> US life expectancy plunged again in 2021

美国人预期寿命降至1996年以来最低水平

People walk on Times Square in New York, the United States, Nov 23, 2021. [PhotoXinhua]

Life expectancy fell in the United States in 2021 for the second year in a row to its lowest level since 1996, driven by COVID-19 deaths, according to provisional government data published on Wednesday.

根据当地时间8月31日公布的临时性政府数据，受**疫情影响，美国2021年的预期寿命缩短至1996年以来的最低水平，连续第二年下降。

The nearly one-year decline from 2020, to 76.1 years, marked the largest two-year drop in life expectancy at birth in close to a century, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found. 美国疾病控制和预防中心发现，自2020年起，美国的平均预期寿命出现了近1岁的下降，缩短至76.1岁，这也是近一个世纪以来美国平均预期寿命最大的两年降幅。

Disparity in life expectancy between men and women also widened last year to the highest in over two decades, with men now expected to live 73.2 years, nearly six fewer years than women. 2021年，美国男性和女性之间的预期寿命差距也扩大到了20多年来的**水平。目前，美国男性的预期寿命为73.2岁，比女性少了近6岁。

COVID-19 was associated with more than 460,000 US deaths in 2021, contributing to half of the overall decline in life expectancy last year, with drug overdoses and heart disease also major contributors, the data showed.数据显示，2021年美国预期寿命总体下降，其中一半原因归咎于**导致的死亡，2021年美国超过46万的死亡数与其有关。此外，药物过量和心**也是主要原因。

> Miss England finalist becomes first in pageant's history to compete without makeup

英国女大学生成不化妆参加英格兰**选美第一人

Photo/Unsplash

A Miss England finalist has become the first ever beauty queen to compete without wearing any makeup in the pageant's nearly century-long history.

一名入围英格兰**选美决赛的选手成为这项比赛长达近一个世纪的历史上完全素颜参赛的第一人。

Melisa Raouf, a 20-year-old college student from south London, moved forward at the pageant's semifinals on Monday after opting for a barefaced look. 来自伦敦南部的20岁女大学生梅丽莎•拉乌夫在选择以素颜参加8月22日的英格兰**选美半决赛后顺利晋级。

"It means a lot to me as I feel many girls of different ages wear makeup because they feel pressured to do so," Raouf said. "If one is happy in their own skin, we should not be made to cover up our face with makeup. Our flaws make us who we are, and that's what makes every individual unique," she added. 拉乌夫称：“素颜参赛对我意义重大，因为我认为许多不同年龄段的女孩化妆都是迫于压力。”” “如果一个人觉得素颜很舒服，就不应该被迫化妆。我们的缺陷使我们成为我们自己，这也让每个人都独一无二。”

According to organizers, Raouf plans to go bare-faced again at the national final in October.主办方透露，拉乌夫打算再次素颜参加10月份的全国总决赛。

> ‘Zombie ice’ from Greenland will raise sea level 10 inches

格陵兰岛“僵尸冰”融化或使全球海平面上升27厘米

[Photo/Agencies]

Zombie ice from the massive Greenland ice sheet will eventually raise global sea levels by at least 10 inches (27 centimeters) on its own, according to a study released Monday.

8月29日公布的一项研究显示，格陵兰岛巨大冰盖上的“僵尸冰”融化将使全球海平面上升至少10英寸（27厘米）。

Zombie or doomed ice is ice that is still attached to thicker areas of ice, but is no longer getting fed by those larger glaciers.“僵尸冰”或“死冰”附着在较厚的冰川上，但受母冰川补雪**影响，这些冰将无法再补冰。

That’s because the parent glaciers are getting less replenishing snow. Meanwhile, the doomed ice is melting from climate change, said study co-author William Colgan, a glaciologist at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. 研究论文的合著者、丹麦和格陵兰地质调查局的冰川学家威廉•科尔根称，由于气候变化，这些“僵尸冰”正在融化。

“It’s dead ice. It’s just going to melt and disappear from the ice sheet,” Colgan said in an interview. “This ice has been consigned to the ocean, regardless of what climate (emissions) scenario we take now.”科尔根在一次采访中称：“这是死冰，它将融化并从冰盖上消失。不管我们现在采取怎样的气候排放方案，这些冰都会融入海洋中。”

> US appeals to farmers to plant two crops instead of one

美国呼吁农民尝试两熟种植制度 应对潜在的食物短缺危机

[Photo/Unsplash]

The US Department of Agriculture this summer has encouraged American farmers to grow one crop after the other on one piece of land to combat a potential food shortage.

美国农业部今年夏天呼吁农民在同一土地上连续种植两种作物，以应对潜在的粮食短缺危机。

Wheat prices have almost doubled, and exports have been restricted since the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, two of the world's biggest wheat exporters. Global food supplies have been severely affected. 自俄乌冲突爆发以来，同为全球小麦出口大国的俄罗斯和乌克兰小麦出口受限，小麦价格几乎翻了一番，严重影响了全球粮食供应。

USDA is now pushing double-cropping, hoping to reduce reliance on Russian and Ukrainian wheat and also to boost the incomes of US farmers while fertilizer and fuel costs are soaring. 美国农业部现在大力推广两种农作物一年两熟，希望借此**对俄乌粮食的依赖，并在化肥和燃料成本高涨的情况下，提高美国农民收入。

Double-cropping often requires years of learning, and risks of reduced production due to rain and heat mi**atch and soil moisture restrictions, making the prospects uncertain.两熟种植通常需要数年时间学习，且雨热不同步、土壤湿度限制等因素或导致减产风险，这些使得新种植制度的收益前景充满不确定性。

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来源：chinadaily.com.cn