一周热点新闻|中国沈阳发生瓦斯爆炸，巴巴多斯选出首任总统，计划开发“元宇宙”.

1

Facebook to hire 10,000 in the EU to build “metaverse”

脸书将在欧盟招聘一万人开发“元宇宙”

脸书公司计划在未来五年内在欧盟创造一万个工作岗位，以帮助建设所谓的元宇宙——一个人们可以在虚拟环境中使用不同设备移动和交流的在线世界。脸书说，在欧盟投资提供了许多优势，包括进入大型消费市场、一流大学和高素质人才。首席执行官马克扎克伯格从七月起就一直在谈论元宇宙，这个30年前在一部反乌托邦小说中首次出现的时髦词也被微软等其他科技公司引用。利用虚拟现实和增强现实等技术，脸书计划创造一种更大的"虚拟存在"感，这将模拟面对面互动的体验。它已经承诺出资5000万美元建造元宇宙，并测试一款新的远程工作应用程序Oculus Quest 2耳机的用户可以用自己的头像版本开会。(路透社和英国广播公司)

脸书公司计划未来五年在欧盟创造一万个工作岗位，帮助开发所谓的"元世界"。"元世界"是一个人们可以用不同设备在虚拟环境中移动、交流的网络世界。脸书表示，在欧盟投资有许多好处，包括进入庞大的消费者市场，接触一流大学和高质量人才。7月以来，脸书首席执行官马克扎克伯格一直吹捧"元宇宙"。这一热词最早出现在30年前的一部反乌托邦小说中，也曾被微软等科技公司引用。利用虚拟现实和增强现实等技术，脸书计划创造一种更强烈的"虚拟存在"感，模拟面对面的互动体验。该司已出资5000万美元打造"元宇宙",并测试一款新的远程工作应用。在这款程序中，拥有Oculus Quest 2头显的用户可以通过虚拟化身开会。

【注释】

metaverse: [metvs] n。一个始终在线的虚拟环境网络，在这个网络中，许多人可以在操作他们自己的虚拟表示（或化身)的同时，相互之间以及与数字对象进行交互元宇宙

畅谈：共商大计宣传；鼓吹

【bzi】引起或以大量投机或激动的谈话或关注为特征的引发/令人兴奋的

kn币：元.构思（一个新单词或短语)发明（新词)

-align: left;" data-track="17">⑤ dystopian: [dɪsˈtəʊpiən] adj. typical of or featuring an imaginary place or state in which everything is extremely bad or unpleasant 反乌托邦的

⑥ mimic: [ˈmɪmɪk] vt. to resemble closely, esp. in structure or functionality（尤指结构或功能）很相似

⑦ avatar: [ˈævətɑː(r)] n. a graphical representation of a person or character in a computer-generated environment, esp. one which represents a user in an interactive game or other setting, and which can move about in its surroundings and interact with other characters 阿凡达，（虚拟）化身／角色「原指印度教和佛教中神佛在人间的“化身”。进入网络时代后，代指三维虚拟空间中人的动画形象」

(Credit: Glenn Chapmann / AFP via Getty Images)

2

Colin Powell died at 84

科林·鲍威尔逝世，享年84岁

Colin Powell, the trailblazing① soldier and diplomat whose sterling② reputation of service to Republican and Democratic presidents was stained③ by his faulty claims to justify the 2003 US war in Iraq, died last Monday of COVID-19 complications④. He was 84. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Powell spent 35 years in the Army and rose to the rank of four-star general before becoming the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1989. He joined President George W. Bush’s administration in 2001 as secretary of state, the first Black person to represent the US government on the world stage. Powell’s tenure, however, was marred⑤ by his 2003 address to the United Nations Security Council in which he displayed a vial⑥ of white powder to claim that Saddam Hussein had secretly stashed⑦ weapons of mass destruction. Such weapons never materialized⑧, and though the Iraqi leader was removed, the war devolved into years of military and humanitarian losses. (AP News)

10月18日，科林·鲍威尔因感染新冠并发症逝世，享年84岁。鲍威尔是一位具有开拓精神的军人和外交官。他为共和党和民主党总统效力的良好声誉，因其2003年试图合理化美国发动伊拉克战争的错误言论而受损。1989年，鲍威尔成为首位美国参谋长联席会议黑人主席。此前，他参加过越战，在美国陆军服役35年，并晋升为四星上将。2001年，鲍威尔加入小布什政府，担任美国国务卿，是首位在世界舞台上代表美国政府的黑人。然而，2003年，他在联合国安理会发表的讲话，给他的任期带来污点。讲话中，鲍威尔拿出一管白色粉末，声称萨达姆·侯赛因秘密藏匿大规模杀伤性武器。这些武器从未出现过。尽管这位伊拉克领导人下台，但战争演变成了多年的军事和人道主义损失。

【注释】

① trailblazing: [ˈtreɪlbleɪzɪŋ] adj. making or pointing a new way 开路的；开拓的

② sterling: [ˈstɜːlɪŋ] adj. of excellent quality 优秀的

③ stain: [steɪn] vt. to damage the opinion that people have of (something) 玷污；败坏

④ complication: [ˌkɒmplɪˈkeɪʃn] n. a new problem or illness that makes treatment of a previous one more complicated or difficult 并发症

⑤ mar: [mɑː(r)] vt. to damage (something) or make (something) less good or successful 毁坏；玷污

⑥ vial: [ˈvaɪəl] n. a small glass container 小玻璃瓶

⑦ stash: [stæʃ] vt. to store (something) in a safe or secret place 贮藏；藏匿

⑧ materialize: [məˈtɪəriəlaɪz] vi. to appear especially suddenly（尤指突然）出现

Colin Powell holding up a vial he said could contain anthrax, as he presented evidence of Iraq’s alleged weapons programs to the United Nations Security Council.

(Credit: Elise Amendola / AP Photo)

3

Trump to launch a social media platform

特朗普将推出社交媒体平台

Donald Trump last Wednesday has announced plans to launch a social media platform called TRUTH Social that will be rolled out early next year. The former US president, who was banned from Facebook and Twitter earlier this year, says his goal is to rival the tech companies that have denied him the megaphone① that was paramount to his rise. Trump said the platform will be open to “invited users” for a beta launch in November, with plans to make it available to the broader public in the beginning of next year. TRUTH Social will be a product of a new venture called the Trump Media & Technology Group, which was created through a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. The group said it seeks to become a publicly listed company. In July, Trump sued Facebook, Twitter, and Google for allegedly censoring him. The companies have so far upheld their bans and suspensions on Trump. (The Guardian)

10月20日，唐纳德·特朗普宣布推出社交媒体平台的计划。该平台名为“真相社交”，将于明年年初上线。这位美国前总统在今年早些时候被脸书和推特封禁账号。特朗普表示，一些科技公司拒绝让他使用对其崛起至关重要的宣传工具，他的目标是与这些公司抗衡。特朗普称，真相社交平台将于11月向“受邀用户”开放测试版，并计划在明年初向广大公众开放。真相社交将是特朗普媒体技术集团推出的产品。该公司是通过与数字世界收购公司合并而成立的一家新创企业。该司表示将力图上市。7月，特朗普对脸书、推特和谷歌提起诉讼，称这些平台对他进行审查。到目前为止，这些平台都维持了对特朗普的封停处理。

【注释】

① megaphone: [ˈmeɡəfəʊn] n. one that expresses or publicizes others’ opinions or ideas 喇叭筒；宣传工具

(Credit: dawn.com)

4

A gas explosion in Shenyang

沈阳燃气爆炸

At least five people were killed and more than 30 injured in a powerful explosion at a restaurant in Shenyang last Thursday morning. The gas explosion took place in a mixed-use residential and commercial building. Photos and videos taken at the blast site show a concrete skeleton is all that was left of the building; windows of nearby buildings were shattered, vehicles damaged, and streets covered in debris. Police and firefighters evacuated nearby residents, and volunteers logged① property damage. The blast cut power supplies, affecting about 15,000 households. Officials are still investigating the cause of the blast. (CNN and South China Morning Post)

10月21日上午，沈阳一家饭店发生剧烈爆炸，造成至少5人死亡，30余人受伤。燃气爆炸发生在一幢商住两用楼中。爆炸现场拍摄的照片和视频显示，大楼只剩下混凝土骨架。附近建筑物的窗户被震碎，车辆被毁，街面上碎石瓦砾遍布。警察和消防员疏散了附近的居民，志愿者记录了财产损失。爆炸切断了电力供应，影响了大约1.5万个家庭。官方仍在调查爆炸原因。

【注释】

① log: [lɒɡ] vt. to put (information) in an official record or write a record of (events) 把……载入正式记录；记录

(Credit: CGTN)

5

Barbados elected its first-ever president

巴巴多斯选出史上首位总统

Barbados elected its first-ever president last Thursday, dropping Queen Elizabeth as the head of the state. Dame Sandra Mason, the governor general① of the Caribbean nation, which is set to become a republic, will be sworn in on 30 November when the country marks the 55th anniversary of independence from Britain. Ms Mason, 72, was elected last Wednesday after a joint session of the House of Assembly and the Senate voted in a two-thirds majority with only one member declining to vote. The government had announced to “fully leave our colonial past behind②” last year amid global debate on racial injustice and colonialism. The nation with less than 300,000 inhabitants has maintained ties with the British monarchy and was recognised as an independent state under the Commonwealth realms③ of the queen. But people in the island nation called for full sovereignty and homegrown leadership in recent years. (The Independent)

10月21日，巴巴多斯选出其有史以来首位总统，不再奉伊丽莎白女王为国家元首。11月30日是这个加勒比国家从英国独立的55周年纪念日，届时现任总督桑德拉·梅森女爵士将宣誓就任总统。巴巴多斯将成为共和国。10月20日，现年72岁的梅森女士当选巴巴多斯总统。她在参众两院联席会议拿下了三分之二的多数票，只有一名议员拒绝投票。去年，全球就种族不公和殖民主义展开辩论，巴巴多斯政府在这一背景下宣布将“彻底摆脱我们的殖民史”。这个人口不到30万的国家一直维系与英国君主政体的关系，被认为是女王治下英联邦王国的一个独立国家。但近年来，该岛国人民要求本国拥有完整主权并自主领导。

【注释】

① governor general: the official representative in a country of the country that has or had political control over it, especially the representative of the British King or Queen in a Commonwealth country（尤指在英联邦国家代表英国君主的）总督

② leave behind: to leave (a person, place or state) permanently 永久离开（某人，某地）；永久脱离（某状态）

③ Commonwealth realm: a member nation of the Commonwealth which recognizes the British monarch as its head of state 英联邦王国「英联邦国家中，国家元首与英国君主为同一人的国家」

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Dame Sandra Mason has been Barbados’ governor general since 2018.

(Credit: Getty Images)

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