口罩裝上"機械嘴"吃飯時不用摘

Israeli inventors have developed a coronavirus mask with a remote control mouth that lets diners eat food without taking it off, a device they say could make a visit to a restaurant less risky.
以色列發明家發明了一種預防新型冠狀病毒的口罩，這種口罩有一個可以遠程控制的開口，可以讓用餐者不用取下口罩就能用餐。發明者說，這種口罩可以降低去餐廳就餐的風險。

A squeeze of a lever, much like a cyclist operates a handbrake, opens a slot in the front of the mask so that food can pass through.
用餐者只需擠壓控制桿，就像騎自行車的時候捏手剎一樣，口罩前面就會打開一個狹槽，人們就可以通過把食物送進嘴裏。

The process could get messy with ice cream or sauces, but more solid morsels can be gobbled up in a flash a la Pac-Man in the arcade game.
戴着這種口罩吃冰淇淋或醬汁可能很糟糕，但進食固體食物時，可以像街機遊戲《吃豆人》裏一樣，大口瞬間吃掉。

"The mask will be opened mechanically by hand remote or automatically when the fork is coming to the mask," Asaf Gitelis, vice president of Avtipus Patents and Inventions, said on Monday as he demonstrated the device at its offices near Tel Aviv.
阿薩夫·吉特利斯是阿提卡斯專利與發明部門的副總裁，他週一（5月18日）在特拉維夫附近的辦公室展示這款口罩時說：“當叉子接近口罩時，口罩可以通過手動遙控或自動開啓。”

"Then you can eat, enjoy, drink and you take out the fork and it will be closed, and you're protected against the virus and other people sitting with you."
“然後你就可以盡情地吃吃喝喝，叉子拿出來以後，口罩就會合上，用餐者就可以免受病毒感染，或者被身邊的人傳染上。”

The company said it plans to start manufacturing the mask within months and had already submitted a patent. It said it would likely sell at a 3 to 10 shekel premium above the price of the simple pale blue medical masks many Israelis wear.
該公司表示，計劃在幾個月內開始生產這種口罩，並已申請了專利。這款口罩的售價可能比很多以色列人佩戴的普通藍色醫用口罩高出3至10謝克爾（約合人民幣6至20元）。

Outside a Juice Bar in Tel Aviv, Reuters showed customers a cellphone video of the mask in action. Opinion was divided.
在特拉維夫一家果汁吧外，路透社向顧客們展示了一段佩戴這種口罩就餐的手機視頻。人們對此看法不一。

"I think this mask, that enables me to eat while I'm still wearing it, is a must-have," said Ofir Hameiri, a 32-year-old graduate student.
32歲的研究生奧菲爾·哈邁爾說：“我認爲很有必要佩戴這種口罩，這樣吃東西的時候也能戴着口罩。”

But eating an ice cream cone, Ron Silberstein, a 29-year-old musician, said: "I don't think this mask could hold this kind of ice cream - it's dripping all over. I wouldn't want to wear it afterward."
但是，29歲的音樂家羅恩·西爾伯斯坦在吃蛋卷冰淇淋時說：“我不認爲戴着這種口罩能吃蛋卷冰淇淋——滴得到處都是，之後我也就不想戴了。”

Israel has largely reopened its economy after a dramatic drop in cases of the novel coronavirus. Restaurants are open only for takeout for the time being.
在新型冠狀病毒感染病例大幅下降後，以色列基本上重新開放了經濟活動。餐館暫時只提供外賣。