新闻具有时效性和传播性，人们不仅可以通过阅读新闻了解时事资讯，还可以获得关于新事物和新知识的学习的机会，而英语新闻还多了一项帮助英语学习者和爱好者的学习和提高英语的作用。近来关于新型冠状病毒的英语新闻不仅为我们提供了相关的资讯而且还提供了相关的英语学习资料。下面即以一则关于新冠病毒的英语新闻，从词汇释义和难句解析与翻译三个方面和有兴趣的英语学习者和爱好者进行探讨。
一、关于新冠病毒的英语新闻
What is the virus?
Coronavirus is a large family of viruses, which include severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
Common symptoms include a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and possibly a headache. Those who have a weakened immune system, particularly the young and the elderly, are at risk of the virus turning into a more serious respiratory tract illness.
Authorities said the Wuhan coronavirus was passed from animals to humans; can be spread from person to person; and appears to cause pneumonia in people who have weakened immune systems.
It is thought to be milder than SARS and MERS and take longer to develop symptoms. Patients to date have typically experienced a mild cough for a week followed by shortness of breath, causing them to visit a hospital.
Experts are now trying to understand how it is being transmitted, who is at most risk and whether transmission is occurring mostly in hospitals or in the community.
In one instance, 14 doctors and nurses operating on a patient -- who was not known to be carrying the virus -- were all infected with it, suggesting it can be spread relatively easily.
Where is this happening?
The outbreak emerged last month in the largest city in central China, Wuhan, a city of 11 million people in Hubei province.
Officials linked it to Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, saying wild animals sold there are the likely source of the virus. The market has been closed since January 1 for disinfection and officials are scrambling to discover its animal source.
Scientists in China say that the virus might have jumped from bats to snakes, which were sold in the local seafood market in Wuhan, and then to humans.
However, how the virus could adapt to both the cold-blooded and warm-blooded hosts remains a mystery, and further tests are necessary to determine the source animal.
As deaths mount in the city, officials imposed a number of new measures including the postponement of New Year celebrations in Wuhan, a ban on tour agencies from bringing groups of people out of the city and thermal monitors and screening in public spaces.
How does this compare to the SARS virus?
Scientists say the infectiousness of the virus is not as strong as SARS, but have added that the number of people infected is climbing.
SARS infected more than 8,000 people and killed 774 in a pandemic that ripped through Asia in 2002 and 2003.
On Thursday, David Heymann, the chairman of a World Health Organization committee gathering data on the outbreak, said the virus spreads more easily from person to person than previously thought.
But there is still much that is not known about the virus and, as the above graphic shows, its death rate is far smaller than that seen during the SARS outbreak.
二、词汇释义
virus：病毒
coronavirus：冠状病毒
acute：（疾病）急性的
respiratory：呼吸的
syndrome：综合征
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)：严重急性呼吸综合征
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)：中东呼吸综合征
immune：免疫的
tract：（身体器官的）道
pneumonia：肺炎
to date：迄今，到目前为止
transmit：传播
operate on：给......做手术
be infected with：被传染
emerge：（从隐蔽处）出现，显现，暴露
wholesale：批发
likely：可能的
disinfection：消毒
scramble：争夺，力争
adapt：（使）适应
cold-blooded：冷血的
warm-blooded：温血的
host：宿主
mount：逐步增加
impose：推行，强制实行
postponement：推迟
ban：禁止
thermal：温热的
screen：筛查
pandemic：（疾病）大流行
rip through：横冲直闯，肆虐
graphic：图表
三、难句解析与翻译
1. An outbreak of new coronavirus has sickened nearly 1,300 people and killed at least 41 in mainland China, while spreading to countries around the world.
1.1. 解析：
本句中，outbreak是主语是，has sickened ...1,300 people and killed ... 41是并列谓宾语，while spreading... 是连接词接现在分词短语作状语，可以看作是while the outbreak is spreading的省略形式，spreading的逻辑主语是outbreak。
1.2. 翻译：
中国大陆爆发了新型冠状病毒导致将近1,300人患病和至少41人死亡，与此同时，世界其它也发生传播病例。
2. Patients to date have typically experienced a mild cough for a week followed by shortness of breath, causing them to visit a hospital.
2.1. 解析：
本句中，patients是主语，have ... experienced a mild cough是谓宾语，followed by ... 是过去分词短语作定语修饰week，causing... 是现在分词短语作状语。
2.2. 翻译：
到目前为止，患者经历了典型的轻微咳嗽一周之后，紧接着出现呼吸短促情况，导致他们去医院看病。
3. Experts are now trying to understand how it is being transmitted, who is at most risk and whether transmission is occurring mostly in hospitals or in the community.
3.1. 解析：
本句中，Experts are ... trying to understand是主谓语，后接三个并列宾语从句，how it is ..., who is at most risk ... and whether transmission is ...，其中it is being transmitted是被动语态的进行时态。
3.2. 翻译：
们现在正在极力弄清楚病毒如何是进行传播的，谁的风险大以及是医院还是居民区病毒传播的多。
4. In one instance, 14 doctors and nurses operating on a patient -- who was not known to be carrying the virus -- were all infected with it, suggesting it can be spread relatively easily.
4.1. 解析：
本句中，... 14 doctors and nurses ... were all infected with it ... 是主谓语，operating ... 是现在分词短语作定语修饰doctors and nurses，-- who was not known to be carrying the virus --是以破折号形式，实质是以定语从句说明修饰patient，suggesting ...是现在分词短语作状语修饰主句， 后接宾语从句it can be spread ...。
4.2. 翻译：
有个案表明，曾经为一名无症状显示的病毒携带者做手术的14名医护人员被感染上了病毒，说明这个病毒可能比较容易传播。
5. Officials linked it to Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, saying wild animals sold there are the likely source of the virus.
5.1. 解析：
本句中，Officials linked it to ... 是主谓宾语，saying ... 是现在分词短语作状语修饰主句，wild animals ... are the likely source of the virus是宾语从句，sold there是过去分词短语作定语修饰animals。
5.2. 翻译：
官员认为病毒和海鲜批发市场相关，说那里售卖的野生动物很可能是病毒的来源。
6. As deaths mount in the city, officials imposed a number of new measures including the postponement of New Year celebrations in Wuhan, a ban on tour agencies from bringing groups of people out of the city and thermal monitors and screening in public spaces.
6.1. 解析：
本句比较复杂，As deaths mount in the city是状语从句表示时间，officials imposed a number ... 是主谓宾语，including the postponement ..., a ban ... and thermal monitors and screening ... 是介词短语作状语，后接三个并列宾语。
6.2. 翻译：
随着死亡人数的逐步增加，政府采取了一系列新措施，包括推迟庆祝新年，禁止旅行社带团出城，在公共地方进行温热监测和筛查。
