#EZTALK #你不知道的美國大小事 #武漢肺炎
The Wuhan Coronavirus 武漢肺炎

本週的【美國大小事】升級為【全球大小事】，來談談全球目前最關心的時事：

Q1. 什麼是武漢肺炎病毒？跟 SARS 有關係嗎？
Q2. 感染症狀與途徑是什麼？
Q3. 該如何預防？
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As people return to work after the Lunar New Year holiday, the word on everybody’s lips is “coronavirus.” And no wonder—the outbreak, which began in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, has already killed over one thousand patients, and spread as far as Europe and the United States.
隨著春節過後返回工作崗位，大家也開始談起「冠狀病毒」這個字。這也難怪，在湖北省省會武漢爆發的疫情，至今已經讓超過 1,000 名病患喪生，而且擴散遠達歐美。

Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. “Corona” means “crown” in Greek, and the name was given because the proteins on surface of these viruses make them look similar to crowns. In humans, most coronaviruses cause mild respiratory infections like the common cold. But rarer forms, like the viruses that cause SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) can be deadly.
冠狀病毒是會在哺乳類與鳥類中致病的一種病毒群。corona 是希臘文的「皇冠」之意，有此命名是因為這類病毒表面的蛋白質讓它們看起來像皇冠。多數冠狀病毒在人體中會引發類似感冒的輕微呼吸道感染。不過有些較罕見的冠狀病毒則是會致命，如引起 SARS（全名：嚴重急性呼吸道症候群）以及 MERS（全名：中東呼吸道症候群）的病毒。

The Wuhan coronavirus, which was discovered in Wuhan when patients developed pneumonia that didn’t respond to existing vaccines and treatments, is believed to have come from bats. The main symptoms of the virus include fever, fatigue, coughing and respiratory distress.
武漢新型冠狀病毒於武漢發現時，有病患產生肺炎症狀，但現行疫苗與醫療皆無法治癒，此病毒被認為起源於蝙蝠。這種病毒引發的主要症狀有發燒、疲累、咳嗽與呼吸困難。

How can you avoid contracting the coronavirus? Transmission usually occurs when people come into contact with droplets from coughs and sneezes (droplet transmission) and when people touch a surface with droplets and then touch their face (contact transmission). So the best way to keep the virus from spreading is to wear a mask when out in public, wash your hands frequently, and avoid touching your face—especially your eyes, nose and mouth. Oh, and it’s probably best to stay away from bat soup!
我們該如何避免感染冠狀病毒呢？傳染途徑是透過人體咳嗽打噴嚏的口沫（飛沫傳染），或者接觸到附有口沫的物體表面，再碰到自己的臉（接觸傳染）。所以避免病毒傳播最好的方法是外出時戴口罩，經常洗手，避免摸臉，尤其是口眼鼻。噢，最好別喝蝙蝠湯了！

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【✍重點單字】
1. coronavirus「冠狀病毒」：為corona「皇冠」+ virus「病毒」。
2. spread「傳播，擴散，蔓延」：可當動詞與名詞。
3. mammal「哺乳類」
4. respiratory infection「呼吸道感染」：respiratory指「呼吸的」。
5. acute「（病狀）急性的，十分嚴重的」
6. syndrome「症候群」：某疾病所導致的一連串相關症狀的總稱。
7. pneumonia「肺炎」
8. vaccine「疫苗」
9. treatment「治療方法」
10. fatigue「疲倦」：當名詞。
11. respiratory distress「呼吸困難」：distress可指「痛苦」。
12. contract「患上，感染（疾病）」：這裡當動詞，另一個常見意思是「合約」，此時做名詞用。
13. transmission「傳播（方式或途徑）」：動詞為transmit。
14. droplet「飛沫」：指小滴液體。
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【代帶行李過關 違反國際民用航空公約】
根據國際民航公約"Convention on International Civil Aviation"，行李須由乘客親自帶過關，而香港機場是簽約國。而條文為 "shall be complied with by or on behalf of such passengers"。意思是要親自，就算廣義一點可找代表，但顯然該地勤沒有可能代表亦並非自願為689的女兒帶行李，所以689一家大鬧機場運行李事件，已違反國際公約。

詳細條文：第二章第13條
//Entry and clearance regulations//
The laws and regulations of a contracting State as to the
admission to or departure from its territory of passengers, crew
or cargo of aircraft, such as regulations relating to entry,
clearance, immigration, passports, customs, and quarantine
shall be complied with by or on behalf of such passengers,
crew or cargo upon entrance into or departure from, or while
within the territory of that State.