備註：紅色加粗 的單詞是考研詞彙，括號備註的單詞無需掌握。
說明：關於排版，中文翻譯放在原文後面，輔助沒有理解大意的同學先了解本段的主旨；後面是核心詞語和短語表達講解，並另外舉例，幫助大家進一步理解和掌握；長難句和寫作積累是在掌握詞彙的基礎上去精進自己的能力；最後我們需要了解文化背景，才能學習更深入和透徹。
關於文章來源，本篇文章是經濟學人新年刊Science&technology中關於新型冠狀病毒變異的文章。接著上一次1月8日小可愛發的外刊精讀 | 新冠疫情變異（一），本次是此篇文章的接下來三段，祝大家學習愉快。
Covid-19
Variations on a theme
Sars-cov-2 is following the evolutionary rule book to perfection
Britain responded on December 19th, by tightening restrictions already in place. South Africa’s response came on December 28th, in the wake of its millionth recorded case of the illness, with measures that extended a night-time curfew by two hours and reimposed a ban on the sale of alcohol. Other countries have reacted by discouraging even more forcefully than before any travel between themselves and Britain and South Africa. At least in the case of b.1.1.7,though, this has merely shut the stable door after the horse has bolted. That variant has now been detected in a score of countries besides Britain—and from these new sites, or from Britain, it will spread still further. Isolated cases of 501.v2 outside South Africa have been reported, too, from Australia, Britain, Japan and Switzerland.
英國通過收緊已經實施的限制措施，在12月19日做出回應。南非在12月28日作出回應，當日第一百萬個病例記錄在案，南非還實施將夜間宵禁延長兩個小時，並重新禁止了酒精的銷售等措施。而其他國家的反應是，在與他們自己之間傳播以及與英國和南非之間的傳播之前，他們都採取了更強有力的阻攔措施。儘管如此，起碼在新冠病毒變異的情況下，也不過是亡羊補牢。現在，該變異病毒已在除英國以外的其他國家、地區發現，並且從這些新地點或英國開始會進一步傳播。南非，澳大利亞，英國，日本和瑞士也報導了個別501.v2病例。
🚩詞彙、短語精講：
1.in the wake of
緊緊跟隨；隨著...而來；作為...的結果；仿效
eg:In the wake of developments in science and technology,man has become more capable of conquering nature.
隨著科學技術的發展，人們徵服自然的能力也越來越強了。
2.millionth
ord.第一百萬；n.百萬分之一
eg:Last year the millionth truck rolled off the assembly line.
去年，第100萬臺卡車駛下流水線。
3.curfew
n.宵禁令；宵禁時間
a law which says that people must not go outside after a particular time at night until the morning;the time after which nobody must go outside.
eg:The army imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew.
軍隊強制實行黃昏至黎明的宵禁。
4.reimpose
v.重新實施（法律、規章等）
impose anew
eg:It is now time to reimpose some rules and regulations.
現在有些規章制度要重申。
5.discourage
v.阻攔，阻止，勸阻；使灰心，使洩氣
to make sb. feel less confident or enthusiastic about doing sth.
eg:Her criticisms had the effect of discouraging him completely.
她批評的結果使他完全喪失了信心。
discourage=dishearten
反義詞：encourage
6.in the case of
假使，如果發生
eg:I dread to think what will happen in the case of a major emergency.
我不敢想在重大緊急情況下會發生什麼。
7.detect
v.發現，查明，偵查出
to discover or notice sth.,especially sth. that is not easy to see,hear,etc.
eg:I detect an undercurrent of resentment towards the new proposals.
我察覺到對新提案有一股潛在的不滿情緒
🚩長難句：
South Africa’s response came on December 28th, in the wake of its millionth recorded case of the illness, with measures that extended a night-time curfew by two hours and reimposed a ban on the sale of alcohol.
南非在12月28日作出回應，當日第一百萬個病例記錄在案，南非還實施將夜間宵禁延長兩個小時，並重新禁止了酒精的銷售等措施。
🚩翻譯精講：
1.「this has merely shut the stable door after the horse has bolted.」這句話直譯出來的意思是：這只不過是在馬跑後關上了馬廄的門。如果這麼翻譯的話，誰都不明白它講的是什麼意思。在這裡我根據原文意思做了意譯：亡羊補牢。這樣就不難理解了。（如果有小夥伴有更好的翻譯，歡迎評論區底部探討）
2.「Isolated cases」這個短語翻譯成「個別案例」。這是根據原文語境推斷的，各位小夥伴在做考研翻譯或者四六級翻譯題型的時候，一定不要按照原文字眼一個一個來，或者背死板的中文意思，要根據語境和具體的搭配來實現翻譯通順。
🚩背景知識：
b.1.1.7:英國科學家發現的新冠病毒變種，據《科學》雜誌報導，該變異病毒已出現17個位點突變。但該病毒是否具有更強的傳染性或是否會導致更嚴重的疾病還無法確定。
So far, the evidence suggests that despite their extra transmissibility, neither new variant is more dangerous on a case- by-case basis than existing versions of the virus. In this, both are travelling the path predicted by evolutionary biologists to lead to long-term success for a new pathogen—which is to become more contagious (which increases the chance of onward transmission) rather than more deadly (which reduces it). And the speed with which they have spread is impressive.
到目前為止，有證據表明，儘管它們具有額外的傳播能力，但新的變異病毒在個案基礎上不會比現有的病毒更危險。在這種情況下，兩者都沿著生物進化學家所預測的道路發展，從而為新的病原體取得長期成功，這種病原體將具有更強的傳染性（增加繼續傳播的機會），而不是更具致命性的（減少傳播的機會）。它們傳播的速度令人震驚。
🚩詞彙、短語精講：
1. case- by-case
個案，逐案，具體分析
separate and distinct from others of the same kind
eg:Unlike with trade,capital flows require approval on a case-by-case basis.
與貿易不同，每筆資金流動都需要獲得審批。
2.pathogen
n.病原體，病菌
a thing that causes disease
eg:The pathogen identification of aloe spot disease and its chemical control.
蘆薈斑點病原鑑定及其防治藥劑篩選
3.contagious
a.（疾病）接觸傳染的；患接觸性傳染病
a disease that is contagious can be caught by touching people or things that are infected with it
eg:There are still some unfounded fears floating around out there about cancer being contagious.
社會上還是有一些毫無根據的關於癌症會傳染的恐懼。
詞根：tact=tag=tang=tig=ting=to touch接觸後綴：-eous；-ious；-ous；-tious；-uous 表形容詞：「有…性質的，關於…的」
4.onward
a.繼續的，向前的
means moving forward or continuing a journey
eg:From the turn of the century onward,she shared the life of the aborigines.
她自世紀之交以來便同土著居民生活在一起。
🚩長難句：
In this, both are travelling the path predicted by evolutionary biologists to lead to long-term success for a new pathogen—which is to become more contagious (which increases the chance of onward transmission) rather than more deadly (which reduces it).
在這種情況下，兩者都沿著生物進化學家所預測的道路發展，從而為新的病原體取得長期成功，這種病原體將具有更強的傳染性（增加繼續傳播的機會），而不是更具致命性的（減少傳播的機會）。
🚩翻譯精講：
1.with：這裡涉及到一個語法知識點：定語從句中介詞提前的條件——如果介詞還原回從句中和從句謂語動詞搭配，中文意思與原謂語動詞意思相一致，比如說compare=compare with，那麼介詞with就可以提前；原句中，spread=spread with，故with可以提前，翻譯中也不用特地翻譯with的意思。
2.在英譯漢中要適當增加連詞，保障句子的通順和邏輯性。
The first sample of b.1.1.7 was collected on September 20th, to the south-east of London. The second was found the following day in London itself. A few weeks later, at the beginning of November, b.1.1.7 accounted for 28% of new infections in Lon- don. By the first week of December that had risen to 62%. It is probably now above 90%. Variant 501.v2 has a similar history. It began in the Eastern Cape, the first samples dating from mid-October, and has since spread to other coastal provinces.
第一個b.1.1.7的樣本於9月20日在倫敦東南部採集。第二個是在之後的日子裡在倫敦發現。幾周後，在11月初，b.1.1.7佔倫敦新感染病例的28%。到12月的第一周，這一比例已經上升到62%。現在大概超過90%。變異病毒501.v2具有類似的歷史記錄。它開始於東開普，第一個樣本可以追溯到10月中旬，然後蔓延到其他沿海省份。
🚩詞彙、短語精講：
1.date from
追溯到，開始於，始建於
eg:I date this little disturbance from his birth.
我看這小病從他出生那天就有了。
2.coastal
a.沿海的，靠近海岸的
located on or near or bordering on a coast
eg:The coastal path is a popular route for walkers.
這條濱海小路是散步者很喜歡走的路徑
該段比較簡單，沒有其他模塊的精講。
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