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Repairing Earth once the Pandemic Is Over（1）（2020.11.09）
Early this year, as vast segments of the global economy shut down but before the death toll climbed, many of those privileged enough to feel relatively secure indulged a fantasy that the pandemic would paradoxically make the world more beautiful. Smog cleared from the skies, unveiling the snow-clad peaks of the Himalayas; an octopus was spotted in one of Venice’s formerly murky canals; and the undersea cacophony of transoceanic shipping quieted, allowing whales to revel in one another’s songs more than they had in half a century. Daily global carbon emissions fell by more than 20 percent, providing hope of real progress on climate change. It almost seemed that Earth had unleashed a virus on industrial civilization, bringing it to a grinding halt and protecting itself.
今年早些时候，随着全球经济大部分停止运转，而死亡人数攀升之前，许多足够幸运感觉到相对安全的人都沉浸于一种幻想，即此次疫情反倒会让这个世界变得更加美好。空中烟雾消散，露出喜马拉雅白雪皑皑的山峰；人们在威尼斯一条之前浑浊的运河中发现了一只章鱼；海底也没了跨洋运输制造的噪音，相比于半个世纪以前，鲸鱼能够更肆意地陶醉在彼此的歌声中。全球每天碳排放量下降了20%以上，为气候变化问题取得真正进展带来了希望。似乎地球往工业文明中释放了一种病毒，令其瘫痪，从而进行自我保护。
【积累表达】
shut down 停工，关闭
death toll 死亡人数
【重点词汇】
segment n.段，部分
climb v.上升，增长
privileged a.享有特权的；保密的，秘密的
relatively ad.相对地
indulge v.满足，沉迷于
pandemic n.（全国或全球性）流行病，瘟疫
unveil v.揭露；揭开……面纱（或遮盖物）
octopus n.章鱼
murky a.（指水）脏的，混浊的；阴暗的，昏暗的；可疑的，不可告人的
cacophony n.刺耳的声音，不和谐的声音
revel v.狂欢，陶醉
unleash v.释放，发泄
grinding a.刺耳的，磨的；令人难以忍受的
Early this year, as vast segments of the global economy shut down but before the death toll climbed, many of those privileged enough to feel relatively secure indulged a fantasy that the pandemic would paradoxically make the world more beautiful. Smog cleared from the skies, unveiling the snow-clad peaks of the Himalayas; an octopus was spotted in one of Venice’s formerly murky canals; and the undersea cacophony of transoceanic shipping quieted, allowing whales to revel in one another’s songs more than they had in half a century. Daily global carbon emissions fell by more than 20 percent, providing hope of real progress on climate change. It almost seemed that Earth had unleashed a virus on industrial civilization, bringing it to a grinding halt and protecting itself.
今年早些时候，随着全球经济大部分停止运转，而死亡人数攀升之前，许多足够幸运感觉到相对安全的人都沉浸于一种幻想，即此次疫情反倒会让这个世界变得更加美好。空中烟雾消散，露出喜马拉雅白雪皑皑的山峰；人们在威尼斯一条之前浑浊的运河中发现了一只章鱼；海底也没了跨洋运输制造的噪音，相比于半个世纪以前，鲸鱼能够更肆意地陶醉在彼此的歌声中。全球每天碳排放量下降了20%以上，为气候变化问题取得真正进展带来了希望。似乎地球往工业文明中释放了一种病毒，令其瘫痪，从而进行自我保护。
【积累表达】
shut down 停工，关闭
death toll 死亡人数
【重点词汇】
segment n.段，部分
climb v.上升，增长
privileged a.享有特权的；保密的，秘密的
relatively ad.相对地
indulge v.满足，沉迷于
pandemic n.（全国或全球性）流行病，瘟疫
unveil v.揭露；揭开……面纱（或遮盖物）
octopus n.章鱼
murky a.（指水）脏的，混浊的；阴暗的，昏暗的；可疑的，不可告人的
cacophony n.刺耳的声音，不和谐的声音
revel v.狂欢，陶醉
unleash v.释放，发泄
grinding a.刺耳的，磨的；令人难以忍受的
