Category: Chinese Culture

Breathing particulate-laden (aka smoggy) air may be hardening your arteries faster than normalWhile everyones’ arteries harden gradually with age, a team of researchers led by epidemiologist Sara Adar of the University of Michigan School of Public Health discovered that higher concentrations of fine particulate air pollution were linked to a faster thickening of the inner two layers of the carotid artery.根据研究，呼吸含大量颗粒物的（雾霾）空气可能会让你的动脉硬化速度加快。尽管每个人的动脉都会随着年龄增大而逐渐硬化，但密歇根大学公共卫生学院的流行病学家萨拉•阿达领导的研究团队发现，空气中的细微颗粒污染物浓度升高与颈动脉内膜和中膜增厚加快有关。
Because the carotid artery feeds blood to the neck, head, and brain, a narrowing or blockage there can trigger strokes. And general atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and heart failure.由于颈动脉要向颈部、头部和大脑供血，颈动脉变窄或堵塞可能会引发中风。通常动脉硬化是冠心病、心脏病发作和心力衰竭的主要风险因素。
Past research has demonstrated that the rates of stroke and heart attack are higher in polluted areas, but experts haven’t been able to pinpoint just how polluted air is raising peoples’ risk for heart attack or stroke. This time, Adar’s team, along with Joel Kaufman, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences and medicine at the University of Washington, was able to directly measure carotid artery thickness and link it to air pollution data.以往的研究已经表明，在受污染地区中风和心脏病发作的几率更高，但专家还未能查明空气污染是如何提高人们心脏病或中风发作的风险的。这次阿达带领的团队和华盛顿大学环境与职业健康科学和医学专业的教授乔尔•考夫曼联手合作，已经能够直接测量颈动脉厚度，并将其和空气污染数据联系起来。
The study involved 5,362 people between the ages of 45 and 84 living in six different cities that are part of the MESA AIR (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution) research project, led by Joel Kaufman. Each participant underwent two carotid artery ultrasounds three years apart. These measurements were then correlated with data on fine particulate air pollution.乔尔•考夫曼领导的这一动脉硬化和空气污染多种族研究项目调查了居住在6个不同城市、年龄在45岁到84岁之间的5362个人。每个参与者隔三年都要做一次颈动脉超声波检查。研究人员把这些测量结果和细颗粒物空气污染的数据联系起来。
While the artery walls of all participants increased by 14 micrometers per year, the arteries of those who were exposed to higher levels of fine particulate air pollution in their homes thickened faster than their neighbors in other parts of the city. Interestingly, the researchers also found the reverse effect to be true: reducing fine particulate air pollution levels slowed down atherosclerosis progression. Carotid artery measurements are considered by experts to be an indicator for arterial plaque and hardening throughout the body.尽管所有参与者的动脉壁每年都会增厚14微米，但那些家周边空气中细颗粒污染物水平更高的人动脉壁比住在同城其他地区的人增厚速度更快。 有趣的是，研究人员还发现反之亦然：降低空气中的细颗粒污染物水平会减慢动脉硬化的速度。专家认为颈动脉的测量数据是动脉斑块和周身硬化的指示标志。

Scientists have detected a similarity in the gene sequence of the H7N9 flu virus in humans and that of H7N9 found in live poultry, the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) said.从中国农业科学院获悉，该院哈尔滨兽医研究所陈化兰科研团队经过连续作战，最新得出的研究结果表明：在我国导致人感染的新型H7N9流感病毒与同一时期存在于活禽市场上的H7N9禽流感病毒高度同源，在国际上首次从病原学角度揭示了新型H7N9流感病毒的来源，为我国科学防控H7N9禽流感提供了重要依据。
Studies, carried out by CAAS Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, found that the H7N9 flu virus is a combination of genes from various viruses, a CAAS statement said.研究结果表明，新型H7N9流感病毒是不同来源病毒的重组病毒，它的6个内部基因来源于H9N2禽流感病毒，而血凝素(HA)和神经氨酸酶(NA)基因的来源尚不明确。研究发现，新型H7N9病毒的受体结合位点获得了部分人流感病毒特征的突变，病毒在感染人后获得了关键氨基酸位点的适应性突变，这些可能与该病毒对人的感染和致死能力有关。
In the H7N9 flu virus, six of its inner genes are from the H9N2 bird flu virus, but origins of both its hemagglutinin (HA) gene and neuraminidase (NA) gene are not clear, the statement said.自从3月31日国家卫生和计划生育委员会公布了上海和安徽出现新型人感染H7N9流感病毒病例之后，哈尔滨兽医所科研团队连夜分赴各地开展监测，彻夜进行实验室诊断、病毒分离与基因序列比对。他们先后在上海、安徽的活禽市场和养殖场采集病原学样品970份，在分离自活禽市场采集的样品中，检测出20份H7N9禽流感病毒阳性，而所有养殖场样品的检测结果均为阴性。通过基因序列分析表明，H7N9禽流感病毒的各个基因片段，与H7N9人体分离株高度同源，证明了导致人感染和致死的H7N9流感病毒可能来源于同一时期家禽中的H7N9禽流感病毒。
Chen Hualan and Li Chengjun, researchers with the institute, headed the study。They collected 970 samples from live poultry markets and farms in Shanghai and Anhui. Twenty of the samples from the markets were positive and all samples from poultry farms were negative.目前，该实验室正在积极评估已有储备的H7亚型禽流感病毒疫苗对新型H7N9禽流感病毒的免疫保护效果，同时加紧研制专门针对新型H7N9禽流感病毒的疫苗。
Further work should be carried out to detect H7N9 bird flu virus to explore its sources and transmission channels, Chen said。The research was published in the latest English version of Chinese Science Bulletin, which is sponsored by Chinese Academy of Sciences and National Natural Science Foundation of China.陈化兰表示，在前期工作的基础上，下一步将加强H7N9禽流感病毒在家禽中的检测，查明病毒的来源和传播途径，开展H7N9病毒在动物模型中的致病性、传播能力及致病机理研究，为制定科学合理的防控措施提供理论依据。

A man in Taiwan has been diagnosed with H7N9 bird flu and is critically ill with the first case of the disease found outside of mainland China. The 53-year-old Taiwanese man had been working in the Chinese city of Suzhou from the end of March to April 9, and began feeling feverish shortly after he returned home via Shanghai, according to a statement from Taiwan’s health department.一名台湾男子人被确诊患有H7N9禽流感，目前病情严重，这是中国大陆以外首例确诊病例。　台湾卫生署发布的一份声明称，从3月底到4月9日，这名53岁的台湾人在苏州工作。在经过上海回台之后很快就开始感觉发热。
News that the disease has been found in travellers who had been in China comes as experts are watching closely for signs that the disease can be transmitted from person to person. “This is an unusually dangerous virus for humans, one of the most lethal influenza viruses we have seen so far,” said Keiji Fukuda, a World Health Organisation official, at a briefing Wednesday in Beijing. He cautioned that researchers are still “at the beginning of understanding this virus.” People also appear to catch the disease from birds more easily than other variants of bird flu, according to the organisation.前往中国出差的境外人士患病的消息传出之际，专家正在密切专注这种疾病能够人传人的迹象。世界卫生组织(WHO)官员福田敬二(Keiji Fukuda)周三在北京的一次通报会上说：“这是对人类异常危险的一种病毒，是我们迄今见过的致命性最强的流感病毒之一。”他告诫称，研究人员还在“理解这种病毒的初始阶段”。WHO还指出，相比其它禽流感变体，人类似乎更容易从禽类感染这种病毒。
So far, the WHO says, it does not seem to be transmitted easily between people. However, Chinese authorities last week said they were investigating evidence of infections in some families to see whether the disease has spread from person to person.WHO表示，迄今为止，该病毒似乎还不容易人传人。然而，上周中国当局表示，正在调查一些家庭内传染的证据，以判断这种疾病已经出现人传人。
Taiwan has been particularly alert to spread of avian flu, as hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese businesspeople and Chinese tourists travel back and forth across the strait each month. The region of Suzhou, where the man had been travelling when he became ill, hosts a large number of factories owned by Taiwanese companies. The patient in Taiwan told doctors that he had not had been in contact with live or uncooked birds or eggs. Taiwan authorities say they have notified and will be monitoring those people whom the patient came in contact with.台湾对禽流感的传播保持着高度警惕，因为每月有数十万台湾商人和大陆游客往返海峡两岸。这名台湾人患病之前所在的苏州地区有很多台资工厂。这位台湾患者告诉医生，他并没有禽鸟接触史，也没有食用未熟禽类或蛋品。台湾有关部门表示，已经通知并追踪这名患者曾经接触的人。
The virus has infected 108 people and killed 22 in mainland China as of Tuesday, according to authorities there.中国有关部门称，截止周二，该病毒已经在中国大陆感染108人，死亡22人。

Asia is witnessing one of the strongest waves of physical gold buying in 30 years, with bargain-hunters using the drop in prices to secure jewellery and gold bars. Feverish buying has left many of Hong Kong’s banks, jewellers and even its gold exchange without enough yellow metal to meet demand. In Shanghai, the gold exchange saw volumes – often seen as a proxy for demand – at a record yesterday. Queues formed outside some jewellery shops in Beijing.亚洲正在见证30年来最强劲的实物黄金购买潮之一，逢低买进者趁金价下跌之际购买黄金首饰和金条。狂热的购买让香港的许多银行、珠宝店甚至黄金交易所断货。上海黄金交易所的交易规模（往往被视为需求的晴雨表）昨日创下新纪录。北京部分珠宝店外面排起了长队。
The buying surge in China, Hong Kong, India and other Asian countries contrasts with heavy selling last week, when investors dumped billions of dollars of gold-related assets. The strong Asian buying has provided support for global gold prices. Yesterday the cost of the metal rose to $1,438.66 a troy ounce, up from 8.1 per cent from the low set last week.Haywood Cheung, president of the Hong Kong Gold and Silver Exchange Society, said the exchange had effectively run out of most of its holdings as members looked to meet a shortfall in supply amid rampant retail demand for gold.与中国、香港、印度以及其他亚洲国家的购买狂潮形成对比的是，上周黄金遭遇抛售狂潮，当时投资者大举抛售黄金相关资产。强劲的亚洲买盘为国际金价提供了支持。昨日金价上涨至每盎司1438.66美元，较上周的低点上涨8.1%。香港金银业贸易场(Hong Kong Gold and Silver Exchange Society)理事长张德熙(Haywood Cheung)表示，贸易场的大部分储备实际上已经耗尽，会员单位正设法解决零售需求高涨所造成的供应短缺。
Gold traders in Asia said premiums – price paid for a particular product over and above the value of the gold it contains – which are seen as a barometer of physical demand, had more than doubled in recent days.Chow Tai Fook – the Hong Kong-based company that is the world’s biggest jeweller by market capitalisation – said some stores in areas popular with mainland Chinese tourists had sold out of gold bars.亚洲的黄金交易员表示，被视为实物黄金需求晴雨表的黄金溢价（为某件产品支付的超过其所含黄金之价值的那部分价格）最近几日上涨逾一倍。全球市值最大的珠宝商、总部位于香港的周大福(Chow Tai Fook)表示，在中国内地光顾最多的地区的部分门店，金条已经售罄。
It said demand had not been this strong for gold products since the late 1980s.周大福表示，自上世纪80年代末以来，对黄金产品的需求从未这样强劲过。
China is the world’s second-largest gold buyer after India. At Beijing’s largest gold store Caibai a long queue formed to buy investment-grade bullion on Friday morning.Trading volume on the Shanghai gold exchange jumped to a record high yesterday, reaching 43 metric tonnes, said Bloomberg data. The previous record, set on April 19, was 30.4 metric tonnes. 中国是全球第二大黄金买家，仅次于印度。上周五早上，在北京最大的金店菜百(Caibai)，购买投资级金条的人们排起了长队。彭博(Bloomberg)数据显示，上海黄金交易所的交易量昨日飙升至创纪录水平，达到43吨。上一次的纪录30.4吨是在今年4月19日创出的。

FORBES CHINA recently released its list of China’s most luminous celebrities. They’re talented, beautiful and raking in the endorsements.4月24日，福布斯发布了2013年中国名人榜，范冰冰登榜首，周杰伦居第二，刘德华居第三。获得诺贝尔文学奖的莫言，首次上榜即名列第16位。福布斯名人榜用收入和曝光率两大指标来衡量名人的商业价值，收入直观地体现了明星的商业价值以及过去一年的工作情况，同时也能体现出各领域的变化趋势。《福布斯》中文版最近公布了中国最引人注目的名人榜。他们有才华外形好，获得的代言机会也很多。
FORBES CHINA’s annual celebrity list is based on income and appearances in magazines, newspapers, TV shows and online. Stars from the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong are included. And the winners are:《福布斯》年度中国名人榜主要基于收入以及在杂志、报纸、电视节目和网络上的曝光率。中国内地和港台的明星都包含在内。今年的赢家是：
1. Fan Bingbing范冰冰
The stunning actress has become a magnet for fashion brands looking for star power in a mainland luxury goods market that is poised to become the world’s largest. One client she’s embraced: LV. Can the Fan juggernaut go global?中国内地俨然有望成为全球最大的奢侈品市场，而对于时尚品牌来说，这个惊艳的女演员在明星影响力方面非常具有吸引力，她代言了LV。范冰冰的强大魅力能否迷倒全球的粉丝？
2. Jay Chou周杰伦
Taiwan singer, actor and director unveiled his 12th studio album, Opus 12, last December (another “12″). New flick in the works: The Rooftop, being filmed in Taiwan and the mainland, which he stars in and also directs.这位台湾歌手、演员兼导演，在2012年12月推出了他的第12张专辑《十二新作》，而他的新电影作品《天台》即将上映，该电影在台湾和大陆都有拍摄，周杰伦在该片中自导自演。
3. Andy Lau刘德华
Now in his 50s, the evergreen Hong Kong star of song and film stayed popular last year with the movie Blind Detective. Lau’s sixth film with Hong Kong actress Sammi Cheng is in the works.尽管现在已经50多岁，但香港演艺圈“常青树”刘德华在音乐和电影领域仍然十分受欢迎，去年参与了电影版《盲侠金鱼飞天猪》的拍摄。这是他与香港艺人郑秀文合作的第六部电影。
4. Jackie Chan成龙
Hong Kong movie industry icon last year released what may be his last action film CZ12, or Chinese Zodiac, which he wrote and directed.作为香港电影业的偶像，成龙去年发布了自导自演的电影《十二生肖》，这也可能会成为他的最后一部动作片电影。
5. Zhang Ziyi章子怡
Popular actress had hit romantic comedy last year with My Lucky Star, which she also produced. Appears in this year’s star-laden The Grandmaster kung fu movie, directed by Hong Kong’s Wong Kar-Wai and also starring Tony Leung.知名女演员章子怡去年拍摄了爱情喜剧《非常幸运》，她也参与了该电影的制作。今年她又出演了王家卫导演的功夫电影《一代宗师》，并与梁朝伟合作。
6. Eason Chan陈奕迅
Hong Kong singer and actor Eason Chan ranks high up again this year on the strength of his voice: His “Duo” concerts last year were big hits on the mainland.香港歌手兼演员陈奕迅今年凭借自己的唱功排名迅速上升：他去年的演唱会“Duo” 同样在内地取得巨大成功。
7. Yang Mi杨幂
Actress was named most popular female singer in mainland China last year in a joint CCTV-MTV event. Last year’s flicks included Love in the Buff, Beijing Love Story and Wu Dang. Has endorsement deals with Pepsi and cosmetics brand Wetcode.杨幂去年在CCTV-MTV 音乐盛典中获得了内地最受欢迎女歌手的奖项。她去年的作品还包括《春娇与志明》《北京爱情故事》《大武当》等。她也是百事和化妆品牌水密码的代言人。
8. Huang Xiaoming黄晓明
Actor turned up in several successful films last year, including Love in the Buff, An Inaccurate Memoir and White-Haired Witch. Promotes Baleno, Tissot, Olay.黄晓明去年参与了许多热映的电影，包括客串《春娇与志明》、主演《匹夫》、《白发魔女传》等。他还为班尼路、天梭、玉兰油等品牌代言。
9. Jolin Tsai蔡依林
Taiwanese singer, a list returnee, released a new album, Muse, last year, backed up with a successful mainland concert tour. Has endorsement detail with Pepsi.这个海归台湾歌手去年发表了新专辑《Muse》，并在内陆举办了巡回演出。她也是百事的代言人。
10. Lin Chi-ling林志玲
Taiwan TV hostess, model and actress. Most recent success: romantic comedy Say Yes, which took in more than $30 million in China.台湾电视主持、模特、演员。最近的成就为电影《101次求婚》，这部爱情电影在中国获得了三千万的票房。