每日新聞播報（March 1）

A nursing home resident receives a shot of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at King David Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, a nursing home facility, in Brooklyn's Bath Beach neighborhood in New York City, US, Jan 6, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]

>Life expectancy in US drops

美國人均壽命縮短1歲

Life expectancy in the US plummeted by an entire year in the first half of 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, the biggest decline since World War II, said a study on Thursday. 美國疾病控制和預防中心下屬機構美國國家衛生統計中心2月18日發布的一項研究顯示，由於新冠疫情，2020年上半年，美國人的平均壽命比2019年縮短了整一歲，這是自二戰以來的最大跌幅。

Preliminary data from January through June 2020 showed life expectancy at birth for the total US population fell from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77.8 years, the lowest since 2006, according to the study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.2020年1月至6月的初步數據顯示，美國總人口出生時預期壽命從2019年的78.8歲降至77.8歲，為2006年以來最低。

"This is a huge decline," said Robert Anderson, who oversees the data for CDC. "You have to go back to World War II, the 1940s, to find a decline like this." 負責監督美國疾病控制和預防中心數據的羅伯特·安德森說："這個降幅很大，美國上一次出現平均壽命下降一歲的情況還是在20世紀40年代的第二次世界大戰期間。"

Life expectancy for African American populations dropped the most from 2019, by 2.7 years, to 72 years. 非洲裔美國人的平均壽命為72歲，比2019年下降了2.7歲，下降幅度最大。

Latinos experienced the second-biggest decline, falling 1.9 years since 2019, to a life expectancy of 79.9 years.拉美裔美國人的平均壽命為79.9歲，比2019年下降了1.9歲，跌幅居第二。

Dorozoku Map

>Mapping site draws criticism

日本'道路族地圖'惹爭議

A mapping site in Japan that shows areas with noisy children, loud gossipers and other “annoying” people has drawn criticism as promoting intolerance and providing an outlet for disgruntled residents seeking to lash out at their neighbors. 日本一家地圖網站製作了"道路族地圖"， 標註了有吵鬧的孩子、大聲閑聊的人以及其他"惹人煩"的人們出沒的地區。該網站因此遭到批評，稱此舉讓人們更加不寬容，為心懷不滿的居民發泄對鄰居的不滿提供了一個出口。

Opened in 2016, the site as of Feb 1 featured 5,973 registered spots nationwide.該網站於2016年開放，截至2月1日，地圖上共有5973個標註點。

Clicking the icons on the map will show descriptions of the specific areas, such as “children noisily playing with balls” and “their parents engage in back-fence gossip together for hours.” 點擊地圖上的圖標，就會顯示特定區域的描述，比如"孩子們大聲地玩球"，"他們的父母圍在一起閑聊幾個小時"。

Some online users have praised Dorozoku Map for “clearly displaying whether certain areas are tolerant of children’s playful voices and proving helpful for families with children to choose homes to buy.” 一些網友對"道路族地圖"表示讚賞，稱該地圖"清楚地顯示了某些區域是否能容忍孩子的頑皮聲音，這對有孩子的家庭選擇買房地段很有幫助。"

But others are upset that their areas have appeared on the map. 但其他人對所在地區出現在地圖上感到不安。

Norihisa Hashimoto, a professor emeritus of acoustic environment engineering at the Hachinohe Institute of Technology, noted that judgments on whether neighborhood sounds are “irritating noise” can be determined by the individual’s loneliness, stifling mood and other psychological factors.八戶工業大學聲環境工程榮譽退休教授橋本德久指出，判斷鄰里的聲音是否是惱人的噪音，可能取決於個人的孤獨感、壓抑的情緒和其他心理因素。

In 2020, suicides in Japan rose for the first time in 11 years. [Photo/Agencies]

>Japan appoints a 'Minister of Loneliness'

日本任命首位'孤獨大臣'

Japan has appointed a "Minister of Loneliness" to try and reduce loneliness and social isolation among its residents as the country deals with rising suicide rates. 為了應對自殺率上升，日本任命了一位"孤獨大臣"，試圖減少國民的孤獨感和社交孤立。

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with people more socially isolated than ever, Japan saw a rise in suicides for the first time in 11 years. 在2020年新冠疫情期間，由於人們比以往都更加與世隔絕，日本自殺率11年以來首次出現上升。

In October, more people died from suicide than from COVID-19 in Japan in all of 2020. 去年10月份日本死於自殺的人比2020年全年死於新冠肺炎的人都要多。

Studies show that loneliness has been linked to a higher risk of health issues such as heart disease, dementia, and eating disorders. 研究顯示，孤獨會增加心臟病、痴呆症和飲食失調等健康問題的風險。

The United Kingdom was the first country to appoint a loneliness minister in 2018, after a 2017 report found that more than 9 million people in the UK said they often or always felt lonely. 英國是第一個任命孤獨大臣的國家。2017年的一份報告發現，英國逾900萬人表示自己經常或總是感到孤獨，一年後孤獨大臣這個職位就誕生了。

But the role seems to not be a particularly desirable one, as the UK has gone through three loneliness ministers in three years. 但是這個職位似乎不是特別受歡迎，因為英國三年換了三任孤獨大臣。

Australia has considered creating a similar position.澳大利亞也考慮安排一個類似的職位。

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci addresses the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, US January 21, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]

>Americans will be wearing masks in 2022

美國人2022年仍需戴口罩

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that it's "possible" Americans will still need to wear masks in 2022 to protect against the coronavirus, even as the US may reach "a significant degree of normality" by the end of this year. 安東尼·福奇博士2月21日表示，儘管今年年底美國也許能達到"一個相當程度的正常狀態"，但美國人"可能"到了2022年仍需要戴口罩來防止感染新冠病毒。

"As we get into the fall and the winter, by the end of the year, I agree with (President Joe Biden) completely that we will be approaching a degree of normality," said Fauci, who serves as Biden's chief medical adviser. 福奇說："我完全同意(拜登總統的觀點)，認為今年年底前，在秋冬季來臨時我們將迎來一定程度的正常狀態。"福奇是拜登的首席醫療顧問。

The Biden administration has been pushing mask-wearing more aggressively than the Trump administration did, with the President signing an executive order last month mandating interstate travelers wear a mask and requiring masks on federal property. 拜登領導的美國政府相比特朗普政府更為積極地推行戴口罩。上個月拜登總統簽署了一條行政令，命令跨州旅行者佩戴口罩，並規定聯邦地產上必須佩戴口罩。

Biden also challenged Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his presidency to reduce the spread of the virus.拜登還向美國人發起了百日口罩挑戰，敦促民眾在其就任總統的頭100天堅持戴口罩，以減少病毒傳播。

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來源：chinadaily.com.cn