美国国家公共电台 NPR--Record high temperatures cause infrastructure damage in Britain

Record high temperatures cause infrastructure¹ damage in Britain

Transcript²

A heat wave that's been affecting Europe has caused dangerous infrastructure damage in Britain. The country's transportation sector³ has seen the worst of it.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The deadly heat wave in Europe gave the U.K. its hottest day ever yesterday. It touched off dozens of fires, and the London Fire Brigade saw its busiest day since World War II. The heat also caused dangerous damage to infrastructure, transportation especially. Here's Willem Marx from London.

WILLEM MARX, BYLINE⁴: British weather is best known for its gray skies and gentle rain. But the last couple of days saw soaring temperatures smash previous heat records. In southern England, runways buckled⁵; roads melted; and rail tracks bent⁷ out of shape. The U.K. transport minister, Grant Shapps, told Sky News Tuesday the country's century-old facilities simply cannot cope.

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GRANT SHAPPS: We've never seen temperatures like this, like, literally⁸ ever. This - probably be the hottest day in history. And a lot of our infrastructure is just not built for these types of temperatures.

MARX: Just north of London, Luton Airport closed its runway Monday, thanks to a defect diverting or canceling flights. The company that runs the U.K.'s train tracks, called Network Rail, said some rails had hit 144 degrees Fahrenheit⁹. The steel used is only stress tested to 80 degrees, until now the average British summer temperature.

High temperatures mean high risk as rails expand, according to Paul Appleton, the top safety inspector¹⁰ on Britain's biggest railway lines.

PAUL APPLETON: If you end up with extreme heat, you can end up with what's called a track buckle⁶. So you literally get what looks like a wave appear into it. And that can cause the train to derail and jump the tracks. It might just go along in a straight line and stay upright, but it might come flying off and end up down an embankment, and then you end up with a serious accident.

MARX: So train services were slashed¹¹ or slowed significantly to ensure safety. The government says climate resilience upgrades to roads, railways and power lines are progressing. But officials admit those may not finish for decades, and climate patterns are arriving much faster, meaning trains here may run more slowly, far more often.

For NPR News, I'm Willem Marx in London.

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1 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 buckled   

a. 有带扣的

参考例句：

• She buckled her belt. 她扣上了腰带。
• The accident buckled the wheel of my bicycle. 我自行车的轮子在事故中弄弯了。

6 buckle   

n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲

参考例句：

• The two ends buckle at the back.带子两端在背后扣起来。
• She found it hard to buckle down.她很难专心做一件事情。

7 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

10 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

11 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》