正文
：A little more than a year after the first success of a covid-19 vaccine in a clinical trial, a sense of dread has struck much of the world. The Omicron variant of the coronavirus, first publicly identified on November 24th, may be able to circumvent the defences built up by vaccination or infection with covid-19. The World Health Organisation declared that Omicron poses a “very high” global risk. The boss of Moderna, a vaccine-maker, warned that existing jabs may struggle against the heavily mutated new variant.
译文
：新冠肺炎疫苗在临床试验中首次获得成功一年多一点后，世界各地再次陷入了恐慌之中。新冠病毒的奥密克戎变异体最早于11月24日被公开发现，（这种变体）也许可以绕过通过接种疫苗或感染（后获得免疫）所建立起的防御系统。世界卫生组织宣布，奥密克戎对全球的威胁非常大。疫苗制造商莫德纳的老板警告说，现有的针剂可能难以抵抗高度变异的新变种。
解读
：之前一直有朋友留言说希望我对文中的单词和语法等内容进行更为详细的分析。我之前的做法是只对一些比较容易误解的部分进行了阐释。大家有什么好的建议可以在留言区告诉我（最好能够举例说明）。
原文
：Faced with the ghastly prospect of yet more lockdowns, closed borders and nervous consumers, investors have reacted by selling shares in airlines and hotel chains. The price of oil has slumped by roughly $10 a barrel, the kind of drop often associated with a looming recession.
译文
：面对更多隔离、封锁边境和紧张的消费者组成的可怕前景，投资者的反应是出售航空公司和连锁酒店的股票。油价已经下跌了大约10美元一桶，这种下跌往往与即将到来的经济衰退有关。
解读
：遇到这种突发事件，与钱相关的领域反应一定是最快的。
原文
：As we explain this week it is too early to say whether the 35 mutations on Omicron’s spike protein help make it more infectious or lethal than the dominant Delta strain. As scientists analyse the data in the coming weeks, the epidemiological picture will become clearer. But the threat of a wave of illness spreading from one country to the next is once again hanging over the world economy, amplifying three existing dangers.
译文
：正如我们本周所解释的那样，要说奥密克戎的刺突蛋白上的 35 个突变是让它比主流的德尔塔变异毒株更具传染性还是更致命，还为时过早。随着科学家们在未来几周内分析数据，流行病学的图景将变得更加清晰。但是，疾病从一个国家蔓延到另一国家的威胁再次笼罩着世界经济，加剧了三个已经存在的危险。
解读
：“spike protein”是一个专业术语，无需多想。不过我们可以讲一下“spike”这个词。这个词的英文释义是“something long and thin with a sharp point, especially a pointed piece of metal”，中文为“长钉”。由此引申出的动词意义为“to push a sharp tool or object into something”，中文可理解为“用尖物刺”，也是上面术语的来源。像这篇文章的结构就是读者们最喜欢的。第二段就非常清晰的告诉你，文章会讲奥密克戎会带来的三个危险。我们自己在写议论文或者说明文的时候也要注意这一点。我们追求的是对于想法的清晰传递，所以不需要故弄玄虚。
原文
：The first is that tighter restrictions in the rich world will damage growth. On the news of the variant, countries scrambled to block travellers from southern Africa, where it was first identified. Israel and Japan have closed their borders entirely. Britain has imposed new quarantine requirements. The pandemic abruptly ended a freewheeling era of global travel. Restrictions were being eased this year, but the past week has shown that gates are slammed shut much faster than they are opened.
译文
：第一个危险是，发达国家更紧的限制措施将损害经济增长。一听到病毒变异的消息，许多国家争先恐后地阻止来自南非（在这里被首次发现）的人。以色列和日本已经完全关闭了边境。英国实施了新的隔离要求。这场疫情突然终结了全球旅行的自由时代。今年，限制措施有所放松，但过去一周的情况表明，大门关闭的速度远远快于打开的速度。
解读
：这一段开始讲第一个危险。如果新型变种的到来使得国与国之间的联系进一步被切断，那些对外需求较大的国家会受到严重的影响。
