VOA慢速英语2020 新型的安全社交方式：“圆顶小屋”（在线收听）

Are there safe ways to spend time with friends during the pandemic?

在疫情期间，是否有安全的方法与朋友相处? 

To answer this question, health experts have been looking at one method, called a COVID-19 "support bubble."

为此，卫生专家一直在研究一种被称为新冠肺炎“圆顶小屋”的方法。 

They found that forming such a group -- or bubble -- with a few close friends can be safe.

他们发现，和几个亲密的朋友小聚时使用这种办法有利于保护大家的安全。 

Support bubbles are also known as "quarantine pods."

“圆顶小屋”也被称为“隔离舱”。 

Experts claim these groups may help to fight off loneliness and fear after months of social distancing.

专家称，这些“小屋”可能有助于人们消除数月社交隔离后的孤独感和恐惧感。 

United States health officials define social distancing as keeping space between yourself and people from outside your home.

美国卫生官员将社交距离定义为自己和外界保持一定的距离。 

With social distancing, people should stay at least two meters, or about two arms length, from other people.

社交距离要求人们应该与他人保持至少两米或大约两臂长的距离。 

The Associated Press reports that the idea for support bubbles started in New Zealand.

美联社报道称，“圆顶小屋”的想法始于新西兰。 

It calls for two people or families to agree to socialize in person only with each other.

该国要求两个人或两家人同意只与对方进行面对面的社交活动。 

The numbers are kept small to limit the risk of infection.

通过限制会面人数降低感染的风险。 

Experts give this warning:Do not try forming a support bubble

专家们警告称：不要试图自我形成“圆顶小屋"关系， 

unless everyone agrees to follow social distancing rules while away from the support bubble s members.

除非大家达成共识——即时在其它情况下也会遵守社交距离规则。 

One of those experts is Aaron Milstone, a doctor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

亚伦·米尔斯通就是其中一位专家，他是约翰霍普金斯大学医学院的医生。 

He used a swimming pool for a comparison.

他以泳池来做比喻。 

"You are now swimming in the same pool with not just that person," he said, "but all the people those people are interacting with."

“你现在不仅仅是跟某个特定的人在同一个泳池里, ”他说, “你同时也跟那些所有与他接触过的人待在一起。”

As many places begin to re-open, support bubbles are already becoming more popular in the U.S. and other countries.

随着许多地方开始重新开放，“圆顶小屋”在美国和其他国家已经变得越来越普遍。 

In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this month that adults living alone, or single parents, can form support bubbles with another household.

英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊本月宣布，独居的成年人，或单亲父母，可以与另一个家庭组建“圆顶小屋”。

Members of a support bubble can meet, inside buildings or in outdoor, open spaces – without staying two meters apart.

“圆顶小屋”的成员可以在建筑物内或室外的开放空间中见面，同时不用保持两米距离。 

They can also stay overnight in each others homes as if they were members of the same household.

他们也可以在彼此的家里过夜，就像他们是同一个家庭的成员一样。 

The British government website notes a few other rules.Support bubbles must be exclusive.

英国政府官网还提到了一些其他规定。“圆顶小屋”必须具有唯一性。 

You should not change who is in your bubble or have close contact with anyone you do not live with.

你不可以更换“小屋”内的成员或者与其他小屋的人员进行密切接触。 

Also, if you or someone in your support bubble is showing signs of the coronavirus,

此外，如果你或你的“小屋”内的某个人显示出感染冠状病毒的迹象， 

or is living in self-quarantine, everyone in your bubble should stay home.

或处于自我隔离中，那么“圆顶小屋”里的所有人都应该居家隔离。 

It is too soon to say whether support bubbles will work with larger numbers of people.

现在判断“圆顶小屋”是否会对更多的人起作用还为时过早。 

But a recent study showed that bubbles with more limited contacts worked better to flatten the curve of infection compared with other methods.

但最近的一项研究表明，与其他方法相比，使用社交更有限的“小屋”，更有利于感染曲线的平稳化。

One such method is limiting contacts to your own neighborhood.

其中一种方法是限制与邻居的接触。 

Per Block of Britains Oxford University is one of the writers of a report on the study.

英国牛津大学的佩尔·布洛克是这项研究报告的作者之一。 

He says there is no guarantee of "complete safety" when people have "face-to-face contact with others outside their household."

他表示，当“与家人以外的人面对面接触”时，不能保证“百分百安全”。 

But he added that limiting interactions to one other family presents a much smaller risk than going back to traditional methods of socializing.

但他补充说，与回到传统的社交方式相比，限制与其他家庭的交流，风险要小得多。 

Im Anna Matteo.

安娜·马泰奥为您播报。