12月14日午间英语新闻：防蓝光眼镜或是“智商税”

> Blue light blocking glasses may not actually help with eye strain or sleep quality, researchers find
最新研究显示：防蓝光眼镜或是“智商税”

Blue light glasses gained popularity over the past few years with the idea that they protect our eyes against screen usage — but a new analysis shows they might not be as beneficial to our eye health as previously hoped.
防蓝光眼镜在过去几年里越来越受欢迎，因为其号称可以保护眼睛不受电子屏幕伤害，但一项新分析表明，防蓝光眼镜可能并不像我们期待的那样对眼睛健康有益。

Researchers reviewed data from 17 randomized controlled trials and published the results Friday in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews journal. The findings Glasses marketed to filter out blue light probably make no difference to eye strain or sleep quality.
研究人员评估了17项随机对照试验的数据，并于12月8日在《Cochrane系统评价数据库》杂志上发表了研究结果。研究发现，市场上出售的蓝光过滤眼镜可能对视疲劳或睡眠质量没有影响。

"We found there may be no short-term advantages with using blue-light filtering spectacle lenses to reduce visual fatigue associated with computer use, compared to non-blue-light filtering lenses," said Laura Downie, senior author of the review and associate professor at the University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in a news release.
该研究的主要作者、澳大利亚墨尔本大学副教授劳拉·唐尼在一份新闻稿中表示：“我们发现，与普通镜片相比，使用蓝光过滤镜片来减少与使用电脑有关的视觉疲劳可能没有短期优势。”

"It is also currently unclear whether these lenses affect vision quality or sleep-related outcomes, and no conclusions could be drawn about any potential effects on retinal health in the longer term," she added. "People should be aware of these findings when deciding whether to purchase these spectacles."
她补充道：“目前还不清楚这些镜片是否会影响视觉质量或睡眠，也无法就其对视网膜健康的长期潜在影响得出结论。人们在决定是否购买防蓝光眼镜时应该了解这些发现。”

The studies they reviewed ranged in size and length, with a span from as few as five to as many as 156 participants assessed over different periods, from less than one day to five weeks. The authors said more research with longer follow-ups in more diverse populations is needed to better assess any potential effects.
研究人员评估的研究在规模和时间长度上各不相同，少则 5 人，多则 156 人，评估时间从不到一天到 5 周不等。作者说，需要在更多样化的人群中进行更长时间的跟踪研究，以更好地评估任何潜在的影响。

"(More studies) should examine whether efficacy and safety outcomes vary between different groups of people and using different types of lenses," author Dr. Sumeer Singh, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Downie Laboratory, advised for future research.
研究作者、唐尼实验室博士后研究员苏梅尔·辛格博士对未来的研究提出了建议：“（更多的研究）应该考察不同人群和使用不同类型镜片的效果和安全性结果是否存在差异。”

Instead of shelling out money for special shades, however, experts advise taking screen breaks.
然而，专家建议，与其花钱购买特殊眼镜，不如让眼睛休息一下。

重点词汇：
1、filter
英/ ˈfɪltə(r) /
美/ ˈfɪltər /
n.过滤器；滤光器，滤声器，滤波器；过滤程序，过滤软件；（指示车辆转弯的）分流指示灯
v.过滤；渗入，透过；（消息、信息等）慢慢传开，走漏；缓慢进入，陆续步入；（车辆）看到分流指示灯的信号后转弯；（用程序）筛选

2、spectacle
英/ ˈspektək(ə)l /
美/ ˈspektək(ə)l /
n.精彩的表演，壮观的场面；壮观的景象；不寻常的事，出人意料的情况；<正式>眼镜（spectacles）

3、news release
新闻稿或新闻发布：由组织、公司或个人发布给媒体和公众的正式声明或公告，旨在传达重要的新闻、事件或信息。

4、span
英/ spæn /
美/ spæn /
n.时间跨度，一段时间；（桥或拱的）墩距，跨距；宽度，翼展；范围，包括的种类；（航海）跨绳；一队人（或动物）；数值范围；一掌的长度
v.持续，贯穿；包括（广大地区），涵盖（多项内容）；横跨，跨越；张开手覆盖（或环绕）；<南非>给（动物）套上轭
adj.整洁干净的，照管得很好的（spick and span）

5、shell out
美/ ʃel aʊt /
支付或付款

> Snow blankets northern China, closing roads and schools and suspending train service
北方多地迎来降雪降温 各部门联动发力应对恶劣天气

Overnight snowfall across much of northern China prompted road closures and the suspension of classes and train service on Monday.
12月11日（周一），中国北方大部分地区一夜间的降雪，导致道路封闭、学校停课、列车停运。

A red alert for a blizzard was in effect until mid-morning in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, and schools were closed there and in two other cities in Henan, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The Zhengzhou airport was also closed until 11 a.m.
据中国中央电视台（CCTV）报道，河南省会郑州市直到上午9时35分才解除暴雪红色预警，郑州及河南其他两个城市的学校也因此停课。郑州机场也在11时之后才恢复开放运行。

A total of 134 road sections in 12 provinces, including 95 on highways, were closed as of 7 am because of snowfall and icy conditions, CCTV said. Several trains in two parts of Shanxi province were suspended.
据CCTV报道，截至上午7时，受降雪及路面结冰影响，12个省份134个路段（涉95条高速公路路段）已封闭。山西省两个地区多趟列车停运。

It was the first significant snowfall this year in much of China.
这场降雪是今年中国大部分地区的首场大雪。

A thin layer of snow blanketed rooftops and parked cars in downtown Beijing. The roads were mostly clear and workers swept remaining snow from the sidewalks. The Beijing Public Transport Group said that 187 bus routes were suspended on Monday morning. Some subway lines were adding additional trains during the morning rush hour, CCTV said.
一层薄薄的积雪覆盖着北京市中心的屋顶和停放的汽车。大部分道路已清扫干净，工作人员正忙于清扫人行道上的积雪。北京公交集团表示，周一上午共有187条公交线路停运。CCTV报道称，部分地铁线路在早高峰期间加开临时列车。

重点词汇：
1、blizzard
英/ ˈblɪzəd /
美/ ˈblɪzərd /
n.暴风雪；大批侵扰性的事物，大量的负担
v.下暴风雪

2、suspend
英/ səˈspend /
美/ səˈspend /
v.暂停，中止；使暂停使用（或生效）；使暂时停职（或停学等）；延缓，推迟；悬，挂；悬浮，漂浮；<法律> （法官或法庭作出的）暂缓执行（判决）；延留（和弦），延长（和音）