1
South and North Korea restore communication channels
朝韩恢复通信联络线

South and North Korea have restored their once-severed① communication lines② last Tuesday as part of efforts by the two countries’ leaders to rebuild strained③ ties. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have exchanged multiple letters since April and agreed to reconnect the communication lines. North Korea cut the hotline④ in June 2020 as cross-border ties soured⑤ after a failed second summit in February 2019 between Kim and former US President Donald Trump. Shortly afterwards, North Korea blew up an inter-Korean joint liaison office in the border that had been built to improve communications. (The Guardian) 6park.com
7月27日，朝鲜和韩国恢复了一度中断的通信联络线。朝韩关系紧张，这是两国领导人为关系重归和缓而作出的一项努力。4月以来，韩国总统文在寅和朝鲜领导人金正恩已互致多封信函，双方达成一致重启通信联络线。2019年2月，金正恩与美国前总统特朗普的第二次峰会以失败告终。此后，朝韩关系恶化，朝方于2020年6月切断了热线。不久后，朝鲜炸毁了为改善联络而在边境设立的朝韩共同联络办公室。

【注释】 6park.com
① sever: [sevə(r)] vt. to completely end (a relationship or all communication) with somebody 断绝（关系、联系） 6park.com
② communication line: a line by which a field army maintains communication with its base; (later more generally) any line or route along which communication can take place （原指陆军与基地联络的）通信线路 6park.com
③ strained: [streɪnd] adj. (of a situation) not relaxed or friendly （局势）紧张的 6park.com
④ hotline: [ˈhɒtlaɪn] n. a direct telephone line set up for a specific purpose, esp. for use in emergencies or for communication between heads of government （尤指紧急实践中或政府首脑间使用的）热线 6park.com
⑤ sour: [ˈsaʊə(r)] vt. (of relationships, attitudes, people, etc.) to change so that they become less pleasant or friendly than before 变差，恶化


South Korean soldiers patrolled the Demilitarized Zone, which separates North and South Korea.(Credit: Ed Jones / AFP)

2
China sent a new ambassador to the US
中国派遣新一任驻美大使

Qin Gang, China’s new ambassador to the United States, arrived in Washington last Wednesday. Qin, 55, most recently was China’s vice foreign minister and has been ministry spokesperson twice, is replacing China’s longest serving ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, 68, who announced his departure in June after eight years in Washington. Qin served three tours① at the Chinese Embassy in London and headed the Protocol Department. The post of the US ambassador to China has been vacant since October, when Republican Terry Branstad stepped down to help with Trump’s reelection campaign. (AP News and VOA) 6park.com
7月28日，新任中国驻美大使秦刚抵达华盛顿。在出任大使之前，现年55岁的秦刚担任外交部副部长。他还曾两度出任外交部发言人。秦刚将接任现年68岁的崔天凯任驻美大使。在华盛顿任职八年后，崔天凯于六月宣布离任，是任期最长的中国驻美大使。秦刚曾三度在中国驻英国大使馆任职，还曾任外交部礼宾司司长。去年十月，美国共和党人特里·布兰斯塔德卸任美国驻华大使，帮助特朗普竞选。此后，美国驻华大使一职始终空缺。

【注释】 6park.com
① tour: [tʊə(r)] n. a period of time when somebody is serving in the military or as a diplomat in a particular place（军人或外交人员在外地的）服役期，任职期


Qin Gang spoke to Chinese and US media on arrival in US on July 28.

3
The Fed moved closer to the decision on ‘tapering①’ the massive stimulus
美联储向“缩减”大规模刺激的决定迈进了一步

The Federal Reserve inched② towards scaling back③ the easy-money policies④, following a meeting of policymakers that highlighted both the promise and the perils of the American recovery. At the end of a two-day meeting last Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee declared that it had made “progress” towards its goals of full employment and 2 per cent average inflation. The statement marked the first milestone in the US central bank’s steady drive towards a decision on reducing its $120bn in monthly debt purchases at future meetings, a move that could come later this year or early next year. The FOMC meeting comes at a time of conflicting economic signals. Inflation has been much higher than expected since US central bank officials last met in June, while the spread of the Delta virus variant across the US has renewed concerns about the labour market and growth. (The Financial Times) 6park.com
美联储召开了政策制定者的会议，强调了美国经济复苏的前景和威胁，向收紧宽松的货币政策前进了一步。7月28日，为期两天的会议落幕，美国联邦公开市场委员会（下称 FOMC）宣布，已在实现充分就业和通胀率平均2%两方面取得“进展”。美联储可能将在今年晚些时候或明年年初缩减每月1200亿美元的购债规模，该决定将在日后的会议上作出。FOMC的声明是美联储稳步推进该进程的首个里程碑。此次FOMC会议召开之际，经济信号相互冲突。自美联储官员的6月会议以来，通胀率一直远高于预期。与此同时，德尔塔变异株在美国各地蔓延，重新引起人们对劳动力市场和经济增长的担忧。

【注释】 6park.com
① taper: [ˈteɪpə(r)] vt. to make (something) become gradually narrower 使逐渐变窄 6park.com
② inch: [ɪntʃ] vi. to move slowly and carefully in a particular direction 缓慢仔细地移动 6park.com
③ scale back: to reduce the number, size or extent of (something) 降低，减少 6park.com
④ easy-money policy: a monetary policy that increases the money supply usually by lowering interest rates 宽松的货币政策（尤指低息）



4
The US seized① an Epic of Gilgamesh tablet
美国没收《吉尔伽美什史诗》泥板

The US Department of Justice last Tuesday has ordered the forfeiture② of a 3600-year-old cuneiform tablet that bears part of The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the world’s oldest works of literature, from the crafts retailer Hobby Lobby. The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet was imported illegally into the United States in the early 2000s and purchased by Hobby Lobby for display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington. The tablet measures 6 inches by 5 inches and is written in the Akkadian language, and originated in Mesopotamia, in modern-day Iraq. A DOJ statement said the tablet was encrusted③ with dirt and unreadable when it was purchased by a US antiquities dealer in 2003. The DOJ said the tablet was sold by the unnamed antiques dealer in 2007 with a “false letter of provenance④.” It passed through several owners, before being sold to Hobby Lobby in a private sale in 2014. Iraq has filed a petition for the tablet’s recovery with US Customs and Border Protection. (The Independent) 6park.com
7月27日，美国司法部下令从工艺品零售商霍比·罗比处没收了一块有3600年历史的楔形文字泥板。泥板上刻有《吉尔伽美什史诗》部分内容。它是世界上最古老的文学作品之一。2000年代初，这块“吉尔伽美什梦幻泥板”被非法运入美国，霍比·罗比买下后陈列在华盛顿的圣经博物馆。这块泥板长6英寸、宽5英寸，用阿卡德语书写，来自美索不达米亚，也就是现在的伊拉克。美国司法部发布声明称，该泥板于2003年被一家美国古董商买下，当时表面沾满尘土，无法辨认。司法部表示，该不知名的古董商于2007年用一封“假冒的属主记录”将其出售。泥板几经转手，于2014年被霍比·罗比在一场私人拍卖中买下。伊拉克已经向美国海关和边境保护局提交申请，要求追回泥板。

【注释】 6park.com
① seize: [siːz] vt. to take (illegal or stolen goods) away from somebody 没收；扣押 6park.com
② forfeiture: [ˈfɔːfɪtʃə(r)] n. the fact of losing an estate, goods, life, an office, right, etc. in consequence of a crime, offence, or breach of engagement 没收，丧失 6park.com
③ encrusted: [ɪnˈkrʌstɪd] adj. covered with a thin hard layer of something 有硬外层的 6park.com
④ provenance: [ˈprɒvənəns] n. the history of the ownership of a work of art or an antique, used as a guide to authenticity or quality（艺术品、古董的）属主记录


The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet seized by US authorities

5
A roundup① of China’s performance in the Olympic Games
奥运会中国军团表现综合报道 6park.com
As of August 1, China stood atop② the official Olympic medal table, which sorts nations based on their number of gold medals. Yang Qian won the first gold medal of the Games, setting an Olympic record in 10-meter air rifle with 251.8 points. The Tokyo Games again highlighted Chinese table tennis singles supremacy. Ma Long defended his title③ by beating teammate Fan Zhendong. Chen Meng beat teammate Sun Yingsha to take gold in women’s singles. China also kept its perfect record in weightlifting. The 37-year-old weightlifter Lyu Xiaojun became the oldest man to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport. Last Sunday, Gong Lijiao secured China’s first medal in field④ events with victory in the women’s shot put; Su Bingtian became first male Chinese sprinter⑤ into an 100m final, qualifying first by winning his semi-final in 9.83 seconds. (AP News, The New York Times and South China Morning Post) 6park.com
截至8月1日，中国暂列官方奥运奖牌榜榜首，该榜将参赛国按照金牌数量排序。杨倩在10米气步枪比赛中以251.8环的成绩打破奥运纪录，拿下本届奥运会首枚金牌。东京奥运会再次凸显了中国乒乓单打的霸主地位：马龙战胜队友樊振东，成功卫冕；女单比赛中，陈梦击败队友孙颖莎，夺得女子单打金牌。举重比赛中，中国队也保持了完美记录。37岁的举重运动员吕小军成为该项目年龄最大的奥运冠军。8月1日，巩立姣夺得女子铅球冠军，这是中国田赛的第一枚金牌；苏炳添以9.83秒的成绩取得男子百米半决赛第一名，成为中国首位入围男子百米决赛的短跑运动员。

【注释】 6park.com
① roundup: [ˈraʊnd ʌp] n. a summary of the most important points of a particular subject, especially the news （尤指新闻的）集锦，综合报道 6park.com
② atop: [əˈtɒp] prep. on top of 在……顶上 6park.com
③ title: [ˈtaɪtl] n. the position of being the winner of a competition, especially a sports competition （尤指体育比赛的）冠军 6park.com
④ field: [fiːld] n. an area of land used for playing a sport on 田赛运动场 6park.com
⑤ sprinter: [ˈsprɪntə(r)] n. a person who runs, swims, etc. very fast over a short distance in a race 短距离比赛选手


Yang Junxuan, Tang Muhan, Zhang Yufei and Li Bingjie of Team China reacted after winning the gold medal in the women’s 4×200m freestyle relay final.