我们应该戴口罩吗？

这是来自BBC英语教学的下载内容。

This is a download from BBC Learning English.

想了解更多，请访问我们的网站。

To find out more, visit our website.

BBC英语教学的六分钟英语。

Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

你好。

Hello.

这是BBC英语教学的六分钟英语。

This is six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

我是罗布。

I'm Rob.

我是萨姆。

And I'm Sam.

随着新冠疫情的爆发，世界各地许多国家的人们开始佩戴口罩，以保护自己和接触的他人。

With the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, people in many countries around the world have started wearing face masks to protect both themselves and others they come into contact with.

在本期节目中，我们将探讨在公共场合戴口罩是否有助于遏制新冠病毒在社区中的传播。

In this programme, we'll be asking whether wearing masks in public can help prevent the spread of coronavirus in the community.

口罩在一些亚洲国家早已流行，但随着新冠疫情的蔓延，其他地区也越来越常见到人们佩戴口罩。

Face masks have long been popular in some Asian countries, but with the spread of COVID nineteen, they're increasingly being seen in other parts of the world too.

佩戴防护性口罩或面罩并不是什么新鲜事。

Wearing a protective mask or face covering is nothing new.

医用口罩的历史源远流长，从欧洲中世纪的瘟疫，到19世纪美国的霍乱疫情，都有它们的身影。

Medical masks have a long history from the plagues of medieval Europe to nineteenth century outbreaks of cholera in The United States.

但它们是什么时候开始被广泛使用的呢？

But when did they start to be commonly used?

这正是我今天要问的问题。

That's my question for today.

口罩最早是在什么时候、什么地方被大规模使用的？

When and where were face masks first widely used?

是1855年的维也纳，1905年的芝加哥，还是1955年的伦敦？

Was it a, 1855 in Vienna, b, nineteen o five in Chicago, or c, 1955 in London?

你刚才提到美国发生过霍乱疫情，罗布。

Well, you mentioned cholera outbreaks in The US, Rob.

那我选 b，1905 年的芝加哥。

So I'll say b, nineteen o five in Chicago.

对，萨姆。

Right, Sam.

我们稍后就知道你答得对不对了。

Well, we'll find out later if you were right.

戴口罩或许能让人安心，但有没有证据表明它能真正保护佩戴者不被感染，或者防止感染者把病毒传给别人呢？

Now face masks may inspire confidence, but what is the evidence that they actually protect the wearer from contracting the virus or prevent infected people from spreading the virus to others.

罗伯特·韦斯特教授对二十多项相关研究进行了综述。

Professor Robert West has conducted a review of over 20 studies looking into the evidence.

他接受了 BBC 世界服务节目《健康检查》的采访。

Here he is speaking to the BBC World Service programme Health Check.

目前的证据还不明确。

The evidence is equivocal on it.

目前还看不出明确的结论。

It doesn't really tell you anything yet.

希望情况能有所改变。

Mean, hopefully that will change.

所以我们只能回归到最基本的原则，这也就是为什么在公共卫生的许多领域，争论都这么激烈——因为大家主要靠个人看法来判断。你会看到有一派人说，这很明显嘛，就是那种老生常谈的‘合乎逻辑’论点：如果你脸上遮着东西，说话或咳嗽时，确实能挡住不少飞沫里的病毒。

So we're thrown back on sort of first principles and basics and this is why, as in so many other areas of public health, you get such a heated debate because people are really relying on their opinion on things, and you will have one group who say, Well, it stands to reason, the good old stands to reason argument, which is obviously if you've got a covering in front of your face and you're speaking or coughing into that covering, it's going to trap quite a lot of the virus on the droplets that you'll be emitting.

到目前为止，关于戴口罩是有帮助还是有害，证据都模棱两可，难以解读，因为它似乎同时支持两种截然相反的观点。

So far, the evidence over whether face masks are helpful or harmful is equivocal difficult to interpret because it seems to have two opposite or contradictory meanings.

根据现有证据，韦斯特教授认为，我们还无法断定戴口罩是否有效。

Based on current evidence, Professor West feels we cannot say whether mask wearing is beneficial.

有些研究显示戴口罩能阻止疾病传播，也有研究得出相反的结论。

Some evidence suggests that wearing masks can prevent the disease spreading and some suggest the opposite.

戴口罩反而可能增加新冠病毒传播的风险，这背后是有原因的。

There may be reasons why wearing masks could actually increase the spread of coronavirus.

不过对某些人来说，戴口罩显然有益，这看起来是显而易见的事实。

However, for some people it stands to reason that masks are beneficial meaning it is obviously true from the facts.

实际上，证据远非显而易见，但每个人对这个问题都有自己的看法。经历了数周紧张的封锁后，这很容易引发激烈的争论，甚至让人情绪激动、怒火中烧。

Actually, the evidence is far from obvious but everyone has an opinion on the issue and after weeks of stressful lockdown this can lead to heated debate, discussion or argument in which people become angry and excited.

直到最近，世界卫生组织还表示，只有两类人必须戴口罩：出现病毒症状的人和他们的照护者。

Up until recently, the World Health Organization said there were two groups who definitely should wear masks people showing symptoms of the virus and their carers.

但这留下了一个问题：那些自己感染了病毒却毫不知情的人，可能在无意中把病毒释放到空气中——就像发出声音或气味一样，只不过这次是新冠病毒。

But that left the problem of people who have the virus without knowing it and maybe unintentionally emitting it, sending something out into the air, for example, a noise or smell or, in this case, coronavirus.

到了六月，世卫组织的建议改变了。

In June, the WHO advice changed.

现在他们说，在无法保持社交距离的公共场所，大家都应该戴口罩。

Now they say masks should be worn in public where social distancing measures are not possible.

但戴口罩的好处，可能被其他因素抵消了，正如韦斯特教授所解释的。

But the advantages of wearing masks might be outweighed by other considerations, as Professor West explains.

这还可能带来一些负面后果，比如让人感到被逼着戴口罩——在根本没必要戴的地方硬要戴，反而可能有害，因为大家觉得不戴就会被评判。

It could also have unfortunate negative consequences in terms of the sort of mask shaming that people feel compelled to wear masks in situations where it's actually not helpful and may be harmful because it's expected of them and they feel that they would be judged if they didn't.

但我觉得，除此之外还有一个问题：口罩可能会让人产生一种虚假的安全感。

But I think in addition to that, one of the problems we have is that masks can potentially create a false sense of security.

一个负面影响是‘口罩羞辱’，也就是因为别人没戴口罩而批评或取笑他们。

One negative effect is the practice of mask shaming criticising or humiliating someone for not wearing a face covering.

另一个问题是，戴口罩可能会让人产生虚假的安全感，觉得比实际情况更安全。

Another problem is that wearing masks might create a false sense of security, a feeling of being safer than you really are.

罗布，1905年发生的事也是这样吗？

Is that what happened in nineteen o five, Rob?

是的。

Oh, yes.

今天的小测验题目来了。

Today's quiz question.

我之前问过你们，口罩是什么时候开始广泛使用的。

I asked you when face masks were first widely used.

我说的是B选项，1905年在芝加哥。

And I said b nineteen o five in Chicago.

答对了，萨姆。

Well done, Sam.

你说得完全对。

You are absolutely right.

1905年在芝加哥，艾丽丝·汉密尔顿医生首次发现，照顾猩红热患者的护理人员戴上口罩后并没有感染。

It was nineteen o five in Chicago when doctor Alice Hamilton first noticed that carers wearing masks to treat scarlet fever patients did not get sick.

嗯，这挺有意思的。

Okay, interesting.

所以今天我们讨论的是，戴口罩是否能帮助防止感染者传播新冠病毒。

So today we've been discussing whether wearing masks helps prevent infected people emitting or sending out coronavirus.

到目前为止，证据还不明确，因为看起来有些矛盾。

Well, so far the evidence is equivocal unclear because it seems contradictory.

换句话说，我们还无法确定到底有没有效果。

In other words, we can't say either way for certain.

但对一些人来说，戴口罩显然是个好主意，这很合乎逻辑。

But for some, it stands to reason meaning it's obviously true that mask wearing is a good idea.

关于是否佩戴口罩的争议，已经引发了激烈的讨论。

The disagreement over wearing face coverings has started heated debate.

这场讨论变得激烈而激动。

That's discussion which becomes angry or excited.

这反过来导致了‘口罩羞辱’现象——有人因为不戴口罩而遭到批评或嘲笑。

And this in turn has led to incidents of mask shaming criticising or mocking people for not wearing a face mask.

最后一个问题是，口罩可能让人产生虚假的安全感。

A final drawback is that masks might give the wearer a false sense of security.

也就是以为自己安全了，其实并不安全。

That's belief that they are safe when they're not.

今天的时间就到这里了。

And that's all we've got time for today.

那我们先说到这里。

Bye for now.

再见。

Bye bye.

六分钟英语。

Six Minute English.

来自BBC英语教学。

From BBC Learning English.