时事新闻-20-2

11

Air conditioners are always good?

In 2012, office workers in Japan can wear T-shirts and shorts to work instead of（代替）business suits and ties. People may not understand why these companies let their workers wear this kind of clothes at work, because workers have to wear some official（正式的）clothes to be professional（专业的）.

The answer is quite easy. The government is trying to reduce（减少） the use of air conditioner（空调）. Although air conditioner makes us feel cool and comfortable, it is not good for our environment. They use a lot of electricity, cause a waster of power and add to the effects of global warming and rising sea level. By doing so, our environment will improve a lot in the long term.

空调有什么不足之处吗？

2012年，日本办公室人员在上班的时候穿着T恤和短裤，而无需再穿西装打领带。人们对这些让员工上班穿便服的举措迷惑不解，因为人们工作时穿着正式的服装会显得非常专业。

问题的答案其实非常简单，因为政府打算通过这样的措施减少空调的使用。虽然空调让我们在夏天可以过上凉爽舒适的生活，但这对环境却会造成破坏。空调对电的消耗不仅会导致能源的浪费，还能导致全球变暖以及海平面上升。通过这样做，我们的环境在将来能够得到很大改善。

12

The host city of 2020 Summer Olympics

Just as the 2012 Summer Olympics is about to begin in London, the world is already wondering（想知道）which country will host（举办）the 2020 Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee（IOC，国际奥委会）has announced（宣布）that Tokyo, Japan, Madrid, Spain, and Turkey are their top choices to host the 2020 Olympic Games. The host city will be chosen in September 2013. Why are these countries interested in hosting Olympics because it will spend a lot of money in preparing for the Games? It will not only let the whole world know the country’s culture and history, but also promote（促进）the development of one country’s economy, especially the development of tourism.

2020夏季奥运会的举办城市

伦敦奥运会即将在2012年举行，同时，全世界也在期待着2020夏季奥运会举办城市的揭晓。

国际奥委会宣布日本东京、西班牙马德里和土耳其成为了2012年夏季奥运会举办城市的最佳选择。究竟会花落谁家呢？这个结果将在2013年夏天揭晓。一个国家不得不花费一大笔钱为奥运会的举办做准备，为什么还有那么多的国家争做奥运会举办国家呢？那是因为这不仅能让全世界通过奥运会了解一个国家的文化和历史，而且也能促进该国的经济发展，特别是旅游业的发展。

13

2012 is not the end of the world

Many people are afraid that the world will come to an end on December 21, 2012. That is because they believe that the day is the last day of the Mayan calendar（日历）. Therefore, people all round the world are wondering （想知道）whether it is true or not. Even some people have built a large ship to escape （逃跑）when that day comes, while other people put away a lot of food and drinks.

According to a new discovery（发现）reported in Science, scientists studied the Mayan calendar and found there was no hint（线索）that the calendar would end in December 2012. The idea of Mayan people was totally wrong. Instead, it was just a new cycle that would start then.

2012并非世界末日

很多人担心2012年12月21日将会是世界的末日，那是因为他们相信这一天是玛雅人日历里最后的一天。因此，全世界的人们都想弄清楚这个结论到底是否真实。有些人甚至为了那一天建造一艘巨大的诺亚方舟以便逃生，而另一些则为自己储备了很多的食物和饮料。

根据《科学》杂志报道的最新发现，对玛雅日历进行深入研究后，科学家们并没有发现2012年12月为世界末日的任何线索。玛雅人的这个预言完全没有科学性。相反，也学这只是一个新的轮回的开始。

14

A milk cow with six legs

Six is a lucky number in China and it is certainly lucky for the milk cow Lilli. The baby cow was born with six legs. People in Switzerland feel surprised at it. The famer, named Andreas is the owner（主人）of Lilli. He told the reporter that vets（兽医）had said that Lilli would not survive（存活）because of her six legs. However, Andreas didn’t want to have her killed because she seemed be so full of life. Luckily, Lilli has survived so well. She is 7 weeks old now. But she is unlikely to become of a normal（正常的）milk cow because of the way her spine（脊柱）is shaped. Now, Lilli lives a very happy life and her pictures are filling the Swiss newspapers.

一直六条腿的奶牛

“6”一直是中国人眼中的幸运数字，这个数字对于奶牛Lilli来说也是幸运的，因为她生来就有6条腿。瑞士的人们对这个新闻惊讶不已。农民Andreas是Lilli的主人，他告诉记者兽医起初以为Lilli没法活下来，因为她张了6条腿。然后，Andreas不想宰掉这头奶牛，因为她看上去是如此充满生机。幸运地是，Lilli活了下来，现在已经有7周大。由于脊柱的形成方式，Lilli注定不能成为一头正常的奶牛。现在，Lilli生活得非常开心，她的照片出现在瑞士各种各样的报纸上。

15

An air crash in Russia

According to a new report, a Russian passenger plane carrying 43 people has crashed（坠毁）shortly after it took off in Siberia.

Russia’s Emergency Ministry said that thirty-two people were killed and 11 survivors（幸存者） have been taken to hospital. There were thirty-nine passengers and four crew members（机组人员）on board the plane. However, it remains unclear what caused（导致）the crash. A search team found it had crashed and burst into flames in a snowy field about 35 kilometers from Tyumen. In fact, air safety have been bad in Russia but it seems to be improving（改善）. Last year, at least 15 Russian planes crashed, killing more than 120 people in all.

俄罗斯坠机事件

根据一个最新报道，一架载有43名乘客的俄罗斯客机在西伯利亚起飞后坠毁了。

俄罗斯紧急事务部表示，机上三分之二的乘客遇难，仅有11名幸存者，目前已被送往医院。机上一共有39名乘客和4名机组人员。然后，飞机失事的原因目前尚未确定。一支搜寻队发现飞机坠毁之后在秋明35千米开外的地方燃起了熊熊大火。事实上，俄国的航空安全一直是个问题，只是现在的情况有所改善。去年，至少有15架俄罗斯客机坠毁，超过120人在飞机失事中丧生。