(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Japan’s Leader Faces Criticism for Pressing Plans for Olympic Games
Japan's government is facing criticism for pressing its plans to hold the Tokyo Olympics even as the country deals with the coronavirus health crisis.
More than 300,000 people have signed a petition calling for a cancellation of the Games, which are set to open on July 23. The 2020 Summer Olympics were delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A Japanese newspaper advertisement said people were in danger of being "killed by politics." It suggested the government is not doing enough to fight the pandemic and vaccines are not widely available.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has repeatedly stated that the government is continuing with plans to hold the Olympics. He has promised that the games will happen safely and securely. Some Japanese lawmakers have questioned those statements as some hospitals still struggle to find beds for those sick with COVID-19. On Wednesday, officials in some parts of Japan extended a state of emergency as virus cases continued to rise.
Last month, Suga declared a third state of emergency in Osaka, the center of the current rise in virus cases, as well as in Tokyo and two other areas. That has since been extended through May 31. On Wednesday, two more areas, Aichi in central Japan and Fukuoka in the south, were placed under emergency measures.
It is estimated that only 1 percent of the Japanese public has so far been fully vaccinated although millions of vaccine doses sit unused in very low temperature storage.
The newspaper ad stated: "No vaccine. No medication. Are we supposed to fight with bamboo spears? We'll be killed by politics if things remain unchanged."
The ad was created by Tokyo-based publisher Takarajimasha. The company is known for speaking out on political and social issues. It urged the public to demand that the government end poorly planned coronavirus measures. "We have been deceived. What was the past year for?" it said.
The ad brought a lot of attention on social media. It said many Japanese have faced medical and financial problems with little government support.
But there was also wide public interest in a parliament meeting in which numerous opposition lawmakers questioned Suga. People want to know how he could guarantee a safe Olympics during an expanded state of emergency. Suga avoided giving a direct answer, saying repeatedly that he was committed to holding the games safely and to protecting people's lives and health.
Videos of Suga's comments were shared widely on social media, with some people posting critical statements such as "The prime minister is broken."
Suga and his government have faced criticism for being too slow and soft on virus measures. Japan has been able to keep its number of virus cases and deaths below those in the U.S. and Europe without lockdowns and other restrictive measures. But the results are worse than in some other parts of Asia.
Japan has also fallen far behind in vaccinations. Though officials blame a lack of supplies imported from Europe, progress has been slowed because of staff shortages. About 7.6 million doses, or more than half of all shots received, remain unused in freezers.
The president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, Seiko Hashimoto, said Wednesday that Japanese athletes were likely to get vaccines before the games begin. "In the case of Japan, the vaccination of the citizens isn't going very well," she said. "Not much progress is being made."
Hashimoto added that because this is seen by the public as giving Olympic athletes special treatment, "this gives rise to dissatisfaction among the citizens toward the games."
I'm Bryan Lynn.
重点解析
重点讲解：
1. be in danger of 面临...的危险
The building is in danger of collapsing.
这栋建筑有垮塌的危险。
2. bring attention to... 吸引...的注意
The incident has brought attention to the issue of rules for mobile service businesses.
这一事件引发了人们对移动业务规则问题的关注。
3. a lack of 缺乏
Some teachers felt hindered by a lack of resources.
有些教师因资源不足而感到困难重重。
4. a state of emergency 紧急状态；紧急状况
The government decreed a state of emergency.
政府下令进入紧急状态。
参考译文
日本民众不满首相“如期办奥运”
在应对新冠病毒健康危机期间，日本政府仍然坚持举办奥运会的计划，这让政府遭受了批评。
目前，超过30万人签署了请愿书，要求取消原定于7月23日开幕的东京奥运会。2020年夏季奥运会因为新冠病毒疫情被推迟。
日本一家报纸刊登的广告称，民众面临“被政治谋杀”的危险。它暗示政府在应对疫情方面做得远远不够，疫苗也没有普及。
日本首相菅义伟曾多次表示，政府将继续推动举动奥运会的计划。他承诺将安全、稳妥地举办这届奥运会。一些日本议员对这些声明提出了质疑，因为一些医院仍然没有充足的床位提供给新冠肺炎患者。周三，由于新冠病例继续增加，日本某些地区的官员延长了紧急状态。
上个月，菅义伟宣布大阪第三次进入紧急状态，这是目前新冠感染病例增长的重灾区，东京和另外两个地区也进入了紧急状态。此后紧急状态一直被延长到5月31日。周三日本中部的爱知县和南部的福冈县也被迫采取紧急措施。
据估计，截至目前，只有1%的日本民众完全接种了疫苗，尽管有数百万剂疫苗仍储存在极低温的仓库中。
报纸上的这一广告称：“没有疫苗，没有特效药。我们应该拿着竹矛抗击疫情吗？长此以往，我们会被政治谋杀。”
这则广告是由东京出版商宝岛社所发布。该公司以在政治和社会问题上的犀利言论而闻名。它呼吁公众要求政府叫停计划不周的新冠病毒措施。“我们一直在被欺骗，这一年里到底做了什么？”
该广告在社交媒体上引发了广泛关注。广告称，因为政府的不作为，很多日本人面临着医疗和财政问题。
但是在一次议会会议上，许多反对派议员质疑菅义伟，这也引起了公众的广泛关注。民众好奇，在延长紧急状态的情况下，如何能够确保奥运会的安全进行。菅义伟避免给出直接回应，他一再表示，他致力于安全地举办奥运会，并保护人们的生命和健康。
菅义伟的受访视频在社交媒体上广泛传播，有人发表了诸如“首相有毛病了”之类的批评性言论。
菅义伟及其政府因在抗疫措施上的滞缓和软弱而受到批评。日本将感染人数和死亡人数控制在美国和欧洲以下，无需采取封锁措施和其它限制措施。但是这一结果却比亚洲其它地区更糟糕。
日本在疫苗接种方面也远远落后。尽管官员们将此归咎于从欧洲进口疫苗的短缺，以及由于人员短缺导致疫苗接种进展缓慢。大约有760万剂疫苗仍存放在冰柜中未能使用，约占到日本接疫苗总量的一半以上。
东京奥组委主席桥本圣子周三表示，日本运动员很可能在奥运会开幕前接种疫苗。她说：“日本民众疫苗接种情况不太乐观。疫苗接种工作进展缓慢。”
桥本圣子还表示，由于民众认为参加奥运会的运动员享受了特权，“这引发了市民对奥运会的不满情绪。”
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