1.Scientists Study Animal Mummies with 3D Technology
科學家用3D技術研究動物木乃伊
By John Russell
25 August 2020
Scientists recently used 3-D imaging technology to look inside the mummies of a cat, bird, and snake. The research is helping experts learn more about how ancient Egyptians treated animals.
科學家最近使用3D成像技術觀察貓，鳥和蛇的木乃伊內部。這項研究正在幫助專家更多地了解古埃及人如何對待動物。
Researchers said last week that they used a special technique, X-ray micro CT scanning, to look inside the mummies. The scanning process permits the scientists to study the mummies while keeping them whole. The CT scans were much more detailed than medical CT scans.
研究人員上周表示，他們使用了一種特殊的技術，即X射線微CT掃描來查看木乃伊的內部。掃描過程允許科學家研究木乃伊，同時保持它們完整。CT掃描比醫學CT掃描詳細得多。
The researchers published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.
研究人員在《科學報告》雜誌上發表了他們的發現。
Ancient Egyptians mummified not only humans but also many animals including cats, dogs, birds, snakes and crocodiles.
古埃及人不僅將人類木乃伊也木乃伊化了許多動物，包括貓，狗，鳥，蛇和鱷魚。
Carolyn Graves-Brown, a writer of the study, leads the Egypt Centre at Swansea University in Britain.
該研究的作者卡羅琳·格雷夫斯·布朗領導英國斯旺西大學埃及中心。
She noted that the three mummies were likely made as "votive offerings," or gifts, to the gods that Egyptians believed in. The dead animals were thought to serve as a link between Egyptian gods and living people.
她指出，這三個木乃伊很可能是獻給埃及人所信奉的諸神的「奉獻品」或禮物。這些死動物被認為是埃及諸神與眾生之間的紐帶。
The mummies had long been in Swansea's collection. Experts are not sure of their exact age.
木乃伊長期以來一直在斯旺西的收藏中。專家不確定自己的確切年齡。
The researchers found evidence that the snake, a young Egyptian Cobra, had been denied water while alive.
研究人員發現了證據，證明這條蛇是一條年輕的埃及眼鏡蛇，在活著時被拒水。
It was likely killed by a severe break of its backbone.
它可能被其骨幹嚴重斷裂而殺死。
The researchers found the snake's mouth open. It also contained a substance called natron. These findings suggest the snake had been part of an "opening of the mouth" ceremony, said Swansea engineering professor Richard Johnston. Johnston was the lead writer of the report.
研究人員發現蛇的嘴張開。它還含有一種叫做natron的物質。斯旺西工程學教授理察·約翰斯頓說，這些發現表明這條蛇是「張口」儀式的一部分。約翰斯頓是該報告的主要作者。
Ancient Egyptians believed that the ceremony would permit the mummified subjects to regain their senses in the afterlife.
古埃及人相信儀式將使木乃伊化的主體在來世恢復他們的感官。
Graves-Brown noted that the finding supports earlier evidence that the act was carried out with animals. The scientist added, "We know it was carried out on humans."
格雷夫斯布朗指出，這一發現支持了較早的證據表明該行為是對動物實施的。這位科學家補充說：「我們知道這是對人類進行的。」
The cat was probably around 5 months old when it died. Its neck was broken at the time of death or during the mummification process.
那隻貓死時可能大約5個月大。死亡時或在木乃伊化過程中，其脖子都折斷了。
The bird appears to be a Eurasian kestrel, of the falcon family.
該鳥似乎是歐亞，屬於獵鷹家族。
Ancient Egyptians linked snakes to many of their gods. Cats were often linked with the fertility goddess Bastet. Some birds were linked with sky gods such as Re and Horus.
古埃及人將蛇與許多神靈聯繫在一起。貓經常與生育女神巴斯特聯繫在一起。一些鳥類與諸如Re和Horus之類的天空之神聯繫在一起。
"Like us, the ancient Egyptians used and abused animals," Graves-Brown said. "There is evidence from the mummified remains of maltreatment."
格雷夫斯·布朗說：「像我們一樣，古埃及人使用和虐待動物。」 「有證據表明，木乃伊仍然受到虐待。」
I'm John Russell.
Will Dunham reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
3-D – adj.made in a way that causes an image to appear to be three-dimensional
mummy – n. a dead body of a person or animal prepared for burial in the manner of the ancient Egyptians by treating it with oils and wrapping it in strips of cloth
journal – n. a paper that reports on things of special interest to a particular group of people
maltreatment – n. the act of treating (someone) in a rough or cruel way
Tips
Egyptians – 埃及人
Graves-Brown – 格雷夫斯·布朗
Eurasian – 歐亞
Swansea – 斯旺西
Richard Johnston – 理察·約翰斯頓
Carolyn Graves-Brown – 卡羅琳·格雷夫斯·布朗
2.Florida Keys to Use Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Disease
佛羅裡達使用轉基因蚊子對抗疾病的鑰匙
By Bryan Lynn
25 August 2020
Officials in the Florida Keys plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes next year in an effort to fight insect-borne diseases.
佛羅裡達礁島礁的官員計劃明年釋放轉基因蚊子，以抗擊昆蟲傳播的疾病。
Genetically modified means an organism's genetic structure has been changed through genetic engineering.
基因改造意味著生物的遺傳結構已經通過基因工程改變了。
The test project in the Keys, a group of islands off Florida's southern coast, will involve the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The mosquito is not native to Florida. But it does transmit several diseases to humans, including dengue fever and the Zika virus.
Keys的測試項目是佛羅裡達南部海岸以外的一群島嶼，將涉及埃及伊蚊。 蚊子不是佛羅裡達州的原生動物。 但是它確實將多種疾病傳播給人類，包括登革熱和寨卡病毒。
In the Keys, nearly 50 cases of dengue have been reported so far this year.
到目前為止，今年在Keys中已報告了近50例登革熱病例。
The project is led by biotechnology company Oxitec. It is an American-owned company based in Britain. The plan calls for the release of millions of male, genetically modified mosquitoes to mate with females that bite humans.
該項目由生物技術公司Oxitec領導。 它是一家總部位於英國的美國獨資公司。 該計劃要求釋放數百萬隻經過基因改造的雄性蚊子，以便與咬人的雌性交配。
The company says its male mosquitoes, which do not bite, are genetically engineered with a protein that makes any female offspring unable to survive. The process aims to lower the overall population of the insects to reduce the transmission of disease.
該公司表示，不咬人的雄性蚊子是用一種蛋白質進行基因工程改造的，這種蛋白質可使任何雌性後代無法生存。 該過程旨在降低昆蟲的總數，以減少疾病的傳播。
Kevin Gorman is an Oxitec scientist. He told The Associated Press the company completed similar projects in the Cayman Islands and Brazil that went "extremely well."
凱文·高曼是Oxitec的科學家。 他告訴美聯社，該公司在開曼群島和巴西完成了類似的項目，進展「非常順利」。
"We have released over a billion of our mosquitoes over the years," Gorman said. "There is no potential for risk to the environment or humans."
高曼說：「這些年來，我們釋放了超過十億隻蚊子。」 「對環境或人類沒有潛在的風險。」
In a press release, Oxitec noted numerous studies by government agencies supporting the safety of the project. The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the experimental project. Several government agencies in Florida approved it as well.
在一份新聞稿中，Oxitec注意到政府機構為支持項目安全而進行的大量研究。 環境保護署和美國疾病控制與預防中心批准了該實驗項目。 佛羅裡達州的一些政府機構也批准了它。
Some groups, however, worry that the use of genetically modified organisms could change the planet's natural balance. At a recent meeting of the Florida Keys mosquito control board, several people questioned the effects of the project.
但是，一些團體擔心，使用轉基因生物可能會改變地球的自然平衡。 在佛羅裡達群島防蚊委員會的最近一次會議上，幾個人質疑該項目的效果。
"You have no idea what that will do," Barry Wray told the board. He is the director of the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition.
「你不知道該怎麼做，」巴裡·雷對董事會說。 他是佛羅裡達礁島群環境聯盟的主任。
Some experts have also questioned whether or not the modified mosquitoes can effectively crash the mosquito population in Florida as planned.
一些專家還質疑改性蚊子是否能夠按計劃有效地破壞佛羅裡達州的蚊子種群。
"The mosquitoes created in a lab have not gone through a natural selection process, in which only the fittest survive and mate," said Max Moreno, an expert in mosquito-borne diseases at Indiana University. He is not involved with the company or the test project.
印第安納大學蚊媒傳播疾病專家馬克斯·莫雷諾說：「實驗室中產生的蚊子沒有經過自然選擇過程，只有適者生存和交配。」 他沒有參與公司或測試項目。
Moreno asked, "Once they are released in the natural environment, will they be as fit as the naturally occurring males and able to outcompete them for mates?"
莫雷諾問道：「一旦它們在自然環境中被釋放，它們是否會像自然發生的雄性一樣健康，並能夠在競爭中勝過它們？
Another question is whether the mosquitoes could have unplanned effects on the environment. For example, if a spider, frog or bird eats the mosquito, will the modified protein have any effect on the predator?
另一個問題是蚊子是否會對環境造成意外影響。 例如，如果蜘蛛，青蛙或小鳥吃了蚊子，修飾的蛋白質對捕食者有什麼影響嗎？
Moreno said an ecosystem is so complex and involves so many species that it would be nearly impossible to test all of them beforehandin a laboratory.
莫雷諾說，一個生態系統是如此複雜，涉及的物種如此之多，以至於幾乎不可能在實驗室中對所有這些物種進行測試。
Still, Keys mosquito board members voted 4-1 in favor of the project. One of the supporters was Jill Cranny-Gage. She told the meeting that insecticides and other chemical methods have become less effective against the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
儘管如此，Keys蚊子委員會成員還是以4-1投票贊成該項目。 支持者之一是吉爾·克蘭尼·蓋奇。 她在會議上說，殺蟲劑和其他化學方法對埃及伊蚊的作用已減弱。
"The science is there," Cranny-Gage said. "We're trying everything in our power, and we're running out of options."
「科學在那裡，」 Cranny-Gage說。 「我們正在竭盡全力，而我們的選擇也用光了。」
I'm Bryan Lynn.
The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit 51VOA.COM.
________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
transmit – v. to cause a virus of disease to be given to others
offspring – n. the child of a person or animal
potential – n. qualities or abilities that may develop and permit someone or something to succeed
predator – n. animal that hunts and kills other animals for food
ecosystem – n. a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants
beforehand – adv. before a particular time or event
option – n. a choice
Tips
Florida – 佛羅裡達
Aedes aegypti mosquito – 埃及伊蚊
Dengue fever – 登革熱
Zika virus – 寨卡病毒
Kevin Gorman – 凱文·高曼
Jill Cranny-Gag – 吉爾·克蘭尼·加格
3.Try These Activities for English Speaking Practice
試試這些英語口語練習活動吧
By Alice Bryant
25 August 2020
Have you ever recorded yourself on an electronic device while speaking English? If so, what kinds of things did you notice?
你是否曾經在說英語的時候用電子設備為自己錄音？如果有，你覺察到了哪些事情？
Recording yourself gives you the chance to listen to and critique your English speaking skills. You can take note of things like sentence structure, word choice, pronunciation and fluency. This can give you a better idea of what your strengths are and which areas need more work.
Today on Education Tips, we will talk about two recording activities you can do to strengthen your speaking skills.
給自己錄音可以為你提供一個聆聽並評判你英語口語技能的機會。你可以記筆記，比如句子結構、詞彙選擇、發音和流利程度。這可以給你提供更好的想法，關於你的能力有多少以及哪些地方需要多下功夫。今天，在教學貼士裡，我們將要談論兩種可以提升你口語技能的錄音活動。
Retelling a story
複述一個故事
The first activity involves narrative storytelling.
第一項活動包含敘事。
William Stout teaches at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. His specialty is teaching English as a foreign language. He says some speaking activities do not give an accurate picture of your true language skills. But narrative storytelling does.
威廉·斯達特在哥倫比亞特區華盛頓市的喬治城大學教書。他的專業是教授作為外語的英語。他說一些口語活動並沒有準確呈現你的真實語言技能。但是敘事可以。
Narrative storytelling is the retelling of a story. It can be a short piece of fiction, such as a program from the VOA Learning English series American Stories, or it can be the retelling of a news event. Or you can talk about something that happened in your own life.
敘事就是對一個故事的複述。它可以是短篇小說，比如說來自VOA英語學習系列美國故事中的一個節目，或者它也可以是對一個新聞事件的複述。或者你可以談論發生在你自己生活中的事情。
Stout explains that narrative storytelling frees your mind from forming complex ideas, which lets you speak more easily in English. On the other hand, he notes, an activity requiring your opinion can slow you down. That is because it forces you to think about your ideas as you say them.
斯達特解釋說，敘事可以讓你的思維從程式化的複雜想法中解脫出來，這樣能讓你說英語時更自如。另一方面，他說，一項需要你觀點的活動可以讓你慢下來。那是因為它強制你在說的同時思考你的想法。
For the narrative storytelling activity, Stout says try to provide as many details as possible and aim for a recording of three minutes or fewer.
對於敘事活動而言，斯達特說努力提供儘可能多的細節，以錄音三分鐘或少一點兒為目標。
"Don't just say, 『I studied at the library.' Say, 『I walked into the library and I thought about where I should sit. And most of the seats were taken, so I looked around and I finally found a spot, but it was near the window. But it was chilly, so I had to keep my coat on.' Something like that."
「不要只是說，『我在圖書館學習。』要說，『我步行進入圖書館，然後我思考著我應該坐在哪兒。大部分座位都有人了，所以我四處觀望然後最終找到了一個地點，但是它靠近窗戶。但那兒太冷了，所以我不得不穿上我的外套。』像那樣的東西。」
The goal in giving such detail is not to fill the time, but to speak at a faster speed because you do not have to stop and think of each idea separately.
提供這些細節的目的不是為了填充時間，而是為了說話語速更快，因為你不用停下來去單獨思考每個觀點。
Before the activity, Stout suggests speaking out loud to yourself a few times to make sure you have your main points in mind.
在活動之前，斯達特建議大聲地自言自語幾遍，以確保你在內心有自己的主要觀點。
When listening to the recording, do not expect to find all or even most grammar or vocabulary mistakes, he says. But you can easily find some mistakes, such as wrong verb tenses, verb endings and noun endings. You can also take note of your language fluency. Other things are harder to do yourself, like recognizing and critiquing individual sounds from words.
當聽錄音的時候，不要期待著找到全部或大部分的語法或詞彙錯誤，他說。但你可以輕鬆地找到一些錯誤，比如說錯誤的動詞時態、動詞詞尾和名詞詞尾。你還可以記下你的語言流利程度。其他事情比較難獨自完成，比如說從單詞中分辨並評判單獨的發音。
After the first recording, Stout says, record yourself telling the same story at least once more and take note of your progress. But avoid memorizing your speech.
第一次錄音後，斯達特說，至少再錄一次你講同一個故事的聲音，並且記下你的進步。但避免背誦你的演講內容。
Giving, getting directions
給予或獲取方向
The second activity involves giving and getting directions.
第二項活動包含給予或獲取方向。
Wynter Oshiberu teaches English in the Washington, D.C. area. She works for the International Center for Language Studies and Montgomery Community College. She is also a volunteer English teacher for a nonprofit group called Paper Airplanes.
溫特·奧什貝魯在哥倫比亞特區華盛頓市教英語。她在語言研究國際中心和蒙哥馬利社區大學工作。她還是非公益組織紙飛機的志願英語老師。
Oshiberu says giving directions is a real-world skill and one you can use almost anywhere. And you can train by yourself if you do not have people to speak English with.
奧什貝魯說指引方向是現實世界的技能，也是你在幾乎任何地方都會用到的。而且如果你沒有可以一起說英語的人，你可以獨自訓練。
The first step in the activity is to choose a starting point and a destination.
這個活動的第一步是選擇一個起點和一個終點。
For the starting point, she says, choose a place that you know well, like your home or a nearby bus or train station.
對於起點，她說，選擇你熟悉的地點，像你的家或者附近的公交站或火車站。
For the destination, choose a place you need to travel to more often, such as the supermarket, train station, your work place or favorite eating place.
對於終點，選擇一個你需要經常去的地方，比如說超市、火車站、你的工作地點或者喜歡去的用餐場所。
Then, record yourself giving the directions. The recording should not be longer than one minute.
然後，在指引方向時錄音。錄音不要超過一分鐘。
Oshiberu says the activity is a good way to employ the imperative form, also known as the command form. In English, the command form begins with a verb, as in, "Turn right when you reach the doctor's office."
奧什貝魯說這項活動是應用命令形式（也被稱為祈使形式）的好方法。在英語中，祈使形式以動詞開頭，例如「當你到達醫生辦公室時向右轉。」
Note however that, when giving directions, native English speakers sometimes add the subject "you" to the start of a command.
不管怎樣，但指引方向時，地道的英語表達者有時候會在命令的開頭增加主語「你」。
"The correct way, if you're telling someone what to do, you might want to start off with, 『First, you go right on 7th Street' or 'First, you turn right on 7th Street' or just 『Turn right on 7th Street.'"
「正確的方式，如果你正在告訴別人怎麼做，你要想這樣開始，『首先，你在第七大道向右轉』或者『首先，你在第七大道向右轉』或者就『在第七大道向右轉』。」
Avoid adding the modal verb "can," which Oshiberu notes is a common mistake of English learners. For example, avoid saying something like, "You can turn right on 7th Street."
When listening to your recording, take note of your subject-verb agreement, use of prepositions, use of the command form and pronunciation.
避免增加情態動詞「can」，奧什貝魯指出這是英語學習者的常見錯誤。例如，避免說出類似這樣的，「你可以在第七大道向右轉。」當聽你的錄音時，記下你的主語-動詞一致性，介詞使用，祈使形式的使用和發音。
You can even try using your own directions yourself, Oshiberu adds. In other words, play the recording as you walk from the starting point to the destination. This will let you know whether your directions were clear and accurate.
你甚至可以嘗試著用你自己的方向，奧什貝魯補充道。換句話說，當你從起點走到終點時，播放錄音。這會讓你知道你的方向是否清晰準確。
Another way to practice getting directions is to use your phone's GPS or global positioning system.
另一個練習指引方向的方法是用你手機裡的GPS，即全球定位系統。
To do this, she suggests changing the language settings on the GPS system to English. Then, choose a destination to get walking directions to, a place that is not too far away. Set the GPS so you can listen to the directions and then follow the directions to the destination.
要做這個，她建議說將GPS系統中的語言設置換成英語。然後，選擇一個終點來獲取步行指引，一個不那麼遠的地點。打開GPS，這樣你可以聽到指示並遵循指示到達終點。
Oshiberu says listening to directions is useful because, when you give directions to a real person, they are probably going to ask questions.
奧什貝魯說聽指示很有用因為，當你對一個真人指引方向時，他們可能會問問題。
That brings our program to a close. As you try these speaking activities, remember to relax and enjoy the process. And don't forget to celebrate the things you do well! Let us know how it goes.
我們的節目已近尾聲了。當你嘗試這些口語活動時，記得放輕鬆，享受進步。並且別忘了為你做得好的事情慶祝一下！讓我們知道它進展得如何了。
I'm Alice Bryant.
Alice Bryant wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
_______________________________________________________________
Transcribe Yourself
If you would like to more closely observe the grammar and vocabulary in your speaking, you can transcribe your recordings. To transcribe means to put your speech into written or typed form.
There are two ways to do this.
You can use a transcription service, such as Google's speech recognition service, which offers a free trial period. Such services automatically type out the words you speak. However, note that these services usually work better for common accents.
The second way is to type or write the words yourself after you record yourself. This might involve having to rewind the recording a few times, but it can also act as a good English writing practice exercise.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
pronunciation - n. the way in which a word or name is said
fluency - n. the ability to speak easily and smoothly
accurate - adj. able to produce results that are correct
fiction - n. written stories about people and events that are not real : literature that tells stories which are imagined by the writer
library - n. a place where books, magazines, and other materials (such as videos and musical recordings) are available for people to use or borrow
spot - n. a particular space or area
chilly - adj. noticeably cold
coat - n. an outer piece of clothing that can be long or short and that is worn to keep warm or dry
destination - n. a place to which a person is going or something is being sent
relax - v. to stop feeling nervous or worried
accent - n. a way of pronouncing words that occurs among the people in a particular region or country
Tips
William Stout – 威廉·斯託特
Georgetown University – 喬治敦大學
Wynter Oshiberu – 溫特·歐斯貝魯
Montgomery Community College – 蒙哥馬利社區學院
整理：Bluebell
翻譯：小鄧，Megi
Tips: 魚頭