The spread of the Omicron variant
奥密克戎变种扩散
【导读】变异新冠病毒奥密克戎毒株继续在全球扩散，传播至更多国家。马耳他、阿尔巴尼亚23日分别报告首次发现奥密克戎毒株。同时，该毒株的快速传播导致西班牙、加拿大等国新增确诊病例数急剧增加。英国卫生安全局23日发布的新冠病毒最新研究报告说，与德尔塔毒株相比，奥密克戎毒株传播更快，传染性非常强：“目前发展很快，未来病例还会增加。美国新增病例中 ，奥密克戎毒株占比极高。我们的防控任务非常重，绝不能掉以轻心。”
1
Exponential growth is a dizzying thing. In the week to December 8th Britain saw 536 new cases of covid19 ascribed to the Omicron variant, less than 0.5% of the number caused by the dominant Delta variant. But the week before there had been only 32 cases of Omicron—and by December 14th the case number was over 10,000. Omicron looks set to become the country’s dominant strain in terms of cases before advent calendars run out of windows.
指数迅速增长着实让人头疼。截止到12月8日，本周内英国因奥密克戎变体而确诊的新冠肺炎新增病例已达536例，仅比占主导地位的德尔塔变体引起的病例数量少0.5%。但一周前，还只有32例奥密克戎感染病例，可是到12月14日，病例数已超过1万。到圣诞节来临前（圣诞日历用完之前），奥密克戎或将成为英国的主要（新冠）毒株。
【单词及短语】
dizzying /ˈdɪziɪŋ/：making you feel dizzy；to emphasize that something impresses you, though it makes you a bit confused or unsteady. 令人晕眩的
E.g.We're descending now at dizzying speed. 我们正从令人目眩的速度中逐步减速。
The car drove past at a dizzying speed. 汽车风驰电掣地驶过。
ascribe to把……归于；归因于；认为……是
= put down to = attribute to = due to
E.g.Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. 要将耶和华的名所当得的荣耀归给他。
And that which you ascribe to me is Mired in your controversies. 你将我所归属的种姓使你陷入争论之中。
So that's I think the position that we ought to ascribe to the dualist. 所以我认为，这应归入二元论者的立场。
【背景链接】
Advent calendars：圣诞日历（Advent Calendar）最早可以追溯到19世纪初，当时德国的路德教会为了纪念耶稣降临，部分家庭会在降临节（Advent）期间进行倒计时活动。降临节（Advent），西方基督教节日之一，不单指某一天，一般是从圣诞节前的第四个星期日开始，一直持续到圣诞节。最开始人们都是自己制作倒数日历，后来一些出版公司认识到这一商机，开始制作圣诞日历。现代的圣诞日历多以纸盒制成，上面有24个分隔开的小格子对应着24个日期，也就是24天。每一个日期上都设计了一个类似窗户的开口，每天都打开一个窗户就可以取出一个惊喜礼物。所以文中说before advent calendars run out of windows圣诞日历的窗户被用完之前即：在圣诞降临之前。
2
Cases lag behind infections. On December 13th Britain’s health minister, Sajid Javid, said that there were estimated to have been 200,000 infections in the country that day, most of them Omicron. Three more doublings and the total number of infections a day will be more than 1m.
现有病例数远远少于感染人数。12月13日，英国卫生部长萨吉德·贾维德称，全国当天预计有20万人感染，其中大部分都是奥密克戎病毒引发。如果再增加三倍，每天感染人数将超过100万。
【词组】
lag behind落后；拖欠；滞后 ; 落在后面 ; 掉队
Cases lag behind infections.此句按字面理解“病例落后于感染”行文不畅，实际上是指的病例数量和感染人数的比较，可理解为“病例数远远少于感染人数”。
E.g.As a consequence, they lag behind other disciplines. 因此，他们落后于其他学科。
In the developed world, women lag behind men in pay and political power. 在发达国家，女性在薪酬和政治权力方面落后于男性。
【句子分析】
On December 13th Britain’s health minister, Sajid Javid, said that there were estimated to have been 200,000 infections in the country that day, most of them Omicron.
句子主干Britain’s health minister said that……
On December 13th时间状语，Britain’s health minister作Sajid Javid的同位语，that后引导宾语从句，从句用there be句型，从句主要成分there were estimated to have been 200,000 infections。
3
It is not just in Britain that Omicron is outstripping Delta. It has already displaced it in South Africa, where it first came under scrutiny and where its growth, though possibly now slowing a little, has been spectacular. Studies in various European countries show similar growth, though with a later start. The same is true in America. The variant has now been detected in almost all countries, including China. The numbers involved are often small. But with exponential growth small is not much comfort: it doesn’t last.
在英国，奥密克戎来势汹汹，已然成为主要传播病毒，其威胁正超过德尔塔，不仅仅是英国，南非也是如此。南非是奥密克戎变体的发现地和主要爆发地，虽然现在其增长速度可能有所放缓，但仍十分惊人。在欧洲各国的数据调查中，尽管开始的时间略晚，但也显示了类似的增长态势，美国也是如此。目前包括中国在内，几乎所有国家都检测到了该种变体。涉及的人数往往很少。但是对于指数增长来说，感染人数少并不能带来多大的安慰：全球爆发是迟早的事情。
【词汇】
outstrip /ˌaʊtˈstrɪp/
1.to become larger, more important, etc. than sb/sth 比…大（或重要等）；超过；胜过
2.to be faster, better or more successful than sb you are competing against 超过，超越（竞争对手）
3.to run faster than sb in a race so that you pass them 比…跑得快；超越
E.g.Demand is outstripping supply. 需求快超过供给了。
Their latest computer outstrips all its rivals. 他们最新型的计算机超越了所有的对手。
scrutiny /ˈskruːtəni/ SYN inspection
[ U ] ( formal ) careful and thorough examination 仔细检查；认真彻底的审查
E.g.Her argument doesn't really stand up to scrutiny. 她的观点经不起认真推敲。
Foreign policy has come under close scrutiny recently. 近来，政府的外交政策受到了认真彻底的审查。
【句子分析】
It has already displaced it in South Africa, where it first came under scrutiny and where its growth, though possibly now slowing a little, has been spectacular.
句子主干It has already displaced it.
第一个it指代Omicron，第二个it指代Delta，in South Africa作地点状语。
后两个where引导定语从句修饰先行词South Africa，用and并列从句。
第一个定语从句it first came under scrutiny，第二个定语从句its growth has been spectacular，两个定语从句中的it都指的是Omicron，第二个定语从句中有插入语though possibly now slowing a little说的是its growth。
