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Feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list can certainly make you unhappy, but new research suggests that more free time might not be the magic elixir many of us dream it could be.

被一大堆待办事项淹没自然会让人不开心，但是新研究发现，更多空闲时间可能也不是很多人梦想中的万能灵药。

In a new study released last week, researchers analyzed data from two large-scale surveys about how Americans spend their time. Together, the surveys included more than 35,000 respondents.

在上周发布的一项新研究中，研究人员分析了关于美国人如何支配时间的两项大型调查数据。这两项调查一共涵盖了逾3.5万人。

The researchers found that people with more free time generally had higher levels of subjective well-being ― but only up to a point.

研究人员发现，空闲时间更多的人一般主观幸福感更强，但也是有限度的。

People who had up to two hours of free time a day generally reported they felt better than those who’d had less time. But people who had five or more hours of free time a day generally said they felt worse.

从受访者的报告来看，每天有长达两小时空闲时间的人通常比那些空闲时间很少的人感觉更幸福。但是每天空闲时间超过五小时的人却感觉更糟。

So ultimately the free-time "sweet spot" might be two to three hours per day, the findings suggest.

研究结果表明，“最理想的”空闲时间长度应该是每天两到三小时。

"While too little time is bad, having more time is not always better," said Marissa Sharif, an assistant professor of marketing at The Wharton School and lead author of the paper, in a press release.

研究报告的首席作者、沃顿商学院市场营销学助理教授玛丽萨·谢里夫在一份新闻稿中写道：“尽管空闲时间太少不好，但是空闲时间太多也不总是好事。”

Of course, most people know instinctively that being too busy can cause stress. But the new study is not the first to question whether more free time will actually make people as happy as they believe it will. Experts note, for example, that some adults struggle with the "retirement blues", which can be due to a lack of stimulation and structure, among other things.

当然，大多数人凭直觉都知道，太忙会有压力。但是在这项新研究之前，也曾有研究质疑过更多的空闲时间是否真的能让人们如他们所想的那样开心。专家举例称，有些人退休后被忧郁情绪困扰，一部分原因可能就是缺乏刺激和无所事事。

Part of finding this seemingly elusive "sweet spot" has to do with how people spend the extra time they have, the researchers behind the new study argue.

这项新研究认为，看似难以捉摸的“最佳空闲时间长度”与人们如何度过空闲时间有一定关联。

They conducted several smaller online experiments. In one they asked participants to imagine having 3½ to seven free hours per day. They were asked to imagine spending that time doing "productive" things (like exercising) or to imagine doing "unproductive" activities (like watching TV).

研究人员开展了几项小型的在线实验。在其中一项实验中，他们让参与者想象自己每天拥有3个半到7小时的空闲时间。他们还让参与者想象自己用这些时间做“有成效”的事情（比如锻炼）或想象自己做“没成效”的事情（比如看电视）。

Study participants believed their well-being would suffer if they had a lot of free time during the day — but only if they used it unproductively. Though that experiment was hypothetical, which is one limitation of the new research, it's certainly in line with other research showing that being in a state of "flow" can be good for people's mental health.

参与者认为，如果他们用空闲时间来做没有成效的事情，那么空闲时间太多反而会不开心。尽管这一实验基于假想（这也是新研究的一个局限性），但这无疑印证了其他研究的发现，“活动”状态有利于人的心理健康。

In other words, how people use their free time matters, Sharif said.

谢里夫称，换言之，人们利用空闲时间的方式很重要。

Of course, what feels "productive" is up to you. If watching two hours of "Real Housewives" in your free time increases your happiness, you should do that. The point of all of this is self-care, not shame.

当然，什么事情做起来感觉“有成效”取决于你自己。如果在空闲时间看俩小时的《比弗利娇妻》能让你更快乐，你就去看。做有成效的事只是为了关爱自己，而不是因为怕丢脸。

And even more traditionally productive or purposeful activities can be easy and fun. Engaging in a bit of low-key cardio, like walking, can help burn stress. Free-time activities like knitting, reading, cooking or gaming are also known to put people in a state of flow.

即使是传统眼光看来有成效或有意义的活动也可以是容易和有趣的。有节制地做一些有氧运动，比如步行，能有助于释放压力。织毛衣、阅读、烹饪或玩游戏，在空闲时间做这类活动也能让人们处于活动状态。

"In cases when people do find themselves with excessive amounts of discretionary time, such as retirement or having left a job," Sharif said, "our results suggest these individuals would benefit from spending their newfound time with purpose."

谢里夫表示：“如果有一天人们发现自己的空闲时间太多，比如退休或离职了，我们的研究结果显示，人们将得益于有目的地支配自己新获得的空闲时间。”

英文来源：赫芬顿邮报 英语点津

The shortage of electricity in some regions of the country has reached such an extent that even industrial production and people's livelihoods are already impacted by it.
全国部分地区缺电严重，导致工业生产和民生受到影响。

For instance, 14 cities in Liaoning province, a national heavy industry base in Northeast China, have started rationing the supply of electricity.

例如，东北国家重工业基地辽宁省14个城市已开始限制电力供应。

Although the power suppliers were required to spare no effort to ensure the power supply to residential communities, hospitals, schools, telecommunications and public transport, some neighborhoods have had their electricity and water cut off, and even traffic signals and elevators have stopped working.
尽管政府要求供电单位全力保障居民小区、医院、学校、电信、公交等供电，但部分小区停电停水，甚至连交通信号灯和电梯也已停用。

This afternoon, State Grid Corp of China, a state-owned enterprise, addressed the issue of electricity limits and said it will try its utmost to safeguard the bottom line of people's livelihoods, development and safety. 

今天下午，国家电网公司就限电问题表示，将全力维护民生、发展和安全底线。

The power shortage originates from multiple causes. Some cities have taken the initiative to ration the power supply to fulfill the requirement to reduce carbon emissions, while the electricity generation capacity has also been reduced by the dramatic increase in coal price in recent months.
电力短缺由多方面因素造成。部分城市为满足碳减排要求主动拉闸限电，近几个月煤价大幅上涨也导致发电量减少。

Due to the price hikes of coal and gas, and the comparatively low electricity price in the country, which is settled by the government, the power plants' profit margins have become smaller and smaller. The elimination of backward coal production capacity and the decrease in coal imports have both driven up the price of coal. Some plants have suspended production to check the fast rise in costs, as the more electricity they generate, the more economic losses they will have to sustain.

由于煤、油价格上涨，加之政府对国内电价定价较低，发电厂的利润空间越来越小。淘汰落后煤炭产能以及煤炭进口量减少均推高了煤炭价格。一些工厂已经停产以遏制成本的快速上涨，因为发电量越大，它们承受的经济损失就越大。

▲ An employee welds a steel frame at a plant in Dalian, Liaoning province, in February. Photo by Wang Yang/For China Daily

The budget for carbon emissions is made for the whole year, which means local governments can scatter their quota across 12 months to make sure their emissions don't exceed the limit.

碳排放预算按年度进行制定，这意味着地方政府可以将配额分配到12个月之中，以确保其排放不超过限额。

However, some local officials tend to go easy in the first few months and then try to suddenly tighten the screws in the last few months.
Although limiting coal consumption is in line with the requirements of green development, it should not be implemented in such a one-size-fits-all manner as the power shortage has already affected the economy and people's lives.

然而，一些地方官员往往会在一年的头几个月放松警惕，到了最后几个月就突然拧紧螺丝。虽然限制煤炭消费符合绿色发展的要求，但在电力短缺已经影响到经济和人民生活的情况下，实在不该通过一刀切的方式来拉闸限电。

The local officials who make such strategies lack a proper understanding of green development. It is time they started making long-term plans and not myopic short-term ones.

制定这种策略的地方官员缺乏对绿色发展的正确认识。现在，他们不该继续延续目前这种缺乏远见的短期计划，而应该开始制定更为长远的计划。

“无鸡可炸”？肯德基无骨鸡肉短缺，都不敢做广告了丨KFC reduces ads due to supply shortage

The supply chain crisis is forcing KFC to stop advertising its boneless chicken tenders on TV in the US.

供应链危机不断，肯德基决定暂时取消无骨鸡柳的广告宣传。

In an interview with Bloomberg, Kevin Hochman, president of KFC, said while the company currently has enough to supply demand, it isn't able to "aggressively promote" its chicken tenders on TV.

肯德基美国总裁凯文·霍奇曼在接受彭博社采访时表示，尽管目前来看供给足够，但供给量已不足以维系电视广告里的大力推销。

"In terms of advertising and promotion we're going to focus on things we have abundant quantities of," he said.

“我们的广告和促销活动会转向目前储备丰富的食材。”

Chicken tenders and similar items, such as nuggets, require extra processing to remove the meat from the bones.

鸡柳、鸡块一类产品需要额外的加工程序才能把嵌在肉里的骨头去掉。

The off-the-bone chicken used in chicken tenders has been worse hit by delays and shortages because it requires more processing, and is, therefore, more labor-intensive, he said.

“而制作鸡柳的脱骨鸡肉加工程序更繁琐。受到供应链问题影响，脱骨鸡肉要么生产延期，要么产量不够，现在越发需要密集的劳动力来维持生产。”

KFC is among a large pool of restaurants and retailers dealing with product shortages and delays.

肯德基只是众多餐饮商和零售商中，受生产延期和产品短缺影响的一员。

Last month, its UK business informed customers that some items would be out of stock and that its packaging could look different when they visit.

上月，肯德基英国的业务部门告知顾客，部分餐食缺货，堂食提供的包装有可能会发生变动。

Other restaurant owners have complained of massive price hikes on poultry. Greg Duell, co-owner of a Duff's Famous Wings restaurant in Buffalo, New York, said that the price of his suppliers' chicken wings had rocketed 99 percent.

不少餐店的店主抱怨禽类价格上涨幅度过大。纽约州布法罗市一家“达夫名翅”的店主格雷格·杜尔称供应商的鸡翅价格暴涨了99%。

Duell blamed this price increase on the labor shortage.

格雷格将物价上涨的原因归咎于劳工短缺。

"The chicken wing farms in America, they're having trouble retaining and recruiting employees," he said. "When that happens, they can't process the birds fast enough, they have to feed them more, the feed costs have gone up, the birds are getting bigger and they can't process and get them out."

他说：“生产鸡翅的作坊在留用和聘任员工上问题重重。一旦员工流失，禽类不能及时快速经由流水线处理，饲养周期拉长，饲养成本上涨，鸡鸭长得越来越大，这样一来就更难处理了。” 

Fabio Sandri, CEO of poultry producer Pilgrim's Pride, told analysts in July that the JBS USA unit is investing millions to automate positions. "We can't debone as much as we want," he said.

皮尔格林禽肉生产商的首席执行官法比奥·桑德里，在7月份告知数据分析人员，称JBS公司已投资数百万美元实现流水线自动化。他表示，目前脱骨产量还远达不到供给标准。

Meat processors already faced labor shortages before COVID-19 hit early last year, with the troubles made worse as outbreaks of the virus led to plant shutdowns and other supply disruptions.

早在去年年初新冠疫情暴发之前，不少肉类加工商就已经面临劳工短缺的问题。而后疫情暴发，闭厂断供，问题也变得愈发严重。

nugget

英 [ˈnʌɡɪt]；美[ˈnʌɡɪt]  

n. 金块；（某些食品的）小块；有价值的小物件

rocket

英 [ˈrɒkɪt]   美[ˈrɑːkɪt]  

n. 火箭；火箭武器；火箭样式的烟花

v. （本文含义）快速增长；猛增 

automate

英 [ˈɔːtəmeɪt]；美[ˈɔːtəmeɪt]  

vt. （使）自动化

disruption

英 [dɪsˈrʌpʃn]；美[dɪsˈrʌpʃn]  

n. 中断；打乱；不便

A recent Canadian study found that music download patterns are very similar to the epidemic curve of infectious diseases.

加拿大最近一项研究发现，音乐的下载模式与传染病的流行曲线非常相似。

Dora Rosati, lead author of the study and former graduate in maths and statistics at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada along with colleagues, wondered whether they could learn anything about how songs become popular using mathematical tools that are more usually applied to study the spread of infectious diseases.

这项研究的主要作者是加拿大安大略省麦克马斯特大学数学和统计专业的多拉·罗萨蒂，他和他的同事们想知道，是否能用常用于研究流行病传播的数学工具来研究歌曲是如何流行起来的。

The team turned to a database of almost 1.4bn individual song downloads from the now-discontinued music streaming service MixRadio. Focusing on the top 1,000 songs downloaded in the UK between 2007 and 2014, they measured how well a standard model of epidemic disease, called the SIR model, fitted trends in song downloads over time.

说干就干！这个团队以现已停产的音乐流媒体服务MixRadio中的近 14 亿首单曲下载量作为数据库，集中研究从2007年到2014年间在英国下载的前1000首歌曲，测量了流行病的标准模型（以下简称为 SIR 模型）与歌曲下载量随时间变化趋势的拟合程度。

The research, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical and Physical Sciences, found the model performed just as well when describing song download trends as it did when describing the spread of a disease through the population.

这项发表在《皇家学会会刊 A：数学和物理科学》上的研究指出，流行病标准模型不仅能描述疾病在人群中的传播，还能准确地描述歌曲的下载趋势。

Rosati said: "It implies that a lot of the social processes that drive the spread of disease, or analogues of those processes, might also be driving the spread of songs. More specifically, it supports the idea that both music and infectious diseases depend on social connections to spread through populations."

罗萨蒂说：“我们的研究说明了许多推动疾病传播的社会过程也可能推动了歌曲的传播。具体来说，它印证了音乐和传染病在人群中传播都依赖社会联系。”

"With a disease, if you come into contact with someone who is ill, then you have a certain chance of catching that disease. With songs, it looks very similar. The big difference is that for songs, it doesn't necessarily have to be physical contact – it could be that my friend used this cool new song in their Instagram story, so now I'm going to go and find it."

“如果你接触到生病的人，那你就有可能感染这种疾病。音乐的传播也是这样。最大的不同点是，歌曲不一定需要身体接触——可能我的朋友在Ins里用了一首很酷的新歌，我也会去找到这首歌听听看。”

Dr Thomas Rawson, a disease modeller at Imperial College London, said: "It's something that makes complete sense, when you consider that word of mouth is something that, much like disease, it will carry on via other people. The main difference is that there are more ways for music to spread."

帝国理工学院的一位疾病模型学家托马斯·罗森博士提到：“口碑就像疾病一样可以人传人，这完全不难理解。至于音乐，它最大的不同是传播途径更多了。”

罗萨蒂的团队还计算了不同音乐类型的基本繁殖数 (R0)——一种流行病学度量，用于描述传染性因子的传染性或传播性。

Although this varied substantially within genres, they found that dance and metal had the lowest median R0 scores at 2.8 and 3.7. Pop music was more transmissible, but it was vastly outstripped by genres such as rock and hip-hop, while electronica – a form of electronic music intended for listening, rather than dancing – had the highest R0, at 3430. This makes it roughly 190 times more transmissible than measles, which has an R0 of about 18.

研究者们发现不同音乐类型的R0值差异很大，舞曲和金属乐的R0中位数最低，分别为2.8 和3.7；相比之下流行乐更具传播性，不过要是拿流行乐和摇滚乐、嘻哈音乐比，那它的传播性又远远不如后两者了。而电子乐（用来听而非跳舞的电子乐形式）的 R0 最高，为3430。要知道，麻疹的R0仅为18，那也就是说，电子乐的感染力是麻疹的 190 倍！

"The reason why we might see some really sky-high R0s for songs is that you can just make a tweet and you have already infected a hundred people. You can spread a song disease far quicker than you could an infectious disease." said Rawson.

看到这里你可能会问：既然电子音乐传播力那么强，为啥我感觉它们还是挺小众的？

没错，电子音乐的R0高，并不一定意味着它就变得大众化了，而是说明它会在易受影响的粉丝群体中更快地传播。简单理解，就是更容易“圈地自萌”。

Rosati said: "Maybe what those numbers are telling us is that electronica fans tend to be more passionate about their favourite songs … Or maybe the social network of electronica fans is more strongly connected."

罗森提到：“我们可能会看到一些歌曲的R0非常高的原因是，你只需发一条推特，就已经感染了100人。歌曲的传播速度比传染病的传播速度要快得多。”

"The biggest changes are likely to be in these more niche genres that wouldn't necessarily have been getting the radio play. I think they have a much better chance of spreading in our current situation of streaming and social media platforms," Rosati said.

“对于小众的流派，以前可能没那么多电台播放它们，但在我们目前的流媒体和社交媒体平台中，他们有更好的传播机会。”

If song popularity really is driven by the same contagious processes as disease, it could open new ways of predicting how new music releases could take off, and present opportunities to boost their spread.

如果歌曲的流行真的是由与疾病一样的传染过程驱动的，那么这个研究可能会为预测新音乐的发行开辟新的途径，并极大促进音乐传播。

On Sept 23, popular Chinese clothing brand, JNBY, has apologized and pulled from shelves, "inappropriate patterns and text", on clothing from its sub-brand for children.

9月23日，中国知名服装品牌江南布衣道歉，并下架了旗下童装品牌中印有“不恰当图案”的产品。

A netizen posted that a child's shirt from JNBY was printed with the phrases "welcome to hell", and "let me touch you", and featured pictures of violence.

一名网民发帖称，江南布衣的一件儿童衬衫上印有"欢迎来到地狱"和"让我摸摸你"的字样，并配有暴力元素的图片。

The kid's grandparents, who bought the clothing in a department store, don't understand English. The mother said she felt very uncomfortable when her 4-year-old put it on, the Beijing News reported.

据《新京报》报道，这是孩子的爷爷奶奶因为不懂英文，所以在商场购买的。孩子的母亲说，当她4岁的孩子穿上它时，她感到非常不舒服。

The official account of "jnby_by_JNBY" apologized to the family on Xiaohongshu, a social media platform, and offered a refund.

江南布衣在其官方小红书账号（"jnby_by_JNBY"）上向这家人道歉，并提出退款。

Netizens posted other clothes from JNBY with inappropriate patterns and texts on weibo, some of which are still sold in the flagship store of JNBY.

网友在微博上发布了江南布衣的其他印有不恰当的图文的产品，并指出其中一些仍在江南布衣的旗舰店中出售。

Many netizens are not satisfied with the official apology and asked the relevant departments to strictly investigate the enterprise.

许多网友对官方的道歉并不满意，要求有关部门严查该企业。

"Not one or two, but so many. That's horrible！"

“不是一件两件，是那么多童装，细思极恐！”

"Dark, sexual hints... That's too horrible. I suggest the relevant departments get involved in the investigation."

“黑暗、性暗示...太疯狂恐怖了，建议有关部门介入调查。”

On Sept 21, a video of the transformer Megatron scolding a tourist who gave him the finger went viral.

9月21日，一段变形金刚“威震天”怒斥比中指手势游客的视频在网络上迅速传播开来。

At Universal Studio's Beijing resort, a young man showed Megatron the middle finger as he approached the character before asking to take a picture with him.

在北京环球影城度假区内，一名年轻的男游客上台后直接对“威震天”比出中指手势，随后要求与其合影。

He was shocked when Megatron hit back: "That is so impolite. Didn't your parents teach you? Stupid man. Dirty human being. Go back, I don't want to take a picture with you."

“威震天”立即回击道，“你这个手势太不礼貌了。你的爸爸妈妈没教过你吗？愚蠢的家伙，肮脏的人类。下去，我不想跟他照相。”男游客非常震惊。

Universal Studios explained that a staff member controlled the character's voice from backstage. And the "dirty human" quote was meant to match Megatron's character in the movies. It was not meant to be derogatory.

环球影城解释称，一名工作人员在后台控制着角色发声。“肮脏的人类”这句话是为了与电影中“威震天”的角色形象相匹配，并无任何贬损之意。

A Universal Studio's staff member told media that there are no rules banning tourists from indecency towards characters, and they won't be blacklisted, but that surrounding staff would try to stop the poor behavior.

环球影城的工作人员告诉记者，目前没有禁止游客对园内角色做出粗鄙行为的规定，也不会将这类游客列入黑名单，不过周围的工作人员会极力劝阻此类不良行为。

Since the opening of Universal Studios' Beijing resort, searches for videos featuring the giant transformer have skyrocketed as Chinese netizens scrambled to see him joke and amuse visitors.

自环球影城北京度假酒店开业以来，中国网民争先恐后，要看这位巨型变形金刚与游客开的玩笑，有关视频的搜索率一路飙升。

Unlike the official website, which describes it as cruel and frightening, Megatron is a real chatterbox.

这位“威震天”其实不像官方网站描述的那样残忍又可怕，反倒是个话匣子。

"Why are you alone here? Where is your boyfriend? Why did he stand so far away? Does he refuse to tell others about your relationship?" Megatron says in one video clip as he talks with a young woman standing in front of him to take pictures.

在另一段视频中，“威震天”一直调侃与他合影的一位年轻女游客：“你为什么一个人在这里？你的男朋友在哪里？他为什么站得那么远？他不想让人知道你俩的关系吗？”

The Megatron suit is actually quite complex. The performer wears the mechanical armor and interacts with the outside world via a remote control with a voice-changing microphone.

实际上，“威震天”的装束非常复杂，表演者身穿机械盔甲，要通过变声麦克风以及控制动作的遥控装置，才能与外界互动。

The official app predicts that the per capita consumption of Universal Studio's Beijing resort may exceed 3,000 yuan during the upcoming National Day holiday.

据官方应用预测，国庆假期将至，北京环球影城度假区的人均消费很可能超过3000元。

Study may push back date COVID hit US

研究表明美国疫情起始时间或更早

A study of big data and epidemic models indicates with 50 percent probability that the first COVID-19 infection in the United States may have occurred between August and October 2019, and the earliest possible case was on April 26, 2019, in Rhode Island, according to a preprint of a study published on Wednesday.

周三，一项最新研究的预印本报告显示，结合大数据和传染病传播模型分析，美国新冠肺炎疫情首例感染发生率为50%的日期可能位于2019年8月至10月之间，首例病例位于罗德岛州，发生于2019年4月26日。

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, is published on the Chinese preprint server ChinaXiv and is still undergoing peer-review.

该报告由中国科学技术大学与中国科学院大学发起，发布于中科院预印本平台。报告现处同行评议阶段。

After analyzing daily epidemic data published by local health authorities from 11 US states and the District of Columbia, the researchers said they are 50 percent confident that the first COVID-19 cases in the US emerged between August and October 2019, considerably earlier than the currently acknowledged date of the first confirmed US case, on Jan 20, 2020.

研究人员结合美国11个地州和哥伦比亚特区的卫生机构每日发布的疫情统计数据分析，在报告中美国新冠肺炎疫情中首例感染发生率为50%的日期多数位于2019年8月至10月之间，早于此前美国公布的首例病例出现时间2020年1月20日。

，

"The calculations show that the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States has a high probability of beginning to spread around September 2019," according to the paper.

报告显示，“计算结果表明，美国新冠疫情有较大概率于2019年9月前已开始流行。”

The 11 states are New Jersey, Vermont, Virginia, Michigan, New Hampshire, Louisiana, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Delaware and Rhode Island.

数据来源于以下11个州：新泽西州、佛蒙特州、弗吉尼亚州、密歇根州、新罕布什尔州、路易斯安那州、康涅狄格州、纽约州、宾夕法尼亚州、马里兰州、马萨诸塞州、特拉华州和罗德岛州。

"A series of previous studies showed that the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Brazil and other countries had been attacked by the coronavirus before its outbreak in China," the researchers wrote.

研究人员指出，此前一系列研究显示，美国、西班牙、法国、意大利、巴西等多国早在中国新冠疫情暴发前就已被新冠病毒侵袭。

Last week, a team of Laotian and French researchers published a preprint study saying they had discovered three coronaviruses found in horseshoe bats that live in northern Laotian limestone caves that are the closest known ancestors yet of the COVID-19 virus.

上周，老挝与法国的研究小组公布了一项预印本研究报告。报告指出，在生活在老挝北部石灰岩洞穴内部的马蹄蝠体内发现了三种冠状病毒，是目前已知最接近新冠病毒的始祖病毒。

These viruses share a key feature with SARS-CoV-2 in the part of its genome known as the receptor binding domain, a region that allows it to latch onto cells. This research supports the hypothesis that the COVID-19 virus originated from the horseshoe bat species.

这些病毒的基因组具有与新冠病毒几乎相同的受体结合区，该受体结合区让病毒得以与细胞结合。研究结果为新冠病毒源于马蹄蝠的假说提供了基础。

Last month, researchers from the University of Milan and the Italian National Institute of Health reported that a different version of the COVID-19 virus may have been circulating in Lombardy, northern Italy, as early as late summer 2019.

上月，来自米兰大学和意大利国家卫生研究院的研究人员报告称，早在2019夏末，意大利北部的伦巴第大区可能已经出现了另一种新冠病毒。

The Italian preprint study suggested that a wider geographical area and a broader time span should be considered when investigating the origins of the virus.

此项意大利预印本研究也提议，应将更大的地理范围与更长的时间线纳入新冠病毒的溯源研究。

1. preprint

英[ˈpri:ˈprɪnt]；美 [ˈpriˌprɪnt]

adj. 预先印好的

n. 预印本；预行刊物。 

2. peer-review

英[ˌpɪər rɪˈvjuː]；美[ˌpɪr rɪˈvjuː]  

n. 同行评审；同行评议；各领域专家互相评阅。

3. latch (onto)

英[lætʃ ˈɒntə]；美[lætʃ ˈɑːntə]  

v. 拴住；缠住不放；依附；细胞结合；接受

北京环球度假区正式开园丨Universal opens to packed crowds

The opening ceremony of the Universal Beijing Resort took place on Monday. The joint 40 billion yuan ($6.2 billion) Sino-US project serves as proof of fruitful cooperation between businesses from the two countries.

周一，北京环球度假区正式开园。该园区为中美合资，造价约400亿元人民币（折合62亿美元），是中美两国贸易的友好往来的有力见证。

The resort, which includes the Universal Studios Beijing theme park, the Universal CityWalk Beijing and two hotels — the Universal Studios Grand Hotel and the NUO Resort Hotel — is expected to receive more than 10 million tourists a year, and bring in annual revenues of 10 billion yuan, according to Wang Tayi, general manager of Beijing International Resort Co, and owner of Universal Beijing.

园区内设有环球影城主题公园、环球城市大道、环球影城大酒店与诺金度假酒店。北京国际度假区总经理兼北京环球负责人王他一表示，园区开园后，有望每年接待1000万名游客，预期收入达到100亿元。

▲ 图源：法新社

"I'm very excited to see the opening of the resort after the ups and downs of the past 20 years," Wang said. "There have been so many unforgettable moments associated with this project, one of which was in September 2014, when it was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, a milestone in the entire process."

面对园区的开园，王他一感慨万分，回想起过去二十年来，项目组历经波折，克服重重困难。他表示，2014年9月，即项目获国家发改委批准的时刻是整个筹备过程中的里程碑，尤为难忘。

Beijing International Resort Co is a joint venture between Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co and Universal Parks & Resorts, a business unit of Comcast NBCUniversal.

北京国际度假有限公司，是由北京首寰文化旅游投资有限公司与康卡斯特NBC环球公司旗下的环球主题园区公司的合资企业。

Established in 2013, Beijing Shouhuan is a subsidiary of the Beijing Tourism Group, one of the largest players in China's tourism and hospitality sector, and first raised the idea of building the theme park in Beijing in 2001.

北京首寰文化旅游投资有限公司成立于2013年，隶属国内旅游与服务行业巨头——首旅集团旗下。首旅集团曾在2001年首次提出在北京建立主题公园的设想。

"It's fairly rare these days that two companies from China and the United States manage to remain loyal to each other and continue cooperating for 20 years,"Wang said. "BTG and Universal Parks & Resorts have both been through a lot over the years, but we have finally made our promise a reality."

王他一表示，当下，中美两家企业能保持二十来年的合作关系十分少见。首旅集团与环球主题园区公司间的合作路途崎岖，饱经艰辛，最终依旧兑现承诺，将理想变为了现实。

China's central government has been very supportive of the project, he added.

他还补充道，中央政府也大力支持该项目。

"The government agreeing to the project gave us access to the market and revenue, which was crucial for both companies."

“政府的支持非常关键。政府批准我们进入市场，我们才谈得上收益。”

Tom Mehrmann, president and general manager of the Beijing International Resort Co Theme Park and Resort Management Branch, said the Chinese government foresaw the country's rapidly growing urban middle class 20 years ago, and this led to the idea of building a world-class theme park in the capital.

北京国际度假区有限公司主题公园和度假区管理分公司董事长苗乐文表示，中国政府高瞻远瞩，20年前就预见到城市中产阶级的持续激增，进一步肯定了在首都建设世界级主题公园的设想。

"China saw the opportunity in Universal and Universal saw the opportunity in China," said Mehrmann, adding that the park is not merely a copy of other Universal theme parks. "We brought global theme park insight to China and blended it with local culture."

苗乐文表示，中国与环球公司抓住机遇，合作共赢。并表示，北京的环球影城并非其他环球影城的复制品，而是全球主题公园的设计思想与中国文化相互交融而设计建成的全新园区。

For instance, in one of the resort's seven "lands" — Hollywood — visitors can enjoy a behind-the-scenes filmmaking experience which was created by Hollywood film director Steven Spielberg and Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou.

比如，在环球影城的七大主题景区之一的“好莱坞”，游客可以到好莱坞知名执导史蒂文·斯皮尔伯格和著名导演张艺谋所设计的环节，亲身体验电影的幕后制作。

The Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness, inspired by the Dream-Works Animation film franchise, is Universal's first "land" built around the franchise and contains many Chinese cultural elements.

“功夫熊猫：盖世之地”是梦工厂公司特许环球公司经营建设的第一个景区，同样也包含许多中国文化元素。

Even in terms of its food offerings, the park is integrated, with around 65 percent of food outlets serving Chinese or Asian cuisine and 35 percent serving Western, Mehrmann said.

园区内还提供多样化的餐饮，65%左右的参观提供中餐以及亚洲餐食，其余35%则以西方餐品为主。

Tourist industry experts predicted that Universal Beijing will experience a domestic boom during the Mid-Autumn Festival and the upcoming National Day holidays in early October.

旅游业专家预测，中秋以及随后的国庆两个假期，北京环球影城将引爆国内的旅游经济。

"By welcoming tourists officially since opening day, the resort has sent an important signal that China can revive its tourist market, while doing a great job of COVID-19 control and prevention at the same time," said Dai Bin, head of the China Tourism Academy.

中国旅游研究院院长戴斌指出，环球影城的开业已然成为当下的旅游热点，并强调在我国复工复产、疫情常态化的情况下，影城开园对旅游业的复苏和产业振兴起到了非常重要的促进作用。

"The resort is expected to contribute around 0.28 percentage points to Beijing's GDP growth," he added.

他还提到，园区的预计营业额已达到2020年北京市0.28%的GDP。

Beijing municipal government senior officials also attended the opening ceremony.

国家有关部委与北京市领导也出席了开园仪式。

1. subsidiary

英[səbˈsɪdiəri]；美[səbˈsɪdieri]  

adj.附带的；次要的；附属的

n.附属公司；子公司

2. hospitality sector

n. (phrase) 接待服务；酒店业；酒店管理

3. revive

英 [rɪˈvaɪv]；美[rɪˈvaɪv]  

v. （使）复苏；（使）苏醒，复活；重兴