VOA慢速英语--世界第二长寿老人战胜新冠病毒 将迎来117岁生日|

A French religious worker who survived COVID-19 celebrated¹ her 117th birthday on Thursday.

Sister Andre is a nun² who lives in a retirement³ home in the southern city of Toulon. She also is believed to be the world's second-oldest person.

A spokesman⁴ for the retirement home, David Tavella, said Sister Andre tested positive for COVID-19 in the middle of January. She was separated from others at the home, but experienced⁵ few signs of the disease⁶. Her survival⁷ story made news across the world.

Sister Andre, whose birth name is Lucile Randon, was to take part in a celebration with a small number of people at the home. Tavella said plans called for a big meal and a special religious observance in her honor⁸.

Some of Sister Andre's family members were also expected to join a video call with her. "It's a big day," Tavella said. "She is in great shape. I went to see her this morning. She is really happy. She wanted me to tell her the (plan) for the day again," he added.

The meal was to include some of Sister Andre's food favorites, including a special chicken dish and Baked Alaska for dessert. "All of it washed down with red wine, because she drinks red wine," Tavella said. "It's one of her secrets of longevity⁹."

As for loading up the cake with candles, Tavella said they had stopped trying that a long time ago. "Because even if we made big cakes, I'm not sure that she would have enough breath to blow them out. You would need a fire extinguisher."

Tavella added that when people around the world started talking about Sister Andre's story, he realized it was "because we all need a bit of hope at the moment."

Sister Andre was born on February 11, 1904. She survived two World Wars. The Gerontology Research Group confirms details about people thought to be 110 or older. The organization lists her as the world's second-oldest living person. The oldest person on the list is Japan's Kane Tanaka, who turned 118 on January 2.

When recently asked if she had been scared to have COVID-19, Sister Andre told France's BFM television, "No I wasn't scared, because I wasn't scared to die." She added: "I'm happy to be with you, but I would wish to be somewhere else -- join my big brother and my grandfather and my grandmother."

Words in This Story

nun – n. a woman who is a member of a religious community and who usually promises to separate from the rest of society in order to serve God

positive – adj. in a medical test, positive means the person being tested has a disease or condition

dessert – n. a sweet food that is eaten after the main part of a meal

longevity – n. living for a long time

candle – n. a long shaped piece of wax¹⁰ with a piece of string in the middle that produces light as it slowly burns

extinguisher – n. a device¹¹ containing water or other substances that is designed to put out a fire

scared – adj. frightened or worried

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 nun   

n.修女，尼姑

参考例句：

• I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。
• She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。

3 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

4 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

5 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

6 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

7 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

8 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

9 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

10 wax   

n.蜡，蜡状物，震怒；vi.变大，增大，月亮满；vt.用蜡涂

参考例句：

• I wax my boots chiefly to waterproof them.我给靴子打蜡主要是为了防水。
• I wax the floor once a month.我每月给地板打一次蜡。

11 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。