今天是Economist with Elite English的第 21 天
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21世紀是人口老齡化的世紀，歐洲則是人口老齡化的「重災區」。許多歐洲國家老齡人口超過15%。大概有1/3以上的老人會選擇養老院。不幸的是，老年人本身是新冠肺炎的高危人群。又因為疫情爆發最初的混亂，不少養老院陷入停頓狀態，也使得老人缺乏照料，死亡病例集中在養老院。法國有30%病亡者來自養老院，比利時在疫情中累計病亡5453人，其中半數以上死於養老院。受疫情影響，許多養老院進行了封院，嚴格限制老年人與外界的接觸。如何在保證老人健康的同時，幫助老人克服孤獨成為各國放開管制時關注的重點。
The guiding principle in Finland is that for anyone, no matter what their age, "home is best".
芬蘭的指導原則是，無論什麼年紀，對每個人而言「家都是最好的」。
whatever與no matter what的區別Whatever有兩個用法，一是引導名詞性從句（如主語從句、賓語從句、表語從句），二是用於引導讓步狀語從句。Whatever she did was right. Whatever we said, he'd disagree. whatever還可用於加強語氣，相當於what ever, what on earth等。No matter what只能引導讓步狀語從句（不能引導名詞性從句），其意為「無論什麼」。No matter what happened, he would not say a word. no matter what與引導狀語從句的whatever用法相同，有時可互換。No matter what you say, I believe you. =Whatever you say, I believe you. 有時no matter what引起的從句中動詞會被省略。I』ve decided to leave tomorrow, no matter what (happens). Nurses and care workers drop in, often several times a day, to help with meals, bathing, medication, or just to check that everything is all right. 護士和護工往往每天家訪多次，幫助需要照顧的人用餐、洗浴、用藥，或者只是來看看是否一切正常。to pay an informal visit to a person or a placeI thought I'd drop in on you while I was passing. to leave school, college, etc. without finishing your studiesShe started a degree but dropped out after only a year. immediately; without hesitatingThe company can't expect me to move my home and family at the drop of a hat. an amount of sth that is too small or unimportant to make any real difference to a situation
help sb off / on with sth to help sb put on / take off a piece of clothingLet me help you off with your coat. to help sb, especially in a difficult situationWhen I bought the house, my sister helped me out with a loan. it is not possible to avoid doing sth that may harm sb in some wayThere's no help for it. We shall have to call the police. Such a painstaking service will be harder to provide as Finland ages. In the next ten years the number of residents older than 75 is expected to increase by around half, as people live longer and the baby-boomers become octogenarians. 但隨著芬蘭社會日益老齡化，提供這種耗時耗力的上門服務會變得越來越難。人們的壽命更長了，加上嬰兒潮一代成為耄耋老人，預計未來十年芬蘭75歲以上的居民人數將增加一半左右。
painstaking adj. 需細心的；辛苦的；需專注的needing a lot of care, effort and attention to detailThe event had been planned with painstaking attention to detail. 這次活動的細節是經過精心計劃的。
expect是對客觀上會發生什麼事的「預期」、「預料」、「事先估計」，沒有主觀的好惡，與hope, wish等不同。I'll do my best, but don't expect miracles. You expect that from...是個常用詞組，表示某一現象（that）是某事的常態，不足為怪。You expect that from a guy like him. 如果是對他人或外界事物將會如何的預測，或是按照已有的規定或義務認為某人應該如何，可以以該人或事物作為賓語，後面再加動詞不定式。We expect Jupiter to have basically the same composition as the sun. expect也可以有「（按照預定）要求（某人做某事）」的意思。What do you expect me to do about it? expect也可以變為被動語氣，此時被預測或被要求如何如何的人或事物成為主語。Wal-Mart is expected to appeal. 預計沃爾瑪將提出上訴。如果to expect to inf. 或to be expected to inf. 用的是過去或過去完成時態，則往往有「結果與原先預料不同」的意思。Eight of ten reported having a successful relationship with their roommates, 10％ lower than had expected to do so. 十個人當中有八個表示與同屋居住者關係良好，這比預期低了百分之十。expect本來意義是主觀無法左右的一種對未來的預測，因此本來不能用現在或過去進行時態，但是如果轉義為某種有意識的行為「等待」，則可以用進行時態。She's expecting a baby in May.
octogenarian n.八旬老人；80 至 89 歲的人 a person between 80 and 89 years old
Finland's answer to this challenge is technology-unsurprising in a country that claims to have the biggest number of digital health startups per person. 面對這種挑戰，芬蘭的對策是科技。這不足為奇，既然這個國家聲稱人均擁有最多數字健康創業公司。a person or thing from six place that may be thought to be as good as a famous person or thing from another placeThe new theme park will be Britain's answer to Disneyland.
have / know all the answers to be confident that you know sth, especially when you actually do notHe thinks he knows all the answers. to say that sb else will do sth or have a particular opinionI agree, but I can't answer for my colleagues. to have to explain your actions or decisions to sbAll sales clerks answer to the store manager. 這個單詞，無論作為名詞或是動詞，基本意思都是「伸張（固有權利）」、「要求（實現權利）」、「（按照權利）追索（應得的利益）」。He claimed diplomatic immunity. 但是這個單詞用得越來越多，詞義逐漸擴大，後來，聲稱有某個對說話者自己有利但與權利不相干的情況，也用claim，這種用法，有人反對，但相當流行。They claimed their city was the best place to live. The time for claiming ignorance as an excuse may be coming to an end.意義再擴大，主語可以是一場天災人禍，claim表示「索取」，直接賓語是生命財產或其他方面的損失。The conflict has claimed casualties over the years. 在新聞用語中，claim有「自稱某事是自己所為」的意思，尤其用於有關恐怖行為的新聞中。Two truck bombs set off in quick succession sheared off the fronts of UN offices and a government building in Algeria's capital Tuesday, killing at least 26 people and wounding nearly 200 in an attack claimed by an affiliate of al-Qaida.星期二在阿爾及爾首都，兩枚先後緊接引發的卡車炸彈，炸掉了聯合國辦公處和一座政府建築的正面，殺害了至少26人，炸傷了大約兩百人，這次襲擊，「基地」組織的一個附屬單位，聲稱是它幹的。
立即；毫不遲疑at the drop of a hat滄海一粟；九牛一毛 a drop in the ocean幫某人脫 / 穿衣服help sb off / on with sth 沒辦法；別無選擇there is no help for it (自以為)全懂，什麼都精通have / know all the answers代表…講話；代表…的意見answer for sb向某人(為某事)負責answer to sb (for sth)The guiding principle in Finland is that for anyone, no matter what their age, "home is best". Nurses and care workers drop in, often several times a day, to help with meals, bathing, medication, or just to check that everything is all right. Such a painstaking service will be harder to provide as Finland ages. In the next ten years the number of residents older than 75 is expected to increase by around half, as people live longer and the baby-boomers become octogenarians. Finland's answer to this challenge is technology-unsurprising in a country that claims to have the biggest number of digital health startups per person. 參考譯文：芬蘭的指導原則是，無論什麼年紀，對每個人而言「家都是最好的」。護士和護工往往每天家訪多次，幫助需要照顧的人用餐、洗浴、用藥，或者只是來看看是否一切正常。但隨著芬蘭社會日益老齡化，提供這種耗時耗力的上門服務會變得越來越難。人們的壽命更長了，加上嬰兒潮一代成為耄耋老人，預計未來十年芬蘭75歲以上的居民人數將增加一半左右。面對這種挑戰，芬蘭的對策是科技。這不足為奇，既然這個國家聲稱人均擁有最多數字健康創業公司。
1.芬蘭的指導原則是，無論什麼年紀，對每個人而言「家都是最好的」。
難度：★★★☆☆
英文:_____________________________________
2.護士和護工往往每天家訪多次，幫助需要照顧的人用餐、洗浴、用藥，或者只是來看看是否一切正常。
英文:_____________________________________
3. 面對這種挑戰，芬蘭的對策是科技。這不足為奇，既然這個國家聲稱人均擁有最多數字健康創業公司。
難度：★★☆☆☆
英文:_____________________________________