VOA原文
This week we answer a question from Terrence in Vietnam. He writes:
Question:
Which of the following forms is more correct in English usage?
"Yes, we can go out but we need to be social distant from one another." or
"Yes, we can go out but we need to be social distanced from one another."
-- Terrence, Vietnam.
Answer:
Dear Terrence,
Thank you for this timely question. The expression "social distancing" is new to everyday English.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses it to describe the practice of avoiding gatherings and keeping about two meters distant from other people.
One sign of this social distancing is the markings on floors of some shops: they show where we should stand in relation to others.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is using a new term, however.
“We're changing to say physical distance and that's on purpose because we want people to still remain connected,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious diseases expert at the WHO.
"Technology right now has advanced so greatly that we can keep connected in many ways… without being in the same room,” she noted.
How to use the noun social distancing
Terrence, in your sentences, you use "social distance." But the term under discussion employs a different noun, "distancing," to talk about the method of avoiding disease.
I would change your first sentence this way:
Yes, we can go out but we need to practice social distancing.
That is using the expression as a noun. The verb is "practice."
How to use socially distance as a verb
In March, the Merriam-Webster dictionary expanded its definitions for many of the words we use to talk about the spread of COVID-19.
The dictionary now includes a medical definition for the verb socially distance: to distance physically from other people or avoid any unnecessary contact with others during the outbreak of a contagious disease…”
For your second sentence, you can use this verb form:
Yes, we can go out but we need to socially distance ourselves from each other.
You could also say,
We need to physically distance ourselves from one another, but I would love to meet you in a video call tonight.
Reasons for social distancing
Another new expression we have is "flatten the curve." That basically means to slow the spread so that medical systems do not get overwhelmed.
And you may have heard the term "front line workers." Those are the people employed in health care, delivery services, emergency services, food production and food stores.
They are the people who cannot work from the safety of their homes. And we are very thankful for them.
So, if your friend asks you:
Why are we social distancing?
You can answer:
To flatten the curve and protect front-line workers.
And now, I will ask you to do something.
Please send your questions about English to us by email: learningenglish@voanews.com.
And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.
满满de知识点
contagious
美 [kənˈteɪdʒəs]
adj. able to be passed from one person or animal to another
adj. 感染性的；会蔓延的
flatten the curve
flatten 美[ˈflætn]
v. become flat or flatter
curve 美[kɜːrv]
n. a smooth, rounded line, shape, path, etc.
参考译文
本周我们将回答来自越南特伦斯的一个问题。他写道:问题:下列哪一种形式的英语用法更正确?“Yes, wecan go out but we need to be social distant from one another.”“Yes, wecan go out but we need to be social distanced from one another.”泰伦斯,越南。答:亲爱的泰伦斯,谢谢你及时提出这个问题。“社交距离”这个表达在日常英语中还是个新词。美国疾病控制与预防中心(CDC)用它来描述避免聚会和与他人保持两米距离的做法。商店地板上会有这样的提醒标记:提醒我们应该与他人保持多远的距离。然而，世界卫生组织(世卫组织)正在使用一个新术语。世界卫生组织的传染病专家MariaVan Kerkhove说:“我们正在用物理距离这个词，这是有目的的，因为我们希望人们仍然保持联系。”她说:“现在的技术进步如此之大，我们可以不必呆在同一个房间里但仍然在多方面保持联系。”如何使用名词社交距离泰伦斯，在你的句子里，你用了“社会距离”。但是现在讨论的这个术语使用了一个不同的名词“距离”来谈论避免疾病的方法。我会这样改变你的第一句话:Yes, we can go out but we need to practice social distancing.那就是把这个短语用作名词。动词是“practice”。如何使用社会距离作为动词今年3月，《韦氏大词典》(Merriam-Websterdictionary)对我们用来谈论“COVID-19”传播的许多单词进行了扩展。字典里现在增加了一个动词“社会距离”的医学定义:在传染病爆发期间，与其他人保持身体上的距离，或者避免与他人进行不必要的接触。对于你的第二句话，你可以使用这个动词形式:Yes, we can go out but we need to socially distanceourselves from each other.你也可以说，We need to physically distance ourselves from one another,but I would love to meet you in a video call tonight.社交疏远的原因另一个新的表达是“flattenthe curve.”。这基本上意味着减缓传播，这样医疗系统就不会不堪重负。你可能听说过“一线人员”这个词。这些人受雇于卫生保健、送货服务、紧急服务、食品生产和食品商店。他们是那些不能在安全的家中工作的人。我们非常感谢他们。所以，如果你的朋友问你:Why are we social distancing?你可以回答:To flatten the curve and protect front-line workers.
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