鲁达 1
Heatwave: Ferocious European heat heads north
欧洲高温热浪北移
Sweltering① temperatures hit much of Western Europe on Tuesday as a ferocious heatwave headed north. The UK hit its highest ever temperature of 40.3C, according to provisional② Met Office figures, and forecasters warned temperatures were still climbing. Extreme heat warnings were issued in France and record July temperatures were reported in the Netherlands. Deadly wildfires in France, Portugal, Spain and Greece have forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes. Two people were killed by forest fires in Spain’s north-western Zamora region and trains in the area were halted because of fire near the tracks. Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. On Wednesday, Sweden recorded its hottest day of the year, with temperatures in the south-west reaching 32C. German Environment Minister said the climate crisis meant the country had to rethink its preparations for very hot weather, drought and flooding. (BBC)
7月19日，随着一股凶猛热浪北移，极端高温天气席卷西欧大部分地区。英国气象局的临时数据显示，英国气温达到40.3摄氏度，打破之前的最高温纪录，而预报员警告称气温仍在上升。法国发布了极端高温警告，荷兰则报道7月高温创历史纪录。法国、葡萄牙、西班牙和希腊的致命野火迫使数千人撤离家园。西班牙西北部萨莫拉地区的森林大火造成两人遇难，该地区的火车也因轨道附近的大火而停运。人类活动引起的气候变化致使高温天气出现得更加频繁、极端，持续时间也更长。7月20日，瑞典刷新一年内最高温度，西南部的气温达到32摄氏度。德国环境部长表示，气候危机意味着德国必须重新考虑如何应对极端炎热天气、干旱和洪水。
【注释】
① sweltering: [ˈsweltərɪŋ] adj. very hot in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable 酷热的
② provisional: [prəˈvɪʒənl] adj. arranged for the present time only and likely to be changed in the future 暂时的
(Credit: loo)
2
Britain’s oldest shipwreck has been found
英国发现最古老沉船
The oldest shipwreck to survive in English waters, dating from the 13th century, has been given the highest level of protection by the UK government after being discovered in Poole bay in Dorset. The site of the maritime tragedy was first discovered by Trevor Small, a diver from Poole, in 2020, and subsequent carbon dating of the hull timbers to the late 13th century has now proven the remains to be the oldest extant wreck in British waters. The doomed medieval ship carried a consignment① of “exquisitely carved” gravestones, along with the raw material to make more, and the morbid② cargo may have contributed to the ship sinking. Hefin Meara, a marine archaeologist for Historic England③, said: “The weight of the cargo could have played a part in it going down, particularly if the heavy stone was pitching around in a storm.” (The Guardian & The Telegraph)
英国水域现存最古老的13世纪沉船在多塞特郡的普尔湾被发现后，英国政府给予了最高级别保护。2020年，普尔的潜水员特雷·斯莫尔首次发现了这个海难地点，之后的船体木材碳年代测定将沉船历史追溯到13世纪后期，因此该发现被证明是英国水域现存最古老的沉船残骸。这艘厄运缠身的中世纪船只运载了一批“雕刻精美”的墓碑，以及用于制作更多墓碑的原材料，而这些不祥的货物可能就是导致沉船的罪魁。英国历史建筑和古迹委员会的海洋考古学家赫芬·米拉表示：“货物的重量可能对船的沉没造成了一定影响，尤其是遇上暴风雨时，大石块颠簸会加大沉船风险。”
【注释】
① consignment: [kənˈsaɪnmənt] n. a quantity of goods that are sent or delivered somewhere 货物
② morbid: [ˈmɔːbɪd] adj. having or expressing a strong interest in sad or unpleasant things, especially disease or death 病态的
③ Historic England: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England is an institution aiming at protecting the historic environment of England. 英国历史建筑和古迹委员会，旨在保护英国历史环境的机构。
A diver examines one of the marble grave slabs the ship was carrying.
(Credit: Historic England)
3
Malaysia seizes $18 million worth of elephant tusks, tiger bones and other trafficked① animal parts
马来西亚查获价值1800万美元的象牙、虎骨等走私动物制品
Malaysian authorities have seized a massive haul of trafficked animal parts, including elephant tusks, rhino horns, pangolin scales and tiger bones worth around 80 million ringgit ($17.9 million) on Sunday. The animal parts are thought to have been shipped from Africa, Malaysian Customs Director General Zazuli Johan said on Monday. Malaysia is one of several Southeast Asian countries identified by conservationists② as a major transit point for illegally trafficked endangered wildlife that is en route to other Asian countries. Many of these animal parts, such as lion bones, are used for traditional medicines. Pangolins, which are scale-covered insectivores about the size of a house cat, are highly valued for their meat and scales, considered a delicacy and valuable in traditional medicine—and have been hunted to their limits. In 2020, the Chinese government removed pangolin scales from its list of approved ingredients used in traditional Chinese medicine, a move campaigners described as a critical step toward saving the world’s most trafficked mammal. (CNN)
7月17日，马来西亚当局查获了大量走私野生动物制品，包括象牙、犀牛角、穿山甲鳞片和虎骨，总价值约8000万林吉特（1790万美元）。7月18日，马来西亚海关总署署长扎祖利·约翰表示，这些野生动物制品应该是从非洲运来的。自然资源保护者认定马来西亚是非法贩运濒危野生动物的东南亚几个主要中转国之一，这些走私的濒危野生动物及其制品一般由此运往其他亚洲国家。这些动物的许多部位，如狮子的骨头，被用于制作传统药物。穿山甲是一种有鳞片覆盖的食虫动物，大小与家猫差不多，其肉和鳞片的价值极高，被认为是美味佳肴和重要的传统药材，几乎已被猎杀殆尽。2020年，中国政府将穿山甲鳞片从官方中药目录中删除，即其鳞片不再入药，有关人士称此举是拯救世界上走私量最大的 哺乳动物的重要一步。
【注释】
① traffic: [træfɪk] v. to buy and sell something illegally （非法）进行……交易
② conservationist: [ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃənɪst] n. a person who takes an active part in the protection of the environment （自然环境）保护主义者
(Credit: CNN)
4
Japanese figure skating icon Yuzuru Hanyu retires from competition
日本花样滑冰偶像羽生结弦告别竞技赛场
Japanese all-time great figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu announced his retirement from competition on Tuesday, marking the end of a stellar① career that included breaking 19 world records and winning two Olympic gold medals. He said that while he was stepping back from competition, he would continue his career as a professional athlete. He added he would keep striving to achieve the fabled quadruple axel—which has never been completed in competition. Hanyu, the Japanese legend of the sport won the Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 men’s singles titles, plus two World Championship, four Grand Prix Finals, and six National Championships, is known to his worldwide fan base—including a massive following in China—as the “Ice Prince.” Hanyu expressed his “deepest gratitude” to his fans, adding he hoped people would continue supporting him and believing “it’s worth watching me skate.” (CNN & Olympics)
7月19日，日本史上最了不起的花样滑冰运动员羽生结弦宣布告别竞技赛场，这标志着他辉煌的竞技生涯至此结束——他曾19次打破世界纪录，赢得2枚奥运金牌。羽生结弦表示，虽然他今后不再参加竞技比赛，但他仍将以一名职业运动员的身份继续花样滑冰事业。他还补充道，他会继续努力完成传说中的阿克塞尔四周跳（4A），这在比赛中尚未有人完成。羽生结弦是日本花样滑冰领域的传奇人物，曾在2014年索契和2018年平昌两届冬奥会花样滑冰男子单人滑比赛中获得金牌，还获得过两次世界锦标赛冠军、四次国际滑联大奖赛总决赛冠军和六次全国锦标赛冠军。他的粉丝遍布全球，在中国也有众多追随者，粉丝们都称他为“冰上王子”。羽生结弦向粉丝们表达了他“最深的感谢”，他还表示希望大家能继续支持他，并相信“看他滑冰是值得的”。
【注释】
① stellar: [ˈstelə(r)] adj. excellent 一流的
(Credit: CNN & Olympics)
5
Quidditch is changing its name to quadball to cut ties with J. K. Rowling
“魁地奇”改名“魁地球”以和J. K. 罗琳划清界限
Quidditch, the real-life sport inspired by the airborne① game played by young wizards in “Harry Potter”, is ditching its whimsical name on Wednesday. Now, athletes will mount broomsticks to play quadball. US Quadball and Major League Quadball, the sport’s two governing bodies in North America, both announced the new name of “quadball” this week, which is set to go into effect this summer. There were two reasons for the name change, per the governing bodies: The sport wanted to separate itself from “Harry Potter” author J. K. Rowling and her anti-transgender rhetoric. Also, neither organization owned the “quidditch” trademark (Warner Bros. owns the “quidditch” trademark). “This name change is a game changer② for us, and we are looking to make the most of it,” Major League Quadball’s founders said in an open letter to players. (CNN)
7月20日，由“哈利·波特”系列作品中年轻巫师的空中游戏衍生出的“真人魁地奇”比赛抛弃了这个天马行空的名字。现在，运动员们将骑在扫帚上打“魁地球”。这项运动在北美的两个管理机构——美国魁地球和魁地球大联盟——本周都宣布了它的新名称“魁地球”，该名称将于今年夏天生效。据管理机构称，改名主要有两个原因：该运动希望与“哈利·波特”的作者J. K. 罗琳及其反跨性别言论划清界限；另外，这两个组织都没有注册“魁地奇”商标（“魁地奇”商标已被华纳兄弟注册）。魁地球大联盟的创始人在给球员的一封公开信中写道：“这次改名对我们来说是一次重大改变，我们希望可以充分利用这个机会。”
【注释】
① airborne: [ˈeəbɔːn] adj. in the air 空中的
② game changer: a person, an idea or an event that completely changes the way a situation develops 游戏规则改变者（指彻底改变事态发展的人、理念或事件）
(Credit: CNN)
6
Ride-hailing giant Didi fined over 8 billion yuan
网约车巨头滴滴被罚款超80亿元
China’s cyberspace① regulator said on Thursday it has fined ride-hailing giant Didi Global Inc more than 8 billion yuan ($1.19 billion), sending a strong message to the internet industry that it is vitally important to strengthen protection of data security and personal information. The decision shows that China is aligning with international practices in toughening regulations on data breaches, highlighting the fact that prioritizing data security has become essential for the healthy development of companies, industry experts said. The Cyberspace Administration of China said a one-year cybersecurity review has found clear evidence that Didi violated the Cybersecurity Law, the Data Security Law and the Personal Information Protection Law. The investigation also found that Didi has engaged in data processing activities that seriously affected national security and brought security risks to the nation’s key information infrastructure. The company refused to comply with regulatory requirements and had evaded supervision, the regulator added. (China Daily)
7月21日，中国网络监管机构表示，已对网约车巨头滴滴全球公司罚款逾80亿元（11.9亿美元）。这向互联网行业发出了一个强烈信号，即加强数据安全和个人信息保护至关重要。业内专家认为，这一决定表明了中国正向国际惯例看齐，加强对数据泄露的监管，同时也突显出一个事实，即将数据安全放在首位已经成为企业健康发展至关重要的一点。中国互联网信息办公室表示，为期一年的网络安全审查证实滴滴违反了《网络安全法》《数据安全法》和《个人信息保护法》。此外，调查发现，滴滴从事的数据处理活动严重影响国家安全，给国家关键信息基础设施带来了安全风险。监管机构补充称，滴滴打车拒绝遵守管理要求，并逃避监管。
【注释】
① cyberspace: [ˈsaɪbəspeɪs] n. the internet considered as an imaginary space without a physical location in which communication over computer networks takes place 网络空间；赛博空间
(Credit: China Daily)
北京化工大学
彭哲、路舒然、梁明慧 编译
王润泽 朗读
张菊 审订