A "pandemic" is a kind of epidemic -- one that spreads to a much larger area or even worldwide. Like many medical-related terms in English, the word comes from Greek. Pan- means "all or every." The second part of the word, "-demic," comes from the Greek word demos, meaning "people."

On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus crisis a "pandemic." At a news conference that day, the WHO's director-general said, "Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly." He was reminding people that the word is used only for the most extreme and dangerous situations.

The virus is now present in 213 countries and territories worldwide.

Infectious versus contagious

COVID-19 is infectious and contagious. Infectious -- the adjective form of infection -- describes diseases that are spread through the environment. Malaria5, for example, is an infectious disease. Humans contract the disease through mosquito bites. Malaria, however, is not contagious -- or able to be passed from one person to another.

You already know that COVID-19 is easily passed person to person. Common colds and the seasonal6 flu are also contagious and infectious diseases.

Asymptomatic

The new coronavirus has spread quickly partly because those infected can be contagious before they even know they are sick. In other words, those people are asymptomatic.

This word has a lot going on. Let's break it down.

A "symptom" is a change in the body that shows a disease is present. For example, we wrote on March 30: "Most people who get COVID-19 experience mild or moderate symptoms, like coughing and high body temperature, or fever."

"Symptomatic" is the adjective form of symptom. It means "showing that a disease is present." So, we could say: "A cough and fever are symptomatic of the new coronavirus."

The prefix7 "a-" means "without." So, what happens when we add the letter "a" to "symptomatic?" The word ends up meaning "having or showing no signs of disease."

Quarantine, isolation8 and social distancing

Experts know that asymptomatic people can spread the disease. This is partly why officials are urging people to stay at home as much as possible. In some cases, whole countries were put in lockdown -- a state of restricted movement put in place as a security measure.

Most people around the world are social distancing. This term is new to everyday English. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, uses it to describe the act of avoiding gatherings9 and staying about two meters away from other people.

The World Health Organization is now using the term "physical distancing" instead of social distancing. The term is a little more exact because people can socialize without being near one another.

Social distancing is less extreme than quarantine and isolation.

Isolation separates sick people who have a contagious disease from people who are not sick.

Quarantine restricts the movement of people who were around a contagious person to see if they get sick. In the case of COVID-19, the recommended quarantine period is two weeks, or 14 days. The word was first used in the 1400s in Europe and meant "a period of about 40 days."

Quarantine can be a noun and a verb. Here it is as a noun: "Early in the coronavirus spread, Vietnam restricted travel into the country and put tens of thousands of people into quarantine."

And here it is as a verb: "Dr. Fauci quarantined himself after two people who work at the White House were found to have the new coronavirus."

Contact tracing

Many experts say in order for it to be safe for places to reopen, widespread testing and contact tracing need to be in place.

Contact tracing requires investigative action. Tracers work with confirmed COVID-19 patients to learn whom they have been close to. The tracers then inform those people that they may have been infected. The tracers also provide advice on what actions to take.

In some places, such as South Korea and Singapore, contact tracing started early in the pandemic.

Flatten10 the curve

Social distancing, isolation and quarantining are all done to help "flatten the curve." This phrase, now extremely common in the age of COVID-19, means to slow the spread of disease. The same number of people might get sick, but infections happen over a longer period. This eases the pressure on emergency and health care resources.

Hospitals in most areas have a limited number of beds and breathing machines, called ventilators. These machines are extremely important for treating patients with more severe cases of COVID-19.

The health care industry is also limited in respirators. These are special masks, or nose and mouth covers. Medical workers need respirators to protect themselves from contagious patients.

Here is how Ray Chambers11, a WHO official, recently used the phrase on Twitter: "More physical distancing + other measures will help to flatten the curve + save lives."

Chambers also used the term "physical distancing." This is not as commonly used as social distancing. The two phrases mean the same thing. As Dr. Maria Kerkhove of the WHO said in the early days of the pandemic: "We're changing to say physical distance and that's on purpose, because we want people to still remain connected."

I'm Ashley Thompson.

And I'm Caty Weaver12.

Words in This Story

epidemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people

pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world

infectious - adj. capable of causing infection

contagious - adj. able to be passed from one person or animal to another by touching13

lockdown - n. a state of isolation or restricted access put in place as a security measure.

quarantine - n. the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading

isolation - n. the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others

social distancing - phrase. the act of avoiding gatherings and staying about two meters away from other people.

flatten the curve - phrase. to slow the spread of disease

ventilator - n. a device for helping14 a person to breathe

respirator - n. a device that helps people to breathe when they are not able to breathe naturally


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1 epidemic 5iTzz     
n.流行病;盛行;adj.流行性的,流传极广的
参考例句:
  • That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
  • The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。
2 contagious TZ0yl     
adj.传染性的,有感染力的
参考例句:
  • It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
  • He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。
3 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
4 versus wi7wU     
prep.以…为对手,对;与…相比之下
参考例句:
  • The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
  • The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。
5 malaria B2xyb     
n.疟疾
参考例句:
  • He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
  • Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。
6 seasonal LZ1xE     
adj.季节的,季节性的
参考例句:
  • The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
  • The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。
7 prefix 1lizVl     
n.前缀;vt.加…作为前缀;置于前面
参考例句:
  • We prefix "Mr."to a man's name.我们在男士的姓名前加“先生”。
  • In the word "unimportant ","un-" is a prefix.在单词“unimportant”中“un”是前缀。
8 isolation 7qMzTS     
n.隔离,孤立,分解,分离
参考例句:
  • The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
  • He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后,生活比较孤寂。
9 gatherings 400b026348cc2270e0046708acff2352     
聚集( gathering的名词复数 ); 收集; 采集; 搜集
参考例句:
  • His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
  • During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次,其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。
10 flatten N7UyR     
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。
11 chambers c053984cd45eab1984d2c4776373c4fe     
n.房间( chamber的名词复数 );(议会的)议院;卧室;会议厅
参考例句:
  • The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间:Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网
12 weaver LgWwd     
n.织布工;编织者
参考例句:
  • She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快,而且布的质量很好。
  • The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。
13 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
14 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

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