5月16日午间英语新闻：英研究发现新冠重症可使大脑老化20年

China's share of global economy rises
我国占全球经济比重上升到18%

China accounted for over 18 percent of the global economy in 2021, up from 11.4 percent in 2012, an official said Thursday. China has both cemented and improved its status as the world's second-largest economy over the past decade, said Han Wenxiu, a senior official with the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs. The country's gross domestic product topped 114 trillion yuan in 2021, and per capita GDP reached $12,500, close to the threshold for high-income economies, Han said. 
5月12日，中央财经委员会办公室分管日常工作的副主任韩文秀介绍，过去十年，我国作为世界第二大经济体的地位得到巩固提升。2021年我国国内生产总值达到了114万亿元，占全球经济的比重由2012年11.4%上升到18%以上。此外，人均国内生产总值达到1.25万美元，接近了高收入国家门槛。

The contribution of China's economic growth to the world economy has stood at around 30 percent in recent years, making it the largest growth engine for the global economy. 
韩文秀表示，这些年，我国经济对世界经济增长的贡献总体上保持在30%左右，中国经济是世界经济增长的最大引擎。

重点词汇
1、per capita GDP
人均国内生产总值

2、threshold
英 [ˈθreʃhəʊld]  美 [ˈθreʃhoʊld] 
n. 门槛，门口；阈，界，起始点；开端，起点，入门；机场跑道入口，跑道头

US faces baby formula 'crisis'
美国面临婴幼儿奶粉短缺危机

Major US pharmacies have restricted sales of baby formula in response to a worsening shortage of the special milk. The shortages intensified after Abbott - which makes top brand Similac – shut down a key factory and issued a recall in February after finding contamination. 
由于婴幼儿配方奶粉短缺问题愈演愈烈，美国各大药房已经开始实行限购措施。自从生产配方奶粉大品牌Similac的雅培公司关闭了一家主要工厂并在二月份召回受污染奶粉后，奶粉短缺问题变得更加严重。

But the shortage pre-dates those issues and has been building since last year due to supply chain bottlenecks and other factors, according to research firm Datasembly, which tracks 11,000 stores across the US. The situation deteriorated further last month, as publicity of the problem grew and parents raced to stock up.
但是调研机构Datasembly指出，早在这些事件发生之前，由于供应链和其他因素，自去年以来美国的奶粉短缺问题就已经愈演愈烈。Datasembly追踪调查了美国各地11000家商店。随着媒体报道增多，父母们争相抢购囤货，上个月奶粉短缺问题进一步恶化。

重点词汇
1、baby formula
婴幼儿配方奶粉；婴幼儿配方

2、in response to
响应；回答；对……有反应

3、contamination
英 [kənˌtæmɪˈneɪʃn]  美 [kənˌtæmɪˈneɪʃn] 
n. 污染

4、deteriorate
英 [dɪˈtɪəriəreɪt]  美 [dɪˈtɪriəreɪt] 
v. 恶化，变坏

Severe COVID equivalent to ‘20 years of aging’
严重新冠感染可使大脑老化20年

In a study comparing 46 severe COVID-19 patients with 460 matched controls, British researchers found the mental impact of severe COVID-19 six months later can be the equivalent to aging 20 years – going from 50 to 70 years old – or losing 10 IQ points. Previous research has shown during severe COVID, the brain decreases glucose consumption in the frontoparietal network, which is involved in attention, problem solving and working memory. 
在一项将46名新冠肺炎重症患者与460人的匹配对照组进行比较的研究中，英国研究人员发现，这些患者在感染新冠病毒6个月后受到的认知影响相当于衰老20年（从50岁到70岁），或智商降低10个点。此前的研究表明，新冠肺炎症状严重时，大脑会减少额顶叶的葡萄糖消耗，额顶叶负责注意力、问题解决和工作记忆等功能。

It's also known the virus can directly affect the brain. But the research suggests the likely culprit isn't direct infection, but a combination of factors: including reduced oxygen or blood supply to the brain; clotting of vessels; and microscopic bleeds. The full report has been published in eClinical Medicine.
众所周知，新冠病毒会直接影响大脑。但研究人员认为，罪魁祸首可能不是感染病毒本身，而是多种因素的综合作用：包括大脑供氧或血液供应减少、静脉血栓以及轻微出血。这项研究发表在《临床医学》上。

重点词汇
1、frontoparietal
英 [frʌntəʊpɑːˈraɪɪtl]
额顶的；额顶骨的

2、culprit
英 [ˈkʌlprɪt]  美 [ˈkʌlprɪt]
n. 罪犯，过失者；问题的起因

France faces foie gras shortage
法米其林餐厅遭遇'鹅肝酱危机'

Foie gras, the French culinary staple, is vanishing from menus during an "unprecedented" crisis that has seen some manufacturers begin to consider reducing portions. At the heart of the problem is a bird flu epidemic that has been sweeping the country -- and Europe -- for months. 
法国富有争议的珍馐美食鹅肝酱是法国各地高级餐厅的主打菜品，但如今鹅肝酱却要从菜单上消失了，因为一场“史无前例的”危机正迫使一些鹅肝酱生产商考虑减少供货量。这一危机的源头是几个月来一场席卷法国各地和欧洲其他国家的禽流感。

The country has had to kill 16 million birds since the epidemic first started in November 2021 to try to control the disease, the French Agriculture Ministry confirmed to CNN. Foie gras production in France is expected to drop by up to 50 percent this year as the epidemic affects 80 percent of foie gras producers in the country.
法国农业部向美国有线电视新闻网证实，2021年11月首次暴发禽流感之时，为了控制疫情法国被迫宰杀了1600万只家禽。由于疫情影响到了法国80%的鹅肝酱生产商，法国的鹅肝酱产量预计今年将减少多达50%。

重点词汇
1、Foie gras
英 [ˌfwɑː ˈɡrɑː]  美 [ˌfwɑː ˈɡrɑː] 
鹅肝酱

2、culinary
英 [ˈkʌlɪnəri]  美 [ˈkʌlɪneri]
adj. <正式>烹饪的，食物的