02-07-08

烟火照亮中国天空庆祝农历新年开始 (Fireworks Light Up Chinese Sky for Start of Lunar New Year Celebrations)

北京盛大烟火庆祝迎来中国农历最重要的节日-农历新年。官方电视台举办盛大的春节联欢晚会，作为庆祝鼠年活动的一部门。晚会还向数以百万计因半个世纪来最恶劣严冬天气而无法回家过年的农民工表达敬意。

暴风雪连续多天阻断了交通，使数以千计的人无电，失去基本供应。中国国家主席胡锦涛和总理温家宝视察了受灾最严重的很多地区。胡锦涛在南部广西省慰问期间，感谢运送救援物资的军人。

A huge fireworks celebration in Beijing has ushered in the start of the Lunar New Year, the biggest holiday in the Chinese calendar. Government-run television today staged an extravagant variety show as part of the festivities marking the Year of the Rat. The show also paid tribute to millions of migrant workers who are not able to return home for the holiday, following the country's worst winter weather in half a century.

The snow and ice storms cut off transportation for days, and left thousands without power and crucial supplies. 

President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have been touring many areas hard-hit by the bad weather. During a visit to the southern province of Guangxi today, Mr. Hu thanked soldiers for delivering relief supplies. 

新研究发现基因可能导致儿童肥胖 (New Research Shows Genes May Cause Childhood Obesity)

一项新的研究显示，基因比不良饮食习惯更能导致儿童过度肥胖。科研人员调查了5000对8岁到11岁的双胞胎，发现儿童腰围和体重指数有77%是由他们的基因造成的。

出生时带有所谓肥胖基因的孩子并非注定要肥胖，但是科研人员说，这些孩子必须付出额外的努力使体重保持在健康水准。研究负责人、伦敦大学学院的简.沃德尔说，“这项研究显示，把孩子体重过重的所有责任都推在父母身上是错误的”。

A new study shows genes are more likely to blame for obesity in children than poor eating habits. Scientists studied more than five thousand pairs of twins aged eight to eleven, and found the variation in a child's waist and
body mass index was 77 percent attributable to their genes. 

Children born with the so-called fat genes are not doomed to become obese, but the scientists said those children will have to work extra hard to keep their weight at a healthy level. 

Research leader Jane Wardle of the University College London said --in her words-- "this study shows that it is wrong to place all the blame for a child's excessive weight gain on the parents."