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This week received the same question from two VOA fans. Here is the first question.
本周，我们收到了美国之音两名粉丝提出的相同问题。这是第一个问题。
"What is the difference between "pandemic" and "epidemic?"
“pandemic”和“epidemic”有什么区别？
They appear a lot in recent VOA news. Thanks a lot!" - Tina, China.
它们最近在美国之音新闻中常常出现。非常感谢！”——来自中国的蒂娜。
A day later, we got this email: "In recent discussion of the outbreak and spread of coronavirus, we got a little bit confused by two similar words: "pandemic" & "epidemic".
一天后，我们收到了这封邮件：“在最近关于冠状病毒爆发和传播的讨论中，我们被两个相似的单词弄糊涂了：“pandemic”和“epidemic”。
Could you please explain their difference and usage?
您能解释一下它们的区别和用法吗？
Thank you so much for your kind help in advance." - Chris, China.
提前谢谢您了，感谢您的热心帮助。”——来自中国的克里斯。
Dear Tina and Chris, Thank you for writing to us.
亲爱的蒂娜和克里斯，谢谢你们的来信。
That is true, we are seeing and hearing these words very often in the news. When the coronavirus crisis began, it was called an "epidemic" or an "outbreak."
我们经常在新闻中看到和听到这两个单词。当冠状病毒危机开始时，它被称为“流行病”或“疾病爆发”。
After it spread across the whole world, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to call it a "pandemic" on March 11.
在它传遍全世界之后，世界卫生组织(WHO)在3月11日决定将其称为“大流行”。
Here are some examples from news stories about "epidemics" and "pandemic:"
以下是新闻报道中关于“流行病”和“大流行”的一些例子。
Italy's coronavirus epidemic began in January.
意大利的冠状病毒流行病始于1月份。
The cholera pandemic began in India, and spread across the globe through trade routes.
霍乱大流行始于印度，并通过贸易路线传播到全球各地。
One summer, refugees leaving a yellow fever epidemic in the Caribbean Islands sailed into Philadelphia.
有一年夏天，难民为逃离加勒比群岛上的黄热病乘船来到费城。
I like to look at the origins of words when I am trying to understand them better so I can explain them to you.
当我试图更好地理解单词时，我喜欢从单词起源入手，这样我就可以把它们解释给你们听。
I found that both of these words were adjectives in English before we started using them as nouns.
我发现这两个单词在被我们用作名词之前都是作为英语中的形容词使用。
That is why they end in -ic, like the word "tragic."
这就是为什么它们以-ic结尾，就像“tragic”这个单词一样。
The same thing is true of the words "comic" and "academic" -- they are used as both nouns and adjectives.
“comic”和“academic”这两个单词也是如此——它们既被用作名词，也被用作形容词。
Here is a sentence where "epidemic" is used as an adjective:
在以下句子中，“epidemic”被用作形容词：
The Centers for Disease Control confirmed that the flu has now reached epidemic proportions across the U.S.
美国疾病控制中心证实，流感已经在全美达到流行病的程度了。
When we use it as an adjective, "epidemic" is often followed by the word "proportions."
当我们把它用作形容词时，“epidemic”后面通常跟着单词“proportions”。
Together, this means the size of the group of people affected is very large.
合在一起，那就是指受影响人群的规模非常大。
These days, you might hear people use "epidemic" to talk about a non-medical problem, such as:
现在，你可能会听到人们用“epidemic”来谈论非医学问题，例如：
There was an epidemic of crime in the city.
这个城市犯罪猖獗。
Or, health officials warn about the epidemic use of flavored tobacco.
或者是：卫生官员告诫人们提防调味烟滥用。
Merriam Webster Dictionary tells us that our word "pandemic" comes from two Greek word parts: pan- for "all" or "every" and demos for "people."
《韦氏词典》告诉我们，“pandemic”一词源自希腊语的两个词根：pan-表示“所有”或“每一个”，demos表示“人”。
Medical writers use this word to talk about an illness that affects almost everyone in a country or that crosses borders to affect people in many countries.
医学作者用这个单词来形容一种疾病，这种疾病几乎会影响一个国家里的每一个人，或者跨越国界影响许多国家的人。
On March 11, 2020, WHO's director-general said, "Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly."
2020年3月11日，世卫组织总干事说：“大流行不是一个可以轻易或漫不经心使用的单词。
He was reminding people that the word is used only for the most extreme and dangerous situations.
他提醒人们，这个单词只用于最极端和最危险的情况。
To use these terms, the main thing you should remember is that a pandemic is much worse than an epidemic.
要使用这两个词语，你应该记住的主要事情是，大流行比流行病糟糕得多。
A pandemic is a type of epidemic, but you cannot say that an epidemic is a type of pandemic.
大流行是流行病的一种，但你不能说流行病是大流行的一种。
And people rarely use "pandemic" to talk about a non-medical problem, as we mentioned earlier with "epidemic."
人们很少用“pandemic”来谈论非医学问题，不像我们之前提到的“epidemic”那样。
Here are a couple of sentences for you to listen to with "epidemic" or pandemic." Fill in the blank.
这里有一些使用“epidemic”或“pandemic”的句子让你听。填在空白处。
With fewer people in the streets because of the ____, more wild animals are walking in cities around the world.
由于 ____ ，街道上的人越来越少，而越来越多的野生动物在世界各地的城市中行走。
If you answered "pandemic," you are right because the word describes the worldwide spread of disease which has affected people and animals.
如果你回答是“pandemic”，那你是正确的，因为这个单词描述的是在世界范围内传播的疾病，它已经影响了人类和动物。
Now try completing this news headline:
现在试着补充完整这个新闻标题。
The ____ of Kindness: Free Toilet Paper, Car Washes and More.
____ 善念：免费卫生纸，免费洗车等等
You're right if you guessed "epidemic," because it is used to describe something that affects a lot of people but is not necessarily a disease. In fact, it's something good.
如果你猜是“epidemic”，那你就答对了，因为它被用来形容影响很多人的事物，但它不一定是一种疾病。事实上，它是一件好事。
Many groups are talking about this epidemic of kindness as they find ways to help each other during this pandemic.
许多团体都在谈论广传善念，因为他们找到了在这场大流行期间互相帮助的方法。
And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.
以上就是本期名师答疑的全部内容。
I'm Jill Robbins.
我是吉尔·罗宾斯。
