On Everyone’s Lips
2020/03/10 04:12:33 網誌分類: 生活
The expression “piece together” means to use or combine all the information you have about something to understand it. A puzzle is a situation that is difficult to understand. The coronavirus, which started in the Chinese city of Wuhan, is a puzzle because scientists still don’t fully understand why it started, how long it will last, and how it spreads. Therefore, to piece together the puzzle of the coronavirus means to use all the information you have about it to understand it. Now that the coronavirus has spread to all corners (all parts) of the world, many scientists believe it will not die out soon. Sars died out after about half a year but some scientists believe the new coronavirus is here to stay.
They believe it will be a seasonal part of life like influenza and the common cold. The bad news is the coronavirus is more lethal than the flu or the common cold. But Sars was more lethal than the new coronavirus. Luckily, Sars died out. If something is lethal, it means it is so dangerous it can cause death. If the new coronavirus is here to stay, the good news is scientists will be able to find a vaccine for it in the same way they found a vaccine for the flu. If the world is lucky, the coronavirus will die out in the summer.
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到底Covid-19新冠病毒會否像沙士一樣，在炎夏中逐漸消亡（die out），抑或它會長存（here to stay）？這條問題人人都掛在口邊（on everyone’s lips）。全球各地醫學專家仍在拼湊着（piece together）新冠病毒的謎題（puzzle）。許多國家的科學家都在趕着研發新冠病毒的疫苗。然而，當他們還在努力解開（piece together）疾病的謎團（puzzle）時，是很難研發出疫苗的。To die out意即逐漸衰弱而消失、絕跡。若某物是 here to stay，意即它會歷久不衰，紮根而成為生活的一部份。若某事情是on everyone's lips，即它是廣為談論，是眾人議論紛紛的話題。
習語“piece together”即是運用或拼合你所有的資料和線索，以得出個所以然來。A puzzle就是難題或謎團。於中國城市武漢起始的新冠病毒，是一個難題（puzzle），因為科學家仍然不完全理解它為何出現、會持續多久，以及它是怎樣擴散的。因此，to piece together the puzzle of the coronavirus就是要運用所有關於冠狀病毒的資料以理解它的底蘊。現在，冠狀病毒已傳播到世界每個角落（all corners），許多科學家相信它不會那麼快消失（die out）。沙士大約在出現半年後消失（died out），但一些科學家相信這新冠病毒會長存（here to stay）。
他們相信它會像流感和普通感冒般成為季節性的情況。壞消息是，新冠病毒比流感或普通感冒要致命（lethal）得多。但沙士又比新冠病毒要致命（lethal）。幸好，沙士已然消失（died out）。若某事是lethal，意即它很危險，足以致命。若新冠病毒將會長存（here to stay），好消息是科學家會得以研發出疫苗，就像他們研發出流感疫苗一樣。若這世界夠有運，新冠病毒就會在夏天消失（die out）。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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