NEWS ON 08/16 1. HEALTH COMMISSION:CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAKS CAN BE CONTAINED 疫情总体可控,少年仍需接种!国务院联防联控机制最新回应 **2. AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING SERVICES EXPAND RANGE OF CLASSES “双减”落地,课外班拓展真·**兴趣课程 3. PAKISTAN SAYS ATTACK THAT KILLED 9 CHINESE WAS A SUICIDE BOMBING 实施者已锁定!巴基斯坦公布“恐袭案”最新进展 -----------------记得点亮右下角的爱心哦----------------- 1. HEALTH COMMISSION:CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAKS CAN BE CONTAINED 疫情总体可控,少年仍需接种!国务院联防联控机制最新回应 The National Health Commission said today that there are currently 156 medium and high-risk areas on the Chinese mainland, adding local COVID-19 cases have risen for 19 consecutive days. The commission also said the outbreaks can be contained【控制】. Zhang Yue has more. 8月13日下午,国务院联防联控机制召开新闻发布会。国家卫健委介绍,截至13日,全国共有中高风险地区156个,本土确诊病例连续19天上升。我国面临短时间内多源多点发生疫情的复杂局面,但疫情风险总体可控。 The commission said several clusters recently had emerged. As of 12 am today, more than 1,280 locally transmitted cases had been reported in 48 cities across 18 provincial-level regions. Among those cities, 36 have reported no new cases for more than five consecutive days. 国家卫健委表示,近期我国多地相继出现聚集性疫情。截至8月12日24时,全国已有18个省48个市发生本土疫情,累计报告病例超1280例。不过这48个城市中,已有36个城市超过5天没有新增感染者报告。 INTERVIEW: He Qinghua, Inspector, National Health Commission 贺青华,国家卫生健康委疾控局一级巡视员 Outside of Yangzhou, Wuhan, and Zhangjiajie, the other cities only have sporadic new cases now. Based on this situation, the recent outbreaks are controllable, and the possibility of a large-scale national outbreak is quite small. 除了扬州、武汉、张家界市以外,其他的地市仅仅只是零星的病例报告。所以从这个情况看,全国的疫情风险总体可控,全国层面发生大规模的疫情风险是比较小的。 The commission also noted that more than 60 million doses or coronavirus vaccines had been administered to minors aged between 12 and 17. Although Shanghai will begin vaccinating 15 to 17 year olds tomorrow, some places like Beijing, Hubei and Sichuan have already begun inoculating【接种】 youngsters. The commission said parents shouldn’t over worry about side effects【副作用】 since fewer teenagers experience them compared to adults. 12-17岁人群接种新冠疫苗总剂次数超过6000万剂。8月14日,上海启动15至17岁青少年新冠疫苗接种,目前北京、湖北、四川等地均已陆续开展青少年接种工作。国家卫健委还指出,家长们无需过度担心青少年接种新冠疫苗会产生不良反应,其发生率并不高于成人。 INTERVIEW: Wang Huaqing, Chief Expert, China CDC 王华庆,中国疾控中心免疫规划首席专家 Parents need to relax when taking their children to get inoculated and they need to tell their children not to be nervous. This will reduce psychogenic reactions. 在接种疫苗的过程中,我们的家长和监护人陪着儿童去接种疫苗时,自己要放松,同时也要想办法不让孩子紧张,这样就可以大大减少心因性反应。 The commission also said more than 777 million people on the mainland had been fully vaccinated as of yesterday, accounting for more than half of the population. It added that over 1.83 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines had been administered. 会上还透露,截至8月12日,超7.7亿人完成全程接种,已超过全国一半人口。全国累计报告接种新冠疫苗18亿3245万剂次。 2. AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING SERVICES EXPAND RANGE OF CLASSES “双减”落地,课外班拓展真·兴趣课程 The Ministry of Education recently introduced a set of guidelines to clamp down on【严格限制】 excessive homework being assigned and off-campus tutoring for students in grades 1 through 9. The guidelines also cover improving the quality of education and after-class services in schools. Zhang Yue tells us what some parents and students in Shanghai think about the changes. 近日,教育部出台《关于进一步减轻义务教育阶段学生作业负担和校外培训负担的意见》,并从提高课堂教学质量、提升课后服务等方面明确了具体要求。那么,目前上海如何应对“双减”政策?来看记者的调查。 At an off-campus tutoring center, parents are waiting to pick up their children. Some parents said they have already signed their child up for extra classes next month. 一家培训机构门前,家长们正等着接孩子下课,不少人已为孩子报名了开学后的培训班。 INTERVIEW: Student 学生 My teacher at the center said class will be as usual from Monday to Friday next month after the new semester starts. There will be no class on weekends. 老师说(开学以后)周一到周五还是会有的,星期六星期天就没有了。 Since the guidelines were released, off-campus training centers including Xueersi and New Oriental said they have already canceled classes featuring curriculum subjects that were scheduled on weekends. The guidelines also said off-campus training centers are not permitted to offer classes taught by foreign personnel who reside overseas. Under the new rules, training centers stopped selling online courses and shifted to other options. “双减”政策一经出台,学而思、新东方等培训机构便取消了安排在周末的学科类课程。由于《意见》规定“严禁聘请在境外的外籍人员开展培训活动”,不少机构暂停网络授课业务,另寻出路。 INTERVIEW: EF Youth English Employee 上海英孚青少年英语工作人员 We had overseas teachers teaching classes both online and offline. Now we canceled our online classes and have foreign teachers based here who teach classes. 我们也有一批境外的老师,只不过我们原来小学组是线上线下相结合,现在只招线下课,线上课不做了。 Since June this year, many off-campus training centers have expanded their range of subjects to cover art, PE, and science. Experts say the new guidelines require supporting measures so they can be implemented easily, and parents also need to adjust their expectations regarding homework and help their children. 今年6月开始,不少校外培训机构拓展其教学科目,开设美术、体育、科学等兴趣课程。专家表示,为保证《意见》顺利施行,有关部门需强化配套治理,家长们也应理性确定孩子成长预期,努力形成减负共识。 INTERVIEW: Xiong Bingqi, Vice President, 21stCentury Education Research Institute *熊丙奇,21世纪教育研究院院长* If parents are more anxious than before, these off-campus training centers will likely move underground. Then the goal of reducing the burden on students will not be realized. 如果家长对于这个培训需求没有疏导的话,那可能还会导致一个问题,那就是培训机构从以前的公开合法转向家庭、转向地下,这样的话既没有减轻学生的负担,也没有减轻家长的焦虑。 Many said they are trying to balance their studying. 许多家长、学生表示,他们正在积极配合“双减”政策。 INTERVIEW: Student 学生 If you have self discipline and can learn independently, it doesn’t matter whether you go to after school tutoring or not. You need to make the best use of the time at school. 有自学能力,有没有(培训班)都是一回事。所以(学校里)这点时间还是要抓住,很宝贵。 INTERVIEW: Parent 家长 I think children should be given more opportunities to learn other things, including taking part in activities like chess and swimming. 参加参加围棋、游泳、都行,我觉得小朋友应该全面一点。 The Ministry of Education has pledged to adopt a strict approval and supervision【监管】 system of off-campus tutoring programs featuring curriculum subjects such as math and physics. 教育部表示,将进一步建立健全审批、监管制度,对面向义务教育阶段学生的学科类校外培训机构严加管理。 3. PAKISTAN SAYS ATTACK THAT KILLED 9 CHINESE WAS A SUICIDE BOMBING 实施者已锁定!巴基斯坦公布“恐袭案”最新进展 Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi addressed a news conference in Islamabad alongside a top investigator yesterday, saying that last month’s bus attack that killed nine Chinese nationals was a suicide bombing. It was carried out by Islamist militants【武装分子】 backed【支持,依靠】 by Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies. Lei Shuran has more. 8月12日,巴基斯坦政府召开新闻发布会,公布巴方对7月14号发生的达苏恐袭事件的最新调查进展,共有9位中国公民在此次事件中遇难。巴方通报称,袭击者属于巴基斯坦塔利班组织,袭击得到了印度和阿富汗情报部门的支持。 Around 100 to 120 kilograms of high explosives【炸药】 were used in the bombing, leading into deaths of 13 people dead, including the 9 Chinese nationals. Forensic examination of the suicide bomber’s remains showed the attacker was not a Pakistani national. 此次事件中引爆的炸药重约100到120千克,造成包括9名中方承建人员在内的 13人死亡。自杀式袭击人员在经法医尸检后被确认为非巴基斯坦公民。 Video footage, cell phone data analysis, the discovery of local handlers and facilitators and the examination of the car used in the bombing all revealed that the TTP, an umbrella movement of militant groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State based in Afghanistan had planned this attack. 警方调查交通监控录像、手机通话记录,并对当地经手人进行审问、对袭击车辆检查,种种证据都将矛头指向阿富汗武装组织——巴基斯坦塔利班(TTP),该恐怖组织与基地组织和伊斯兰国联系密切。 From the interrogation【审问】 of the two handlers, Ayaz and Hussain, it has become clear that the three main characters who are present in Afghanistan had planned this entire thing, and they got all their guidance, all their directions, all their facilitation【引导】, from senior officials of RAW and NDS in Afghanistan. 经过对两名经手人阿亚兹和侯赛因的审讯可知,达苏恐袭案的3名主谋目前都在阿富汗境内,他们策划了整起袭击,并从印度和阿富汗的高级情报人员处得到指导和协助。 China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China appreciates the efforts made by Pakistan in investigating the terrorist attack. Hua said further investigation by Pakistan is still ongoing. China and Pakistan will follow the important consensus【共识】 reached by the leaders of the two countries, ascertain【查明】 all the facts, and bring those responsible to justice. 中国外交部发言人华春莹表示,中方高度关注巴方对有关恐袭事件调查工作在较短时间内取得重大进展,对巴方所作积极努力表示赞赏。目前,巴方进一步调查仍在进行之中。双方将按照两国领导人达成的重要共识,查明所有事实真相,在此基础上追究和严惩肇事真凶。 In the meantime, she said both countries will keep strengthening security cooperation mechanisms to ensure the safety of Chinese people, projects and institutions in Pakistan. 同时,双方将继续升级和强化安保合作机制,确保中方在巴项目、人员和机构安全。 #热词加油站 contain【控制】 inoculate【接种】 side effect【副作用】 clamp down on【严格限制】 supervision【监管】 back【支持,依靠】 explosive【炸药】 interrogation【审问】 facilitation【引导】 consensus【共识】 ascertain【查明】 订阅我们,打卡每日精选英语新闻! 不定期投放“精品大咖访谈”