VOA常速英语2021--英国和欧盟打响新冠疫苗争夺战

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Europe's battle to secure COVID-19 vaccines² intensified³ on Thursday as it threated to use legal means, and even block exports, to ensure supply. Reuters Lucy Fielder reports. European Council President Charles Michel said in a letter to four EU leaders that the bloc⁴ should explore all options at its disposal if negotiations⁵ with companies over delayed deliveries failed. Meanwhile, Britain insisted it receive all the shots it paid for, after the European Union asked AstraZeneca to divert supplies from the U.K. British cabinet minister Michael Gove said Thursday the U.K.'s orders must be honored. The EU is lagging behind ex-member Britain, as well as the United States and Israel, in rolling out the vaccine¹. And is now scrambling⁶ to get supplies as the West's drug-making giants slow deliveries because of production problems. That's Reuters Lucy Fielder.

周四，欧洲为获得新冠疫苗而展开的斗争愈演愈烈，欧洲国家威胁要使用法律手段，甚至阻止出口，以确保供应。请听路透社记者露西·菲尔德带来报道。欧洲理事会主席查尔斯·米歇尔在致四位欧盟领导人的信中表示，如果与疫苗企业就延迟交货问题的谈判失败，欧盟应探讨所有可供选择的方案。与此同时，英国坚称自己收到了所有订购的疫苗，此前，欧盟曾要求阿斯利康将其新冠疫苗的供应从英国转移到欧洲大陆。英国内阁大臣迈克尔·戈夫星期四表示，英国的订单必须得到尊重。欧盟在接种疫苗方面落后于前成员国英国、美国和以色列。由于西方制药巨头因生产问题而推迟交货，欧盟现在正争夺疫苗供应。我是路透社记者露西·菲尔德。

A liquid nitrogen leak at a Georgia poultry⁷ plant killed six people Thursday. AP's Ed Donahue reports. The call came in from the Foundation Food Group poultry plant in Gainesville, Georgia. "... they found a large contingent⁸ of employees that had evacuated⁹, along with multiple victims that were in that crowd that were also experiencing medical emergencies ...." County Fire Chief Zach Brackett says they don't know yet what caused the leak. Poultry plants rely on refrigeration systems. "The product in question that's involved in this incident has been confirmed to be liquid nitrogen." When leaked into the air, liquid nitrogen vaporizes into an odorless gas that is capable of displacing oxygen. Gainesville is the center of Georgia's poultry industry, which is the nation's largest. I'm Ed Donahue.

星期四，佐治亚州一家家禽工厂发生液氮泄漏事故，造成6人死亡。请听美联社记者埃德·多纳霍报道。这通电话来自佐治亚州盖恩斯维尔的基金会食品集团家禽工厂。"……他们发现一大批员工已经撤离，还有一大群受害者正在进行医疗急救”县消防局长扎克·布拉克特称，他们还不知道是什么导致了泄漏事件。家禽工厂依靠制冷系统。“此次事件相关的涉案产品已确认为液氮。”当液氮泄漏到空气中时，它会蒸发成一种无味的气体，能够驱逐氧气。盖恩斯维尔是佐治亚州家禽业的中心，拥有美国最大的家禽业。我是埃德·多纳霍。

The Commerce Department reports the U.S. economy shrank by 3.5 percent last year but one economist¹⁰ says it could have been worse. AP's Mike Hempen¹¹ reports. "If we did not get the recovery in the third quarter and then just the 4 percent rise in the fourth quarter, I think that things could have been substantially worse." That's CFRA research chief investment strategist Sam Stovall, referring to the gross domestic product's record 33 percent surge in the third quarter after it had plunged¹² by the same amount in the second quarter following the arrival of the coronavirus in March. Stovall thinks the economy will begin this year on the upswing. "I think in the fourth quarter we're going to see a gain of more than 3 percent." Stovall expects a strong surge in the second quarter as well. But he says there won't be a sustained economic breakthrough until people have confidence that the COVID vaccinations¹³ they're receiving are working. Mike Hempen, Washington. Find more at our website voanews.com. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA news.

美国商务部报告称，美国经济去年萎缩了3.5%，但一位经济学家表示，情况可能更糟。请听美联社记者迈克·亨彭带来报道。“我们没有在去年的第三季度实现复苏，随后在第四季度仅实现了4%的增长，我认为情况可能更糟。”这位经济学家是CFRA研究公司的首席投资策略师萨姆?斯托瓦尔，他提到美国去年第三季度的国内生产总值虽然创纪录地飙升了33%，但此前，在3月冠状病毒爆发后，第二季度国内生产总值也出现了同样幅度的暴跌。斯托瓦尔认为，今年经济将开始复苏。“我认为第四季度我们将看到超过3%的增长。”斯托瓦尔预计，今年第二季度也将出现强劲的增长。但他表示，除非人们相信他们接种的新冠疫苗是有效的，否则就不会有持续的经济突破。迈克·亨彭，华盛顿报道。您可以访问我们的网站voanews.com浏览更多新闻。我是大卫·伯德，为您远程报道美国之音新闻。