News Plus慢速英语:玉兔号进入第11次月夜休眠 经济衰退与生育率降低有关

This is NEWS Plus Special English.

这里是NEWS Plus慢速英语。

China's ailing moon rover Yutu has entered its 11th dormancy as the lunar night falls, with its functions degrading gracefully. 

中国月球车“玉兔号”进入了第11次月夜休眠，“玉兔号”的境况不佳，它的功能正逐渐退化。

The rover is currently in good condition and works normally, but its control problem persists.

目前，该月球车状态良好，能够正常运转，但其控制问题依然存在。

Yu Dengyun, deputy chief designer of China's lunar probe mission, says that Yutu has gone through freezing lunar nights under abnormal status, and its functions are gradually degrading.

中国探月计划副总设计师于登云说，“玉兔号”已在异常状态下度过了数个严寒月夜，他的功能正日渐退化。

He said that the moon rover and the lander of the Chang'e-3 lunar mission have completed their tasks. The rover's designed lifetime is three months, but it has survived for over nine months now.

他还说，“玉兔号”月球车及嫦娥三号月球探测器已完成了它们的使命。“玉兔号”月球车的设计使用年限是3个月，但至今它已提供了长达9个月的服务。

Chang'e-3 mission was the second phase of China's lunar exploration program, which includes orbiting, landing and returning to the Earth. The program is scheduled to end around 2020.

嫦娥三号探测器是中国嫦娥工程二期中的一个探测器，它的使命包括轨道运行、着陆，及返回地球。该工程预计在2020年左右完成。

The Chang'e-4 mission is under further analysis.

嫦娥四号探测器仍在进一步的研究中。

As the backup probe of Chang'e-3, Chang'e-4 will verify technology for Chang'e-5. The more sophisticated Chang'e-5 and 6 missions are aimed for tasks including unmanned sampling and returning to Earth.

作为嫦娥三号探测器的候补——嫦娥四号探测器，它将为嫦娥五号提供技术验证。嫦娥五号和嫦娥六号探测器的使命更复杂，包括无人登月驾驶及返回地球。

China plans to launch an experimental recoverable moon orbiter before the end of this year to test technology vital for the success of Chang'e-5. You're listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing.

中国计划在今年年底之前实验性地发射一个可回收绕月探测器，以检测一项技术，该技术对嫦娥五号的成功发射至关重要。您现在收听的是NEWS Plus慢速英语。我是云峰，我在北京为您播报。

When the economy tanks, women have fewer babies. But what happens in the following years, when conditions improve?

当经济停滞时，女性会少生孩子。但在接下来的几年会发生什么？条件改善以后呢？

A new study suggests that for some U.S. women, living through a recession can mean they will never have children.

一项新研究表明：对一些美国女性来说，经历经济衰退可能意味着他们永远不会有孩子。

The study found that in fact, 150,000 women, who were in their early 20s early in the "Great Recession" in 2008, will forgo having any children as a result, at least by age 40.

研究发现，事实上，早在2008年“经济大萧条”时期，15万年龄在20岁出头的女性决定放弃生孩子，至少在40岁之前，她们是不会要孩子的。

Overall, the lingering impact of that recession may ultimately mean almost 430,000 fewer children being born over the course of a couple decades.

总的来说，那个“大萧条”带来的影响挥之不去，这意味着在整整二三十年内，少了近43万个孩子出生。

On a societal level, these effects are small. The drop-off in births isn't much for a nation that produces around 4 million babies a year.

就社会层面来说，这些影响是小的。出生率下降对一个每年有近4百万婴儿出生的国家来说也不算什么。

But, according to the study author Janet Currie, a health economist at Princeton University, the results still show a pretty profound effect on some women's lives. 

但据研究报告的作者——美国普林斯顿大学健康经济学家珍妮·柯里（Janet Currie）的研究显示，这对一些女性的生活起着相当深远的影响。

Past studies have generally shown women cut back on having babies when unemployment rises. In fact, tough economic conditions including the "Great Recession" are blamed for a five-year drop in the number of babies born in the U.S. starting in 2007. 

过去的研究通常显示：当失业率上升时，女性会减少生育。事实上，出现像“大萧条”这样的经济状况，那是因为美国自2007年开始，其婴儿数量连续5年不断下降。

The births decline ended with a slight increase last year.

去年，婴儿数量略有增加，出生率下降的情况也随之结束。