【英语速读】中国争取的时间，被西方浪费了

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今天阅读 纽约时报 一篇opinion，观点比较理性、犀利。我们重点学习单词及用法。

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China Bought the West Time. The West Squandered It.

中国抗疫争取来的时间,被西方挥霍了。

squander /ˈskwɒndə(r)/ vt  浪费 (金钱、资源或机会)

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Why did so many countries watch the epidemic unfold for weeks as though it was none of their concern?

unfold

V-T/V-I If a story unfolds or if someone unfolds it, it is told to someone else. 使 (事情等) 传开; 传开

•  Don's story unfolded as the cruise got under way. 

唐的故事随着航游的开始而慢慢展开了。

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The stock markets have tanked. 

熟词新意 tank这里不是坦克。

[ V ] ( NAmE ) ( of a company or a product 公司或产品 ) to fail completely 彻底失败；破产；倒闭

• The company's shares tanked on Wall Street. 这家公司的股票在华尔街彻底崩盘了。

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The go/**/vern/**/ments in those regions have let pass their best chance to contain the virus’s spread.

这些地区的政府已经放弃了控制病毒传播的最佳机会。

放弃了最佳机会 let pass his best chance to do sth;

熟词新意 contain 这里不是 包含。

to prevent sth harmful from spreading or getting worse 防止…蔓延（或恶化）

• to contain an epidemic 防止流行病的蔓延

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But while China had to contend with a nasty, sudden surprise, go/**/vern/**/ments in the West have been on notice for weeks.

contend /kənˈtɛnd/

V-I If you have to contend with a problem or difficulty, you have to deal with it or overcome it. 解决

•  It is time, once again, to contend with racism. 

又是对付种族主义的时候了。

nasty /ˈnɑːstɪ/

A nasty problem or situation is very worrisome and difficult to deal with. 难对付的 (问题、情况等)

•  A spokesman said this firm action had defused a very nasty situation. 

一位发言人说，这次果断的行动已经缓解了僵局。

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It’s as if China’s experience hadn’t given Western countries a warning of the perils of inaction.

虚拟语气 as if sb had done;

peril 英 /ˈperəl/n. 危险；冒险

inaction 无行动；不采取措施

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Some of its policies were motivated by serious concern for the public good and executed by a highly competent civil service.

它的一些政策是出于对公共利益的严重关切，并由一个高度称职的公/**/务/**/员/**/制/**/度/**/执行。

出于对(公共利益)的严重关切: be motivated by serious concern for (the public good)

competent /ˈkɒmpɪtənt/ adj. 胜任的；有能力的；能干的；足够的

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Despite having had a free flow of information for weeks and witnessed thousands of deaths in China as evidence, parts of America’s political establishment — including at the White House — have pushed a disinformation campaign to downplay the risk.

尽管数周以来信息自由流动，并目睹了中国数千人的死亡作为证据，包括白/**/宫在内的部分美国/**/政/**/界/**/人/**/士还是发起了一场虚假信息运动，以淡化这种风险。

让步状语从句。

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And while some in the West fixated on how Xx’s system failed to stem the outbreak at first, they were ignoring the aspects of it that worked. 

熟词新意 stem 这里不是 茎；起源

v. to stop sth that is flowing from spreading or increasing 阻止；封堵；遏止

stem the outbreak 阻止爆发

全文: http://ielts.dawneve.com/reading/dawnReader.html?text=2020/3/13