一周热闻|5G机器人远程进行眼科手术、惠誉下调美国信用评级、加纳海岸发现首座英国奴隶堡……
【热闻1】
Remote eye surgery trial uses 5G robot
5G机器人完成远程眼科手术试验
(Credit: wonderfulengineering.com)
The Zhongshan Ophthalmic①Center at the Sun Yat-sen University has achieved a milestone in the field of ophthalmic surgery by completing the world’s first remote, micron-level②surgery on rabbits using an independently developed 5G robot. The surgeries took place on June 23 on rabbits at the center in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, with the surgical team operating the robot from the Hainan Eye Hospital at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center in Haikou, capital of Hainan province. The trial was led by professor Lin Haotian’s team, and all 12 rabbits operated on are in stable condition after a month of observation. Lin said that this achievement has far-reaching implications in addressing the imbalance in the development of ophthalmology③and the uneven distribution of topnotch④medical resources across the country. “If everything goes smoothly, 5G remote micron ophthalmic surgery will be available to humans within half a year,” he said. ( China Daily)
中山大学中山眼科中心利用自主研发的5G机器人,以兔子为对象完成了全球首例远程微米级手术,在眼科手术领域取得了里程碑式成就。6月23日手术开展时,手术对象位于广东省省会广州市的中山大学中山眼科中心,而手术团队则在海南省省会海口市的中山眼科中心海南眼科医院操作机器人。林浩添教授团队带领开展了此次试验;经过1个月的术后观察,12只兔子全部状态稳定。林浩添表示,这一成果具有深远影响,有助于解决眼科学发展不平衡以及全国各地优质医疗资源分布不均的问题。他表示:“如果一切进展顺利,半年内5G远程微米级眼科手术有望应用到人体上。”
【注释】
① ophthalmic: [ɒfˈθælmɪk] adj.眼科的。
② micron: [ˈmaɪkrɒn] n.a unit for measuring length 微米。
③ ophthalmology: [ˌɒfθælˈmɒlədʒi] n.眼科学。
④ topnotch: [ˌtɒp ˈnɒtʃ] adj.excellent; of the highest quality 最高级的,卓越的。
【热闻2】
Fitch①downgrades US credit rating from AAA to AA+
惠誉下调美国信用评级至AA+
(Credit: BBC)
Fitch, one of three major independent agencies that assess creditworthiness, cut US rating from the top level of AAA to a notch②lower at AA+. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called the downgrade “arbitrary”. It was based on “outdated data” from the period 2018 to 2020, she said. “In Fitch’s view, there has been a steady deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years, including on fiscal and debt matters, notwithstanding③the June bipartisan④agreement to suspend the debt limit until January 2025,” the rating agency said. “The rating downgrade of the United States reflects the expected fiscal deterioration over the next three years, a high and growing general government debt burden, and the erosion of governance” relative to peers, said Fitch in a statement. Fitch also said it expects the US to slip into a mild recession later this year. (BBC)
三大独立评级机构之一的惠誉下调了美国的信用评级,从最高级的AAA下调至AA+。美国财政部长珍妮特·耶伦称,这一降级基于2018年至2020年的“过时数据”,“随意武断”。惠誉指出:“在我们看来,尽管美国两党于6月达成一致,暂缓债务上限至2025年1月,但过去20年里,美国政府在财政和债务等问题上的治理水平持续下降。”惠誉在一份声明中表示,“此次评级下调反映出,美国未来三年的财政状况将持续恶化;政府债务负担居高不下,还会持续加重”;相对于其他国家而言,“美国国家治理能力下降”。该机构还预计,在今年晚些时候,美国经济将陷入缓慢衰退。
【注释】
① Fitch: 惠誉,全球三大国际评级机构之一,是唯一的欧资国际评级机构,总部设在纽约和伦敦。其业务范围包括金融机构、企业、国家、地方政府和结构融资评级。
② notch: [nɒtʃ] n. a level on a scale, often making quality or achievement 等级;档次。
③ notwithstanding: [ˌnɒtwɪθˈstændɪŋ] prep. Without being affected by sth; despite sth 虽然;尽管。
④ bipartisan: [ˌbaɪˈpɑːtɪzæn] adj. involving two political parties 两党的。
【热闻3】
‘First English slave fort①in Africa’ uncovered on Ghana’s coast
加纳海岸发现非洲首座英国奴隶堡
(Credit: BBC)
Tobacco pipes, broken pottery and the jawbone②of a goat—these fragments unearthed from soil offer clues to a lost past. These remnants③point to the existence of “the first English outpost established anywhere in Africa”, the professor from Syracuse University in the US argues. Ancient maps had referred to a Fort Kormantine, which was built by the English in 1631. Fort Kormantine played a key role in the initial stages of the slave trade as a warehouse④for the goods that were used to buy slaves. Initial digs in 2019 in and near Fort Amsterdam, which turned up some early 17th Century artefacts⑤, suggested where Fort Kormantine might be. Archaeologists returned earlier this year and began further searches. They uncovered a six-metre-long wall, a door post, foundations and a drainage system made of red brick. Where exactly the fort was located remained a matter of speculation in the past, which may have now been brought to an end. (BBC)
烟斗、破裂的陶器和山羊的下颚骨——这些从泥土中挖掘的碎片为一段不为人知的过去提供了线索。美国锡拉丘兹大学的教授认为,这些残留物表明了“英国人在非洲建立的第一个前哨站”的存在。古代地图曾提到,英国人于1631年修建了科曼廷堡。该堡被用作仓库,贮存用来购买奴隶的货物,在奴隶贸易的最初阶段发挥了关键作用。2019年在阿姆斯特丹堡及其附近进行的初步挖掘发现了一些17世纪早期的文物,暗示了科曼廷堡可能的位置。考古学家于今年早些时候重返考古现场,进行进一步搜寻。他们发现了一堵6米长的墙、一座门柱、地基和一个用红砖砌成的排水系统。过去,科曼廷堡的确切位置一直是人们猜测的问题,现在可能已经有了答案。
【注释】
① fort: [fɔːrt] n.a building or buildings built in order to defend an area against attack 要塞;堡垒;城堡。
② jawbone: [ˈdʒɔːbəʊn] n.the bone that forms the lower jaw 下颌骨。
③ remnants: [ˈremnənts] n.The remnants of something are small parts of it that are left over when the main part has disappeared or has been used or destroyed 残余部分;残迹。
④ warehouse: [ˈweəhaʊs] n.a building where large quantities of goods are stored, especially before they are sent to shops/stores to be sold 仓库;货栈;货仓。
⑤ artefact: [ˈɑːtɪfækt] n. an object that is made by a person, especially sth of historical or cultural interest 人工制品,手工艺品。
(节选自英语世界微信公众号)