VOA慢速英语--医院装潢使新冠病人和护理人员感到高兴

A Christmas tree stands near the intensive care room of a COVID-19 patient. He lies unconscious, connected to a machine that breathes for him. A few feet away, a plastic snowman hangs near the room of another patient who is also on a ventilator.

The holiday decorations at East Alabama Medical Center "let family members know that we're trying, and we love these patients" said nurse Carla Fallin. "We want them to feel like it's Christmas as much as we can," she added.

Nurses and doctors who have spent months caring for sick people are doing what they can to get through the holiday season. They worry people will hold gatherings², travel and take part in other activities that could add to the current wave in COVID-19 cases.

Fallin has been a nurse for five years at the hospital in Opelika, Alabama. She says the decorations help lighten the mental load in the ICU. A sharp rise in infections linked to Thanksgiving gatherings is now filling up beds at the hospital. Vaccines³ are on the way, but not yet available to the general public. Hospital officials are worried about what might happen in January after holiday travel and celebrations are over.

When so many are suffering even a picture of a candy cane⁴ on an ICU window can help. Dr. Meshia Wallace is a lung doctor who works with patients in serious condition.

"Families come in, and all they're getting for the most part is bad news," she said. "A little bit of Christmas cheer is not going to hurt. It can only help."

Wallace is not attending her usual Christmas gathering¹ of about 30 relatives. She hopes to spend the holiday with an aunt who might drive from Atlanta, Georgia, if neither of them shows signs of COVID-19.

Dr. Ricardo Maldonado leads the pandemic team at East Alabama. He knows exactly what he will do for the holiday.

"Work," Maldonado said after visiting patients on a hospital floor full of COVID-19 patients. "There is so much work."

The nonprofit hospital has had to add about 60 nurses to its workforce⁵ to meet the increased demand. But East Alabama Medical Center's chief, Laura Grill⁶, said neighboring states continue to ask the hospital to take in some of their sick.

Some East Alabama employees got sick with COVID-19, Grill said. Others retired⁷ from their jobs or just left. Many, she said, are suffering physically⁸ and emotionally from extreme tiredness.

Nurse Marilynn Waldon has felt the strain. She cares for COVID-19 patients in an area that has been decorated with white lights and Christmas stockings. Waldon had planned to retire this month. But with the holidays nearing, she changed her mind.

She said, "I talked to God about it, and he said, ‘You're not a quitter. No...you need to stay there, do what you can, until we get over this crisis⁹ that we're in.'"

Words in This Story

unconscious –adj. not awake especially because of an injury, drug, sickness, etc.

decoration –n. an object that is added to a place or a thing that is meant to make it more pleasing

strain –n. a feeling of worry that is difficult to deal with

stocking –n. a decorative pouch shaped like a large sock that is used for holding gifts at Christmas

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 gatherings   

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。

3 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。

4 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

5 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

6 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

9 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。