儒琴英语词汇选自欧美报刊文章以及英语原文小说。坚持学习英语今日词汇，有助于阅读和理解当今欧美主流媒体的新闻时事报道和英语文学作品。
儒琴英语词汇（English Words and Phrases of the Day）
mom and pop businesses
夫妻店，小型商店
New York City will provide no-interest loans and grants for some small businesses impacted by COVID-19, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said. The city will provide no-interest loans of up to $75,000 to small businesses that qualify, he said, adding that the city will offer $6,000 grants for “mom and pop” businesses with five or fewer employees to retain staff. “We’re going into phase 2 now where the dominant reality is community spread,” he said. —Feuer
crater
verb
1) to make or form craters in (a surface, such as the ground)
2) slang: to fail; collapse; crash
下跌；毁坏; 消亡
Oil prices plunged last week as OPEC and its allies failed to reach an agreement on production cuts, and as prices look set to continue cratering, some are warning about the impact on the broader economy.
“Crude has become a bigger problem for markets than the coronavirus,” Vital Knowledge founder Adam Crisafulli said Sunday. “It will be virtually impossible for the [S&P 500] to sustainably bounce if Brent continues to crater,” he added. —Stevens CNBC
alternative fact
不同的事实 , 另类事实 , 替代事实 , 更正确的事实 , 事实的另一面
US President Donald Trump’s trusted method for winning his battles — flinging disinformation, alternative facts and biting attacks at his enemies — is being exposed by the coronavirus outbreak, a rare force that is impervious to political pressure.
presumptive positive cases 推定阳性病例
Presumptive positive means the patients have tested positive in a local or public health lab, but their results are pending confirmation at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lab. Florida: One new presumptive positive case was identified in Broward County, according to a tweet from the Florida Department of Health.
overrule
verb [ T ] formal /ˌoʊ.vɚˈruːl/
(of a person who has official authority) to decide against a decision that has already been made
（指有权威的人）否决，驳回，宣布…无效
In tennis, the umpire can overrule the line judge. 在网球比赛中，主裁判可以否决边裁的裁断。(Cambridge)
The White House overruled health officials who wanted to recommend that elderly and physically fragile Americans be advised not to fly on commercial airlines because of the new coronavirus, a federal official told The Associated Press. — CNBC March 8, 2020
effectively
adverb
used when you describe what the real result of a situation is
实际上；事实上
His wife left him when the children were small, so he effectively brought up the family himself. 在孩子还很小的时候妻子就离开了他，所以实际上是他一手把孩子们拉扯大的。
Effectively, we have to start again from scratch. 实际情况是，我们不得不重新从零开始。（Cambridge）
Israel is considering broadening its entry restrictions to include travelers from all countries, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The move would effectively cut off foreign tourism. (CNBC)
sweeping
adjective [ before noun ] /ˈswiː.pɪŋ/
sweeping adjective before noun
affecting many things or people; large
影响广泛的，大的
It is obvious that sweeping changes are needed in the legal system. 显然，法制体系需要进行大刀阔斧的改革。
We need to make sweeping cuts to our budget. 我们必须大幅削减预算。
ROME (AP) — Italy announced a sweeping quarantine Sunday for its northern regions, igniting travel chaos as it restricted the movements of 16 million people — more than one quarter of its population — in a bid to halt the relentless march of the new coronavirus across Europe.
social distancing
Social distancing is a term applied to certain nonpharmaceutical infection control actions that are taken by public health officials to stop or slow down the spread of a highly contagious disease. The objective of social distancing is to reduce the probability of contact between persons carrying an infection…
和其他人保持安全距离，以防止传染流感
Social Distancing Is New Coronavirus Buzz Phrase. Does It Work? olitical leaders in the democratic world are grappling with a difficult balancing act in a bid to contain the coronavirus: when to pull the trigger on measures like closing schools and canceling public gatherings without risking social and economic backlash?
treated in intensive care 在重症监护室接受治疗
The total number of cases in the country was up to 5,883 compared to 4,636 announced on Friday, showing that contagion shows no sign of slowing down. Borrelli added that of those originally infected, 589 had fully recovered while 567 were being treated in intensive care.