正文文本

The United Arab Emirates has launched a historic mission to Mars from an island off the coast of Japan.
The orbiter Amal, or Hope, is expected to reach Mars in February and then analyze the Martian atmosphere.
Mars has loomed large for a number of other countries.
China and the U. S. are set to launch their own missions to the Red Planet soon.

Two districts in Urumqi have been categorized as high-risk regions after 30 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported over the past couple of days.
Meanwhile, the city in Xinjiang has finished nucleic acid tests for everyone under quarantine and a citywide testing campaign has kicked off.
Rui Baoling with the municipal Disease Control and Prevention Center says efforts have also been made to trace the actual origin of this new cluster.
"At present, all cases are common or mild. We have reported to the National Health Commission to coordinate with the coronavirus gene sequencing analysis of the confirmed cases to further clarify the source and transmission of the virus."
Experts suggest the outbreak may be linked to a group gathering, but the possibility that it is related to imported cases cannot be ruled out at this time.
The Hong Kong government has further tightened control measures against COVID-19 as daily confirmed cases surpassed 100 for the first time in the city.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam says there is no sign that the situation is being brought under control, and that the current wave of transmission is more difficult to tackle.
Mask-wearing is now mandatory in all indoor public places.
The closures of 12 types of entertainment venues and dining restrictions over restaurants will be extended for another week.
A holiday inn and an exhibition venue will also be renovated to provide services for asymptomatic patients, while 2,000 more quarantine units will be built in the Penny's Bay area by the end of the year.
The Chinese capital has decided to lower its emergency response level to COVID-19.
The city has reported no new confirmed domestically transmitted cases for two weeks.
Municipal official Chen Bei says the situation is under control.
"It is concluded that the infection risk in Beijing is low, and community transmission has been effectively controlled. The risk of the virus spreading to other parts from Beijing is relatively low. The epidemic situation is stable and under control. The conditions are in place to lower the response level."
The city confirmed 335 infections during the outbreak that started over a month ago at a market.
So far, over 200 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital.
Under the level-three emergency response, exhibitions, sports events, performing arts venues and cinemas in Beijing will be gradually reopened with restricted visitor flows.
But certain prevention and control measures will remain in place.
All international flights to the capital will continue to land in other cities in China first, before arriving in Beijing.
All personnel heading to the city from abroad still need medical observation and nucleic acid testing.
The director for the U.S. National Institutes for Health says delays in getting COVID-19 test results have been too long across the country.
Francis Collins says such delays are undercutting the value of the testing that aims to identify virus carriers and quickly get them isolated.
He is calling on the government to invest in new technologies to keep up with testing demand.
The British Prime Minister has ruled out a second national lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boris Johnson says that they are getting much better at spotting the disease and isolating it locally, and that they also understand far more which group it affects, how it works and how it's transmitted.
He adds that another lockdown is almost the same as a "nuclear deterrent," and that the pandemic has not blown his government off course from the major reform agenda he set out last year.

参考译文

阿拉伯联合酋长国从日本沿海的一个岛屿发射了历史性火星任务。
人造卫星阿迈勒，又称“希望号”，预计将于明年2月抵达火星，对其大气层进行分析。
对其他一些国家来说，（探索）火星已经迫在眉睫。
中国和美国，将在不久的将来发射自己的红色星球（指火星）任务。
在过去几天报告了30例新冠肺炎确诊病例后，乌鲁木齐市两个区被列为高危地区。
同时，新疆乌鲁木齐市已完成对所有隔离人员的核酸检测，一场全市范围内的检测活动已经拉开序幕。
市疾病预防控制中心的芮宝玲表示，他们也在努力追查这个新增聚集性疫情的实际来源。
“目前，病例均为普通型和轻型。我们报请国家卫健委协调对确诊病例新冠病毒基因进行测序分析，进一步查清病毒来源和传播机理。”
专家认为，此次疫情可能与群体聚集有关，但目前还不能排除与输入性病例有关的可能性。
由于中国香港单日新增确诊病例首次破百，香港特区政府进一步加强了应对新冠肺炎疫情的控制措施。
香港特别行政区行政长官林郑月娥表示，目前没有迹象表明情况得到控制，此次传播较难应对。
现在所有室内公共场所都必须佩戴口罩。
关闭12类娱乐场所以及餐厅用餐的限制措施将延长一周。
此外，香港将对一家假日旅店和一个展览馆进行改造，为无症状患者提供服务，同时年底前竹篙湾地区将再兴建2000个检疫单位。
北京已降低新冠肺炎疫情的应急响应级别。
北京已连续两周无新增本土确诊病例。
北京市政府官员陈蓓表示，局势已得到控制。
“综合判断 我市目前人群感染为低风险，社区传播得到了有效控制，疫情平稳可控，已经具备了将响应级别由二级调至三级的条件。”
一个多月前，北京某市场爆发疫情，共确诊335例感染病例。
目前，已有200多名患者康复出院。
根据三级应急响应，北京的展览、体育赛事、演艺场所和电影院将逐步限流开放。
但仍将采取一定的防控措施。
所有飞往北京的国际航班将继续先在中国其他城市降落，然后转抵北京。
境外进京人员仍需进行医学观察和核酸检测。
美国国家卫生研究院院长表示，全美各地获得新冠肺炎检测结果的延误时间太长。
弗朗西斯·柯林斯说，这样的拖延削弱了旨在识别病毒携带者并迅速将其耳语的检测价值。
他呼吁政府投资新技术，以满足检测需求。
英国首相排除了在新冠肺炎疫情期间实施第二次全国封锁的可能性。
鲍里斯·约翰逊表示，他们越来越善于发现这种疾病，在本地封锁措施方面也越来越熟练，而且他们也更加了解这种疾病会对哪些群体产生影响，其原理以及传播方式。
他补充说，再次实施封锁几乎等同于“核威慑”，疫情并没有使其政府偏离他去年制定的主要改革议程。

重点讲解

重点讲解：
1. at present 目前；现在；眼下；
There are at present four television channels.
现在有四个电视频道。
2. rule out 排除；不予考虑；
I can't rule out the possibility of trouble.
我不能排除遇到麻烦的可能性。
3. under control 得到控制；
The fire is still burning but it's under control.
大火仍在燃烧，但已经被控制住了。
4. keep up with 跟上（变化等）；
If you want to keep up with the times, you have to get a large amount of information.
如果你想跟上时代，你必须获取大量的信息。