01
Palestine to cut relations with the US and Israel
巴勒斯坦與美以斷交
The Palestinian Authority① has cut all ties with the US and Israel, including those relating to security, after rejecting a Middle East peace plan presented by US President Donald Trump, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Feburary 1. Abbas was in Cairo to address the Arab League②, which backed the Palestinians in their opposition to Trump’s plan. The blueprint③, endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for the creation of a demilitarised④ Palestinian state that excludes Jewish settlements built in occupied territory and is under near-total Israeli security control. (Reuters)
2月1日，巴勒斯坦總統馬哈茂德·阿巴斯表示，巴方拒絕接受美國總統特朗普提出的中東和平計劃，並隨後宣佈，巴方與美國和以色列斷絕包括安全合作在內的一切關係。阿巴斯在開羅向阿拉伯國家聯盟宣佈了這一決定，阿盟對巴方拒絕特朗普的計劃表示支持。該計劃主張建立去軍事化的巴勒斯坦國，且巴勒斯坦領土不包括在佔領區建立的猶太人定居點並要幾乎完全處於以色列的安全控制之下。以色列總理本傑明·內塔尼亞胡對這一計劃表示支持。
【註釋】
① the Palestinian Authority = the Palestinian National Authority = the P(N)A: the governing body of the Palestinian autonomous regions of the West Bank and Gaza Strip established in 1994 巴勒斯坦民族權力機構
② the Arab League = the League of Arab States: a regional organization of Arab states in the Middle East, formed in Cairo on March 22, 1945 阿拉伯國家聯盟
③ blueprint: [ˈbluːˌprɪnt] n. a plan which shows what can be achieved and how it can be achieved 藍圖，行動計劃
④ demilitarise: [diːˈmɪlɪtəˌraɪz] vt. to remove military forces from an area 使非軍事化，使不用於軍事目的
Israeli Arabs carried a banner in a protest march against President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan in Baqa al-Gharbiya, Israel.
(Credit: UPI)
02
Lowa’s caucus① snafu②
美國艾奧瓦州黨內選舉亂局
The Iowa presidential caucuses were thrown into chaos late③ last Monday after the state Democratic Party said it found “inconsistencies,” delaying results and causing widespread confusion across the state. The Iowa Democratic Party said early last Tuesday that it would release the results of the Iowa caucuses later last Tuesday after “manually verifying all precinct④ results.” Party chair Troy Price said the party is “validating every piece of data we have against our paper trail⑤. That system is taking longer than expected, but it’s in place⑥ to ensure we are eventually able to report results with full confidence.” (NPR)
美國總統大選艾奧瓦州民主黨內初選發現計票數據存在“矛盾”，以致計票結果推遲公佈，並在全州造成大範圍混亂。2月3日晚間，場面一度失控。2月4日早間，艾奧瓦州民主黨宣佈，將“手工核驗所有選區票數”，並將於當日晚間公佈預選結果。該州民主黨主席特洛伊·普萊斯稱，民主黨正“根據書面材料核對每一項數據。系統花費的時間比預期長，但能確保我們最終得到的結果真實可靠”。
【註釋】
① caucus: [ˈkɔːkəs] n. a meeting of the members or leaders of a political party to choose candidates or to decide policy（政黨選定候選人或決定政策的）領導人（或代表）會議
② snafu: [snæˈfuː] n. a situation in which nothing happens as planned【美】【口】混亂，一團糟
③ late: [leɪt] adj. near the end of the day 近日暮的，近深夜的
④ precinct: [ˈpriːsɪŋkt] n. one of the parts into which a town or city is divided in order to organize elections【美】選區
⑤ paper trail: a series of documents that provide evidence of what you have done or what has happened（對某人活動所作的）紙上跟蹤記錄
⑥ in place: working or ready to work 到／就位
People took part in a Caucus at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Feb. 3, 2020.
(Credit: Reuters)
03
Trump acquitted① in his Senate impeachment trial
美國參議院判處特朗普彈劾罪名不成立
The Senate last Wednesday acquitted President Trump on two articles of impeachment, rejecting the House’s charges that he should be removed from office for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. With the final gavel② banging③ down on impeachment, President Trump barreled④ ahead in his reelection fight with a united Republican Party behind him, and was emboldened⑤ by reassuring poll numbers and chaos in the Democratic race to replace him. One day after Trump avoided talking of impeachment in his State of the Union address and argued that he had delivered on his 2016 campaign promises, the president already was moving to use impeachment as a 2020 rallying cry⑥. It is worth noting that last Tuesday, the address became a shocking display of US divisions with Democrats protesting the Republican’s boasts before their leader, Nancy Pelosi, ripped⑦ up her copy of the speech on live television. (Politico, AP, AFP)
美國總統彈劾一案，眾議院指控特朗普兩項罪名——濫用職權、妨礙國會，要求罷免總統。2月5日，參議院裁定罪名不成立。彈劾案結束，特朗普得以繼續投入競選連任。特朗普身後有團結的共和黨支持，其領先的民調數據和民主黨內初選的混亂也令他信心倍增。在參議院審判的前一天，特朗普發表國情諮文時還避談彈劾案，並聲稱已兌現2016年大選時的承諾，如今卻已開始利用彈劾案的勝利作為2020年大選的戰鬥口號。值得注意的是，2月4日，特朗普發表的國情諮文反映出美國兩黨之間驚人的分歧，民主黨人一直抗議共和黨人的誇誇其談；特朗普演講結束後，民主黨領袖南希·佩洛西在電視直播中撕毀了手中那份演講稿複印件。
【註釋】
① acquit: [əˈkwɪt] vt. to decide and state officially in court that sb. is not guilty of a crime 宣告...無罪
② gavel: [ˈɡævəl] n. a small hammer used by a person in charge of a meeting or an auction, or by a judge in court, in order to get people’s attention（會議主席、法官、拍賣商等用的）小木槌
③ bang: [bæŋ] vt. to put sth. somewhere suddenly and violently 猛擊
④ barrel: [ˈbærəl] vi. to move very fast in a particular direction, esp. in a way that you cannot control【美】飛奔，高速行駛
⑤ embolden: [ɪmˈbəʊldən] vt. to make sb. feel braver or more confident 壯膽，使有信心，鼓勵
⑥ rallying cry: a phrase or an idea that is used to encourage people to support sb./sth. 戰鬥口號
⑦ rip: to tear sth., often suddenly or violently 撕
President Donald Trump held up a newspaper with the headline that read “ACQUITTED” at the 68th annual National Prayer Breakfast, at the Washington Hilton on Feb. 6 in Washington.
(Credit: AP)
04
a passenger jet skidding① off runway in Istanbul
客機在伊斯坦布爾滑出跑道
Three people are dead and at least 179 injured, including four Chinese passengers, after a plane landing in Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Turkey last Wednesday skidded off the runway, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Television footage② showed serious damage to the plane, with the fuselage③ appearing to be broken into three pieces. Passengers were evacuated from the cracks④ in the plane’s debris⑤. (Fox News, CCTV)
2月5日，一架飛機在土耳其伊斯坦布爾的薩比哈·格克琴機場降落時滑出跑道，墜入田野，機身斷裂。事故造成3人死亡，至少179人受傷，其中包括4名中國乘客。電視鏡頭拍攝到，飛機嚴重受損，機身似斷成三截。乘客從飛機殘骸的裂縫中撤離。
【註釋】
① skid: [skɪd] vi. (usually a vehicle) to slide sideways or forwards in an uncontrolled way 側滑，不可控地滑行
② footage: [ˈfʊtɪdʒ] n. part of a film showing a particular event（記錄下某一事件的）影片片段
③ fuselage: [ˈfjuːzɪˌlɑːʒ] n. the main part of an aircraft in which passengers and goods are carried 機身
④ crack: [kræk] n. a narrow space or opening 窄縫
⑤ debris: [ˈdeɪbrɪ] n. pieces of wood, metal, brick, etc. that are left after sth. has been destroyed（被毀物的）殘骸
Rescuers and firefighters at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport.
(Credit: AP)
05
updates on 2019-nCoV
新型冠狀病毒新聞追蹤
The new coronavirus is believed to have originated in bats and transferred to humans through some other animal. The pangolin① may be that key link. Chinese researchers have identified the pangolin as the potential host of 2019-nCoV on the basis of a genetic comparison of coronaviruses taken from the animals and from humans infected in the outbreak and other findings. The sequences are 99% similar. In terms of treatment, Gilead’s drug called remdesevir was unsuccessfully developed to treat Ebola but has shown promise② in lab settings against diseases similar to the new coronavirus. Last Friday, the death of a Chinese doctor who tried to warn about the coronavirus outbreak has sparked nationwide grief in China. The country’s anti-corruption body said it would open an investigation into “issues involving Dr Li”. (Nature, Fox News, Bloomberg, BBC)
新型冠狀病毒被認為起源於蝙蝠，再通過某種其他動物傳染給人類。穿山甲或為這關鍵一環。中國研究人員比較了穿山甲和感染人的冠狀病毒基因，序列相似度達99%——基於這些研究，確定穿山甲為這一新型冠狀病毒的潛在宿主。在治療方面，吉利德公司開發的瑞德西韋藥物雖治療埃博拉不力，但在實驗室環境下顯示出治療類似新型肺炎的可能。2月7日，一位曾試圖預警疫情爆發的中國醫生去世，中國舉國哀悼。國家監委稱將就“涉及李醫生的有關問題”展開調查。
【註釋】
① pangolin: [pæŋˈɡəʊlɪn] n. 穿山甲，鯪鯉
② promise: [ˈprɒmɪs] n. a sign that sb./sth. will be successful（有）可能／指望／出息／前途
【相關閱讀】
① 定了！“新冠肺炎”正式命名，英文簡稱「NCP」
② 卑鄙是卑鄙者的通行證，高尚是高尚者的墓誌銘
③ 外文局審定180個新冠病毒疫情防控相關中英詞彙
(Credit: USA Today)
（復旦大學李雯露編譯，重光會王暖流審訂）
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