A time like no other before

This year has been a strange one, hasn’t it? Most of us never thought we’d see a pandemic sweep the globe in our lifetime, yet here we are. We are continuing to fight. We have learned so much over this year. And hopefully, we’re better people for it.
今年是不同寻常的一年，不是吗？我们大多数人都没想过，有生之年会目睹一场席卷全球的疫情，但我们的确见证了这一切。我们也将继续抗击疫情。这一年，我们学到了很多东西，希望我们因此也成为更好的人。

We came together as families, communities and countries – and worked tirelessly to fight a virus that we’d never seen before. Our heroes in harm’s way have put their lives on the line to save lives – or just to ensure we could keep on living comfortably throughout the pandemic. They deserve our respect and admiration; let’s never forget their sacrifices.
我们来自不同的家庭、团体、国家 —— 并不屈不挠地与之前从未见过的病毒作斗争。我们的英雄不顾安危，冒着生命危险挽救无数生命 ——抑或是保证我们能在疫情期间继续过上舒适的生活。他们值得我们的尊重与钦佩，让我们永远不要忘记他们的牺牲奉献。

We now know we can rise to any challenge, and we can develop life-saving technology – a vaccine – faster than any other time in human history. Before 2020, developing a vaccine in less than a year was thought to be impossible, yet here it is.
如今，我们知道自身能应对任何挑战，我们能以迄今人类历史上最快的速度研发出挽救生命的技术 —— 疫苗。在2020年以前，人们认为在不到一年的时间研发出一款疫苗是不可能的事，但是现在我们做到了。

This year has put things into perspective. We can never truly appreciate the good things in life until we’re challenged by something bad. The lockdowns have made us appreciate how beautiful freedom is. Social distancing has made us realize how wonderful it is to be around people, friends and family. The lows of this unprecedented year will hopefully make every future moment feel more vibrant than ever before.
今年让我们以新角度看待事情。在祸事降临前，我们永远不会真正欣赏生活中的美好。疫情隔离让我们意识到自由是多么美好。社交距离让我们意识到在人群、朋友、家人身边是多么美好。这一年史无前例，接连的低谷，有望使未来的每一个瞬间比以往更有活力。

Even though COVID-19 stole the spotlight this year, people of the world still moved onward and upward, and accomplished great things. China’s Chang’e 5 lunar probe has returned to Earth with the first moon samples in over 40 years. Tianwen 1 is now more than 100 million kilometers from Earth and is expected to arrive on Mars in February.
即便新冠病毒今年抢占了人们的注意力，但世界各地的人们还是勇往直前，成就非凡。中国的嫦娥五号月球探测器返回地球，带回了40年来首批月球样品。天问一号现在距离地球超过1亿公里，预计2月抵达火星。

The slowdown of human activity as a result of the lockdowns also gave scientists a chance to study ecosystems devoid of people – and showed us what was in reach for the environment with quieter oceans and less polluted cities. This year has also seen a surge in electric vehicle sales as businesses and governments around the world deal with climate change like never before.
封锁导致的人类活动停摆也使科学家有得以研究没有人类参与的生态系统，并向我们呈现海洋更宁静，城市污染减少后的环境状况。因为全球的企业和政府以前所未有的行动应对气候变化，今年电动车销量也实现激增。

Rather than focus on the negatives of 2020, let’s celebrate our victories. There is nothing we can’t do as citizens of the world. This year is proof of that.
与其关注2020年消极的一面，不如庆祝我们取得的胜利吧。作为世界公民，没有我们做不到的事。今年就证明了这一点。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高二818期