[Photo/Instagram]

>Italy reopens 'wine windows'

意大利再启用防疫'酒窗'

As 16th-century Florentines dropped like flies to the plague, survivors drowned their fears in wine, passed to them through small windows, which are enjoying a renaissance during the coronavirus era.

由于瘟疫盛行，16世纪的佛罗伦萨人纷纷病倒，幸存者借酒消除恐惧，商家通过小窗户把酒出售给顾客。

The small "wine windows" can be seen dotted around the Tuscan capital next to the grand entrances of sumptuous nobles’ palaces, where wealthy families used to sell alcohol directly to thirsty customers, passing flasks through to eager hands.

而在新冠疫情时期，这种售卖方式再次兴起。在托斯卡纳区首府佛罗伦萨，豪华的贵族宫殿的宏伟入口旁随处可见小小的"酒窗"。过去，富裕的家庭在这里直接向口渴的顾客出售酒，把小酒瓶递给渴望喝上一杯的人。

Over time, the apertures, just 30 centimetres high and 20 centimetres wide, fell into disuse.

随着时间的推移，只有30厘米高、20厘米宽的"酒窗"就不再使用了。

But the COVID-19 pandemic has seen their resurgence, with bars using them to serve ice-cold cocktails like Aperol Spritz, gelato or coffee.

但新冠疫情使"酒窗"再度启用，酒吧用它来出售冰镇阿佩罗开胃鸡尾酒、意式冰淇淋或咖啡。

They offer a way for establishments hit hard by the lockdown to attract customers while adhering to social distancing rules.

它们为受到封锁重创的商家提供了一种既能吸引顾客，又能遵守社交距离规则的售卖方式。

To date, some 267 of the wine windows have been rediscovered in Tuscany, with 149 of them in the center of Florence.

到目前为止，托斯卡纳区重新启用了大约267个"酒窗"，其中149个位于佛罗伦萨市中心。

Shoppers walk past social distancing signs at the Covent Garden shopping and dining district, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain, Aug 2, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

>Grading algorithm fuels backlash

英国中高考用算法打分?

A-level and GCSE students in England will be given grades estimated by their teachers, rather than by an algorithm, after a government U-turn.

英国政府对考生成绩政策出现180度大转弯，A-level和GCSE(分别相当于中国的高考和中考)考生的分数将由他们的老师评估给出，而不是通过算法来计算。

It follows an uproar after about 40 percent of A-level results were downgraded by exams regulator Ofqual, which used a formula based on schools' prior grades.

由于英国资格及考试监督办公室使用了基于学校之前成绩的公式来计算考生分数，大约40%的考生A-level成绩低于教师评估，引发了轩然大波。

A-level students held protests across the UK in response to grades they said were unfairly awarded.

由于认为所得分数不公，英国各地的A-level考生举行了抗议活动。

Alistair Jarvis, chief executive of Universities UK, said universities were being "as flexible as possible with applicants" but that the "late policy change" has created "challenges".

英国大学协会首席执行官阿利斯泰尔•贾维斯表示，大学正在"尽可能灵活地对待申请者"，但"政策的后期变化"带来了"挑战"。

He called on the government to "step up and support universities", adding that Universities UK was seeking "urgent clarification" on a number of issues.

他呼吁政府"加强对大学的支持"，并补充说该协会正在寻求"紧急澄清"一些问题。

A mannequin with a face mask and a reminder of safety precautions is displayed in a clothing store amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in a Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 24, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

>Antiviral denim goes viral

多家企业推抗病毒服装

The coronavirus pandemic has affected every aspect of life - including fashion.

新冠肺炎疫情影响了生活的方方面面——包括时装。

To cater to new economic realities and the COVID-19 concerns of their clientele, several apparel companies have developed antivirus protection in their clothing.

为了迎合新的经济现实和客户对于新冠肺炎的关切，数家服装企业都研发了具有抗病毒功能的服饰。

Artistic Denim Mills, a Pakistan-based denim and apparel manufacturer, was an early adopter of adding antiviral technology to its products.

总部位于巴基斯坦的牛仔服饰制造商Artistic Denim Mills公司是最早将抗病毒技术应用到服装产品中的企业之一。

In June, the company partnered with Swiss textile firm HeiQ to release antiviral denim and face mask collections.

今年六月，该公司和瑞士纺织企业HeiQ合作推出了抗病毒牛仔服和口罩系列。

HeiQ claims that its Viroblock NPJ03 technology, which "makes treated textiles resistant against the degradation by microorganisms and inhibits the growth of bacterial odors," has been tested 99.99 percent effective in 30 minutes against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

HeiQ公司声称自己的防病毒NPJ03技术"处理过的面料可以阻止微生物的降解作用，抑制细菌臭味"，在抗击新冠病毒的30分钟试验里有效性高达99.99%。

In July, denim brand Diesel announced it would implement virus-fighting technology into its upcoming styles through a partnership with Swedish firm Polygiene, maker of ViralOff, which claims to have the capacity to disable over 99 percent of viral activity within two hours of contact between pathogens and fabric.

七月份，牛仔时装品牌迪塞尔宣布，将和瑞典Polygiene公司合作，在新一季时装中应用抗病毒技术。Polygiene公司的ViralOff技术据称可以在病原体接触面料的两个小时内降低超99%的病毒活性。

[Photo/Unsplash]

>Phones to send quake alerts

谷歌研发地震警报系统

Android phones will be used to sense earthquakes around the world and may one day be able to provide global warnings, with the first mass alert system unveiled Tuesday in California, Google announced.

谷歌宣布，安卓手机将能用来感知世界各地的地震，也许有一天还能给全球发出地震警报，首个大众警报系统于8月11日在美国加州上线。

Google, which helped develop Android, worked with California and the US Geological Survey to build the quake alerts into all phones that run the commonplace mobile operating system.

安卓手机的研发公司谷歌与加州和美国地质调查所合作，在所有运行安卓操作系统的手机中植入了地震警报系统。

Android users who have enabled location services and are near a quake of magnitude 4.5 or greater will receive a full-screen earthquake warning telling them to drop to the floor and seek cover.

开通了定位功能的安卓用户在4.5级以上地震来临时将收到全屏显示的地震警报，告知他们伏在地上，寻找掩护。

The screen also will provide estimates of the quake's magnitude and distance from the user.

手机屏幕还会显示预估的震级以及地震发生地与用户的距离。

Depending on their distance from a quake, people could get several seconds or perhaps a minute of warning.

根据与震中的距离远近，人们可以收到数秒或一分钟的警报。

Also Tuesday, Google announced that Android phones will begin detecting earthquakes from around the world through their motion-sensing accelerometers.

谷歌当日还宣布，安卓手机将开始通过动作感应加速器来感应世界各地的地震。

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来源：chinadaily.com.cn