1

US kills al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in drone① strike in Afghanistan

美国无人机击毙阿富汗“基地”组织头目扎瓦希里

The United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike, President Joe Biden said Monday in a speech from the White House. “I authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield, once and for all,” Biden said. Zawahiri, who just turned 71 years old, had remained a visible international symbol of the group, 11 years after the US killed Osama bin Laden. At one point, he acted as bin Laden’s personal physician. Zawahiri was sheltering in downtown Kabul to reunite with his family, and was killed in “a precise tailored② airstrike” using two Hellfire missiles③. No American personnel were on the ground in Kabul at the time of the strike. (CNN)

8月1日，美国总统乔·拜登在白宫发表讲话表示，美国通过无人机袭击，击毙了“基地”组织头目艾曼·扎瓦希里。拜登说：“我授权了一次精准袭击，将他从战场上彻底清除。”在美国击毙奥萨马·本·拉登后的11年里，刚满71岁的扎瓦希里一直是该组织在国际上引人瞩目的代表人物。他曾一度担任本·拉登的私人医生。扎瓦希里当时正藏匿在喀布尔市中心，准备与家人团聚，两枚“地狱火”导弹的“精准定制空袭”使其丧生。袭击发生时，喀布尔的地面上没有美国人员。

【注释】

① drone: [drəʊn] n. an aircraft without a pilot, controlled from the ground, used for taking photographs, dropping bombs, delivering goods, etc. （遥控的）无人驾驶飞机（或导弹）

② tailored: [ˈteɪləd] adj. made for a particular person or purpose 定制的，专门的

③ missile: [ˈmɪsl] n. a weapon that is sent through the air and that explodes when it hits the thing that it is aimed at 导弹

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一周热闻｜日本拟排核废水入海，中国GDP创纪录增长，印度大壶节恐引超级传播……

(Credit: BBC)

2

New Zealand’s borders fully open after long pandemic closure

因新冠疫情长期关闭后，新西兰边境全面开放

New Zealand’s borders fully re-opened to visitors from around the world on Monday, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic closed them in March 2020. New Zealand’s borders started reopening in February first for New Zealanders and restrictions have progressively eased. The process of reopening the borders ended last night with visitors who need visas and those on student visas now also allowed to return to New Zealand. New Zealand is now also letting cruise① ships and foreign recreational yachts docks at its ports. Most visitors arriving in New Zealand still need to be vaccinated against COVID and must take two COVID tests after arriving. However, there are no quarantine requirements. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday during a speech at the China Business Summit in Auckland that the final staged opening of the borders had been an enormous moment. (Reuters)

8月1日，自2020年3月因新冠疫情关闭边境以来，新西兰首次对来自世界各地的游客全面重开边境。今年2月，新西兰边境率先开始面向新西兰人重新开放，限制逐步放宽。重新开放边境的进程于7月31日晚结束，需要签证的游客和持有学生签证的人目前也被允许返回新西兰。同时，新西兰也允许游轮与外国休闲游艇停靠在其港口。此外，大多数抵达新西兰的游客仍需要接种新冠疫苗并且必须在抵达后接受两次新冠病毒检测。然而，没有隔离要求。8月1日，新西兰总理杰辛达·阿德恩在奥克兰举行的中国商业峰会发表演讲称，边境最终全面开放是一个重要时刻。

【注释】

① cruise: [ kruːz] n. a journey by sea, visiting different places, especially as a holiday 巡游，乘船游览

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一周热闻｜北京冬奥会开幕、国际空间站2031年退役、美旧金山就种族歧视向华裔致歉……

(Credit: Reuters)

3

Surgeons use virtual reality techniques to separate conjoined twins

外科医生使用虚拟现实技术分离连体双胞胎

After emerging from a final risky surgery, Brazilian conjoined twin brothers Arthur and Bernardo Lima lay separated for the first time. They were born craniopagus①, meaning they were connected to each other with fused skulls and intertwined brains that shared vital veins. To ensure a smooth surgery, medical staff used virtual reality technology to rehearse② the painstaking procedure. It involved detailed imaging of the boys’ brains including CT and MRI scans, as well as checks on the rest of their bodies. Health workers, engineers and others collated data to create 3D virtual reality models of the twins’ brains to allow the teams to study their anatomy in great detail. The twins had seven surgeries, involving more than 27 hours of operating time in the final operation alone, and almost 100 medical staff. Medical experts had called the surgery impossible, but now they all agree that it is a remarkable achievement. (The Washington Post & BBC)

在完成最后一次危险的手术后，巴西连体双胞胎兄弟阿图尔·利马和贝尔纳多·利马第一次分开躺在病床上。这对连体双胞胎先天颅骨畸形，他们的大脑彼此相连，共用重要静脉。为确保手术顺利进行，医务人员运用虚拟现实技术对艰难的手术过程进行了预演。这一过程包含对双胞胎大脑的详细成像（包括CT和核磁共振扫描）及对他们身体其他部位的检查，随后医务人员、工程师及相关人员整理所得数据，创建双胞胎大脑的3D虚拟现实模型，以便医疗团队详细研究其解剖结构。这对双胞胎前后进行了7次手术，仅最后一场手术耗时就超过了27小时，动用了近100名医务人员。医疗专家曾认为这场手术不可能成功，但现在他们一致认为这是一项了不起的成就。

【注释】

① craniopagus: [kreɪˈni:əʊpəgəs] n. a pair of twins joined at the heads 颅部连体双胞胎

② rehearse: [rɪˈhɜːs] v. to practice in preparation for a later public performance 预演

conjoined brothers after the surgery

(Credit: The Washington Post)

4

Nintendo Switch sales slump on chip shortage

芯片短缺导致任天堂Switch游戏机销量下降

Nintendo’s Switch sales fell significantly last quarter, dropping to 3.43 million units compared to 4.45 million during the same period last year, according to its earning report. The Kyoto-based gaming company chalked up① the Switch sales issue to a parts shortage. “Hardware production was impacted by factors such as the global shortage of semiconductor components, resulting in a decrease of hardware shipments,” the company said. The company expected procurement to improve “from late summer towards autumn”. Nintendo maintained its forecast to sell 21 million units in the year through end-March 2023, while it sold 23.06 million units last year. Investors are gauging the unwinding of a gaming boom among consumers who had been stuck at home during pandemic lockdowns. “Gaming is now bigger than ever, and a certain part of users stay on, but the party is certainly now over,” said Serkan Toto, founder of game industry consultancy Kantan Games. (Reuters & Engadget.com)

任天堂8月3日发布的财报显示，上一季度Switch游戏机销量大幅下跌至343万台，而去年同期销量为445万台。任天堂游戏公司总部位于京都，公司将Switch的销售问题归咎于零部件短缺。该公司称：“硬件生产受到全球半导体元件短缺等因素的影响，导致硬件出货量下降。”公司预计“夏末至秋季”零部件采购情况将有所改善。任天堂维持本财年销售预期，即截至2023年3月底，Switch年销量将达到2100万台，这一数字低于上一年的2306万台。目前，产生于疫情隔离期间的游戏消费热潮已经开始消退，投资者正在评估这一状况。游戏产业咨询公司Kantan Games的创始人Serkan Toto称：“如今游戏市场比以往任何时期都要庞大，一部分用户会持续消费，但现在盛况已然过去。”

【注释】

① chalk up to: to consider that sth is caused by sth 把某事归结于

Nintendo Switch

(Credit: Reuters)

5

Brazil’s environment chief approved paving highway through Amazon despite his own agency’s warnings

巴西环境机构负责人无视本机构警告，批准在亚马逊雨林铺设公路

Last week, Eduardo Bim, president of environmental agency IBAMA①, authorized Brazil’s federal government to begin repaving highway BR-319 between the cities of Manaus and Porto Velho, a route which cuts through the most pristine② area of the country’s Amazon rainforest. The decision was immediately criticized by environmental groups who say that repaving the route would encourage deforestation. The highway project was originally a key part of a plan by the country’s military dictatorship③ to develop the wild area and integrate it with the rest of the country. It was officially opened in 1976, but poor maintenance led to its abandonment by 1988. Since then, the road has been only partially usable. A study estimated the project would result in a fivefold rise in deforestation by 2030, the equivalent of an area larger than the US state of Florida. (CNN & The Guardian)

上周，巴西环境和可再生资源协会会长爱德华多·比姆批准巴西联邦政府在马瑙斯市和韦柳港之间重新铺设BR-319公路，这条路线穿过巴西亚马逊雨林最原始的区域。该项决定公布后立刻遭到环保组织指责，他们认为重新铺设这条公路会助长砍伐森林的风气。该公路项目最初是巴西军事独裁时期一项计划中的关键部分，这项计划旨在开发无人区并将其与巴西其他地区相融。该公路于1976年正式启用，但由于维护不当，1988年被废弃。那时起，该公路就只有部分可通车。一项研究估计，到2030年，该项目导致的森林砍伐量将增加5倍，砍伐面积相当于比美国佛罗里达州还要大的一片区域。

【注释】

① IBAMA: The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, known as IBAMA, is a federal agency under the Ministry of Environment. It acts in the protection of Brazilian natural resources. 巴西环境和可再生资源协会，简称IBAMA，是环境部下属的联邦机构。它致力于保护巴西的自然资源。

② pristine: [ˈprɪstiːn] adj. not developed or changed in any way; left in its original condition 未开发的；处于原始状态的

③ military dictatorship: The military dictatorship in Brazil was established on 1 April 1964, with support from the United States government, against President João Goulart. The Brazilian dictatorship lasted for 21 years, until 15 March 1985. 巴西的军事独裁政权于1964年4月1日在美国政府的支持下建立，反对若昂·古拉特总统。巴西的独裁统治持续了21年，直到1985年3月15日结束。

(Credit: CNN)

6

Volcano erupts near Iceland’s capital in seismic① hot spot

冰岛首都附近地震多发区火山喷发

A volcano has erupted on a mountain near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik after days of rising earthquake activity in the area, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said on Wednesday. Images and livestreams by local news outlets showed lava② and smoke spewing from a fissure③ in the ground on the side of the Fagradalsfjall mountain, which last year saw an eruption that lasted six months. A “code red” was declared to prohibit airplanes from flying over the site although helicopters were sent in to survey the situation. If the outbreak was confirmed to be similar to the fissures seen last year, the aviation alert would likely be lowered to orange, signalling less danger, an agency spokesperson said. The Reykjanes Peninsula is a volcanic and seismic hot spot, and the outbreak took place just 25 km (15 miles) from Reykjavik and 15 km from the nation’s international airport. (Reuters)

8月3日，冰岛气象局表示，冰岛首都雷克雅未克附近的一座火山喷发。此前，该火山的所在区域曾连续多日发生强烈地震活动。当地新闻媒体的图像和直播显示，熔岩和烟雾从法格拉达尔山一侧的地面裂缝中流出；去年，法格拉达尔火山喷发持续了六个月。当地发布红色预警禁止飞机经过此区域，但直升机已前往该区域以调查具体情况。政府机构发言人表示，如果确定地面裂缝与去年观测的相似，航空警报可能会降低为橙色，意味着危险级别降低。雷克雅内斯半岛是火山和地震多发区，此次的火山喷发距离冰岛首都雷克雅未克仅25公里（相当于15英里），距离冰岛国际机场仅15公里。

【注释】

① seismic: [ ˈsaɪzmɪk] adj. caused by or relating to an earthquake 地震的；地震相关的

② lava: [ˈlɑːvə] n. hot liquid rock that comes out of a volcano （火山喷出的）熔岩；岩浆

③ fissure: [ˈfɪʃə(r)] n. a long deep crack in sth., especially in rock or in the earth 岩石、土地等中深长的）裂缝，裂隙

(Credit: Reuters)

北京化工大学

徐伊琳、马盈盈、刘朗 编译

刘静翾 朗读

张菊 审订