近期台灣新冠病毒（COVID-19）疫情升溫，每日確診病例屢創新高，造成人心惶惶。為了降低民眾的不安全感，政府在四月六日發表台灣未來的防疫策略，本週就讓我們來從路透社對此事件引述的文章，學習疫情相關與多益測驗中常考的單字吧！
重症清零 zero severe cases
Taiwan’s goal at this stage is to seek zero severe cases and to manage mild cases effectively.
Photo: Pixabay 照片︰Pixabay
（台灣現階段的目標是「重症清零，輕症管控」為主。）
severe「嚴重的」是標準修飾狀態的形容詞，可用來修飾疾病、問題或是負面的狀態，因此severe cases「重症」也就是confirmed cases「確診數」中的嚴重案件，相對的「輕症」就可以用mild cases形容。
日前，在病毒尚未變種前，多數國家都期盼要達到「清零」（zero-COVID 或 COVID-zero），但經過三年下來，zero-tolerance strategy「零容忍策略」的狀況似乎遙不可及，並且造成全球醫療及人心疲累，因此本次台灣政府提出「重症清零，輕症管控」的策略，期望達到非放任病毒肆虐式的「與病毒共存」的控管疫情策略。
與病毒共存 coexisting
It is not “coexisting with the virus” that allows it to wreak havoc, but effective epidemic control and management.
（不是放任病毒肆虐式的「與病毒共存」，而是有效的疫情控管。）
coexist with the virus「與病毒共存」的概念，是二○二一年在疫情反覆延燒後，許多專家與研究提出的建議。coexist「共存」是由字根「co-」與exist 搭配出的詞彙；通常與字首「co-」、「col-」、「com-」、「con-」搭配的單字，都有together、with「共同、相互」的含意，如coordinate「協調一致」、commiserate「同情」、collaborate「合作」、contaminate「汙染」……等。
此外，本句還有一個重點︰wreak havoc「造成重創」也是在新聞中經常出現的詞彙。wreak「造成、引起（災禍等）」搭配havoc「大破壞、浩劫」，表示「造成重創」的意思。
War, sanctions and a weakened ruble wreaked havoc on the fortunes of the country’s richest people.
（戰爭、制裁和盧布貶值對該國（俄國）最富有的人的財富造成重創。）
政府表示，要讓國民能有正常生活，就是要有積極的防疫措施（active epidemic preventions），即提升台灣的疫苗覆蓋率（the vaccine coverage rate）與充足的醫療量能（sufficient medical resources），包括快篩試劑（rapid antigen）、抗病毒藥物整備要持續增加。
如何描述確診病例攀升？
Taiwan aims for zero serious COVID cases as infections edge up.
（隨著感染人數升溫，台灣的目標是「重症清零」。）
edge表示「徐徐地移動」，因此edge up代表「逐漸上升」的意思。這個動詞可以用於描述「處理圖表上數字和情勢走向」的情況，也是多益測驗金融財務情境不可或缺的詞彙。
On April 1, Taiwan broke the 100 level for the first time in 2022 with 104 local COVID cases. Just four days later on April 5, Taiwan surpassed the 200 mark with 216 cases. Taiwan has now exceeded the 1,200 mark with 1,209 cases on Friday, prompting fears of exponential growth in local COVID infections.
（四月一日，台灣以104例本地COVID病例，在二○二二年首次破百。僅僅四天後的四月五日，台灣就以216例病例超過兩百例。台灣週五有1,209例病例，已超過一千兩百例，引發人們對當地COVID感染呈指數增長的擔憂。）
break、surpass、exceed都有「超過（數量、範圍）」之意。從三月底開始，每日的確診數字都會和某個基準點相比，這幾個詞彙就相當實用。此外，要描述某種趨勢向上或數字飆升時，也可以使用rise、surge、soar、skyrocket等動詞，而要說明趨勢向下或數字驟減，則可用decline、plunge、plummet、crash 、collapse、dive等字。
Oil prices surge over escalating Ukraine-Russia tension.
（因烏克蘭與俄羅斯的緊張局勢升級，油價飆升。）
Hedge funds investing in Russia plunge amid invasion of Ukraine.
（在烏克蘭入侵時，投資俄羅斯的對沖基金暴跌。）
surge表示「遽增、急遽上升」；plunge代表「遽降、猛跌」，兩者皆可當名詞與動詞使用。若要表示達到「最高點、高峰」，則使用peak。在四月七日的媒體報導中，即多用此字來顯示未來兩個月中，新冠確診的人數將會到達高峰狀況。
Taiwan’s COVID cases could peak in 2 months.
（台灣的COVID病例可能在兩個月內達到頂峰。）
Once an Omicron surge begins, it takes about one to two months to reach a peak.
（一旦Omicron變異株開始激增，大約一到兩個月就會達到巔峰。）
與「高峰、巔峰」相反之義就是「觸底、跌至谷底」hit rock bottom。
The COVID-19 vaccine push in some countries appears to have hit rock bottom.
（在某些國家的新冠病毒疫苗推廣似乎觸底了。）
疫情強勢來襲，面對這場不時何時會結束的「病毒戰爭」，大眾必定期盼這波變種病毒盡快結束！The wave of infectious diseases will hit bottom soon in the near future!
【多益模擬試題】
1. As the COVID-19 virus variants tighten their grip around the world, demand for rapid antigen tests ________ subsequently.
(A) contaminates
(B) soars
(C) surpasses
(D) plunges
2. Studies have shown that the main sources of pollution in most advanced countries are fossil fuel-powered transportation and energy production. They also ________ havoc on the countries’ most vulnerable and marginalized communities.
(A) coexist
(B) collapse
(C) peak
(D) wreak
【解析】
1. 正解 (B)。語意為「隨著新冠變種病毒嚴重肆虐全球，快篩的需求隨之激增。」本題為字彙題，依照語意與用法，需要搭配描述狀況的動詞，故選(B)「飆升」。
(C) surpasses「超過」需要搭配數字或標準，故非正解。
2. 正解(D)。語意為「研究顯示大多數先進國家的主要污染源是以化石燃料為動力的交通運輸和能源生產為主。他們（汙染源）也對這些國家最脆弱和邊緣化的社區造成重創。」本題為字彙搭配題，要選擇搭配havoc的動詞，wreak havoc on sth／sb
「對（某事物／某人）造成重創」，故(D)為正確答案。
文章由 English OK 授權使用: www.englishok.com.tw
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