Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province, is usually a bustling city during Spring Festival. All corners of the city rang with the cries of vendors, the laughter of friends and the music of busy bars and restaurants. However, things went very differently this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
湖北省省會武漢在春節(jié)期間往往熱鬧非凡。城市的大街小巷中回蕩著商販的叫賣聲、親友的歡笑聲以及從忙碌的酒吧餐廳中傳出的音樂聲。但由于新型冠狀病毒肺炎疫情，今年的情況大不相同。

On Jan 23, Wuhan was locked down to control the spread of the virus. The transport hub of more than 10 million people temporarily closed its airports, rail stations and all main roads out of town, as well as suspended public buses and subways.
1月23日，武漢為控制病毒傳播宣布“封城”。這座千萬級人口的交通樞紐暫時關閉了機場、火車站以及所有主要道路等離漢通道，全城公交、地鐵暫停運營。

The closure was “a very difficult decision” in the words of Wang Xiaodong, governor of Hubei province. Talking to China Daily, he said: “What we are most worried about is the inconvenience to people’s daily life. Our hope is to exchange short-term difficulties for long-term peace and safety as soon as possible.”
湖北省省長王曉東表示，關閉離漢通道是“一個非常艱難的抉擇”。在接受《中國日報》采訪時，他表示：“最擔心的是，給人民群眾的生活帶來不便。我們的愿望是，以短暫的困難，盡快換取長久平安?！?/span>

Without doubt, the lockdown has brought hardship to the people of Wuhan. According to Xinhua News Agency, the city has suffered a shortage of vegetables, masks, safety goggles, medical workers and beds for the infected. But in the face of a viral outbreak, a quarantine is the most effective and immediate method to prevent a more serious situation from developing. Before and during the Spring Festival, controlling the flow of crowds was a key issue.
毫無疑問，封城給武漢市民帶來了困難。據(jù)新華社報道，武漢面臨著蔬菜、口罩、護目鏡、醫(yī)護工作者以及患者床位短缺的情況。但在疫情面前，為了防止疫情加重，設置隔離區(qū)是最為直接有效的方法。控制春節(jié)前夕和春節(jié)期間的人口流動，成為了關鍵。

In order to solve the problems in Wuhan, the local market supervision administration increased its efforts to ensure food supply and stabilize market prices. Meanwhile, the central government sent more than 30,000 medical workers from around China to Wuhan. Two new hospitals — Huoshenshan Hospital and Leishenshan Hospital － were completed in 10 days, with the labor of more than 4,000 workers.
為了解決武漢的實際困難，當?shù)厥袌霰O(jiān)管部門加大力度保證糧食供給，穩(wěn)定市場價格。與此同時，中央也從全國各地組織了三萬多名醫(yī)護人員馳援武漢。在4000多名工人奮戰(zhàn)建設下，短短十天便建起了火神山、雷神山兩座新醫(yī)院。

President Xi Jinping has said “Wuhan is a heroic city and people of Hubei and Wuhan are heroic people who have never been crushed by any difficulty and danger in history.”
國家主席習近平指出，“武漢是英雄的城市，湖北人民、武漢人民是英雄的人民，歷史上從來沒有被艱難險阻壓垮過?！?/span>

All of these measures have paid off. According to China Daily, the number of newly infected patients outside Hubei had reduced for 15 consecutive days on Chinese mainland as of Feb 18.
所有這些措施都取得了一定的成效。據(jù)《中國日報》報道，截至2月18日，全國除湖北以外地區(qū)新增確診連續(xù)15日呈現(xiàn)下降態(tài)勢。

To some extent, “the idea of sacrificing one’s self for a greater, national goal is deeply embedded in Chinese culture,” Bloomberg noted. This spirit of shared sacrifice may explain why Wuhan citizens are willing to follow the rules, staying in their city to protect the whole nation.
從某種程度而言，“犧牲小我，成就大我的觀念深植于中華文化之中，”彭博社指出。這種共患難的精神或許解釋了武漢市民為何愿意聽從指揮不離開武漢，從而保護了整個國家。

以上文章內(nèi)容選自《21世紀學生英文報高中版》，詳情請見《21世紀學生英文報高中版》高三708期