1.Scientific-unit revamp
科学单位重新定义
After decades of work, the redefinition of four units of measure should get the go ahead in late 2018. At the General Conference on Weights and Measures in November, delegates from 58 countries will vote on adopting new definitions of the ampere, the kilogram, the kelvin and the mole. These will be based on exact values of fundamental constants, rather than on arbitrary or abstract definitions. If approved, the changes should take effect in May 2019.
经过几十年的努力，2018年底，4个测量单位将获批进行（go ahead）重新定义。在2018年11月举行的国际度量衡（Weights and Measures）大会上，来自58个国家的代表将就是否采用安培、千克、开尔文、摩尔4个单位的新定义进行投票（vote on进行真是个好词啊）。新定义将基于基本常数（fundamental constants）的精确值（exact values）制定，而非随意（arbitrary）或抽象的定义。如果投票通过（approved此处为上文的投票通过），新版定义（changes所以说在文章中还是要根据上下文来啊）将于2019年5月生效。
2.Climate landmarks
气候里程碑
Countries that have signed on to the 2015 Paris climate agreement will outline how much progress they have made towards meeting their individual commitments to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions — all in the hope of holding the average global temperature to 1.5–2 °C above pre-industrial levels — as part of a report called the Facilitative Dialogue 2018. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will also release a special report outlining the consequences of a 1.5-degree temperature increase. And in September, California Governor Jerry Brown will host a major climate conference in support of the Paris agreement.
签订2015巴黎气候协定的国家将简单总结（outline）各自在实现其温室气体减排承诺方面所取得的进展（progress），各方一致希望将全球平均气温控制在比前工业化时期高1.5-2℃的水平，以此作为“促进对话2018”报告的部分内容。政府间（Intergovernmental）inter就是…间气候变化专门委员会还将发布一份特别报告，概述气温上升1.5℃造成的各种后果。2018年9月，加州州长杰里·布朗将举办一场重要的气候大会，以支持巴黎协定。
3.Open access
开放存取
Who will blink first in the stand-off between German scientists and publishing giant Elsevier? Around 200 German institutions were set to lose access to Elsevier journals from 1 January until the sides could reach an agreement in a long-running battle over subscription prices. Open-access advocates will also watch the fate of the website Sci-Hub — which provides unauthorized free access to millions of paywalled papers — after a US court order in November shut down some of its domains.
在德国科学家与出版巨头爱思唯尔之间的对峙（stand-off ）中，哪一方会先妥协（blink）愿意指眨眼？如果双方在这场关于订阅价格的长期争论（battle）中不能达成共识，那么200多家德国机构将从2018年1月1日开始，失去爱思唯尔期刊（journals）的访问权（lose access to ）或者说失去访问…的资格。开放存取的拥护者同时也在关注Sci-Hub网站的命运。去年11月，美国一法院下令关闭了（shut down）该网站部分域名（domains）后，该网站仍能提供对数百万付费论文（paywalled papers）的未经授权的免费访问。
4.Power play
高压攻势
Midterm elections are approaching in the United States. History suggests that whichever party controls the White House — in this case, the Republicans — is likely to lose seats in Congress. But it’s not clear whether Democrats will be able to flip enough positions in the House of Representatives or the Senate to gain a majority in either chamber. Eyes will also be on the record number of scientists running for local, state and federal offices. Elsewhere, the United Kingdom will enter phase two of Brexit negotiations to determine the nation’s scientific collaboration with the European Union after the country leaves the bloc in 2019.
美国即将进行（approaching）主语为美国中期选举。历史表明（suggests），无论哪个党派控制白宫（当下（in this case）是共和党），都可能失去国会的席位。但目前尚不清楚民主党能否在众议院（Representatives）或参议院赢得足够席位（flip enough positions），使之成为其中任何一个议院（chamber）的多数党（majority）。同样值得关注的（Eyes will also be on the）还有寻求（running for）地方、州和联邦公职（offices）的科学家人数达到空前水平（record 有记录的就是空前的）。此外，英国将进入脱欧谈判的第二阶段，以确定2019年脱欧（bloc指集团）之后与欧盟的科研合作事项。
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