华盛顿邮报 美国近几年气候灾害频发，天灾为何屡创纪录？(2)

 

    And while they got lucky because they didn't get the amount of rain that was predicted, which was about 4 1/2 inches, which would have been incredibly devastating¹, they got half of that, 2 1/2 inches, but that's still, in one day, the most that they usually get in an entire year.

    虽然很幸运，降雨量没有达到预报的4.5英寸，这本来会带来难以置信的毁灭，但降雨量最后达到预报的一半，也就是2.5英寸，但这仍然是全年降雨量中最多的一天。

    And they experienced flooding. Roads were impacted. And his little town is actually now cut off from the greater region, so they can't really get in and out to get supplies.

    他们经历了洪水。道路受到影响。他所在的小镇现在与较大的地区断开了，因此他们无法进出获得物资。

    And so that is -- you know, that is of concern, especially in this community.

    尤其在这个社区，这是一个值得关注的问题。

    We have a lot of older residents, a lot of retirees, folks in poor health.

    我们有很多老年居民，很多退休人员，身体没那么好的人。

    So, the area where he lives has just been through a lot so far in a short amount of time.

    他住的地方在短时间内经历了很多事情。

    But for Brianna, the most striking thing that Patrick shared was a photo that he'd taken near his home.

    但对布里安娜来说，帕特里克分享的最惊人的事情是，他在家附近拍摄的一张照片。

    I opened my phone, and he's in the middle of this glassy, crystal-clear water, surrounded by desert mountains in the morning.

    我打开手机看到，他现在身处这个晶莹剔透的水流中，四周是沙漠山脉。

    And he's smack² in the middle of it, smiling in this little raft, holding a -- you know, a paddle, with a hat on, and just looking like he's living his best life.

    他就在水中间飘摇着，在这个小木筏上微笑着拿着桨，戴着帽子，仿佛他过着最好的生活。

    I was boating on a small raft in an ephemeral lake that was formed by floodwaters in the middle of the desert outside Death Valley.

    在死亡谷外沙漠中心的一个由洪水形成的短暂湖泊上，我正划着一只小木筏。

    Normally, it's just a barren desert landscape, and now it looks like some place you can go swimming and post up for the day.

    通常情况下，这里只是一片贫瘠的沙漠景观，而现在这里看起来像是一个可以游泳和露营的地方。

    So it's, like, beautiful and serene³ and also, "Wow! Why is this here? Is this alarming that this is here?

    这个地方美丽而宁静，但还是想问：“哇! 为什么这样的景观会在这里? 这样的景观在这里是不是很吓人?

    Yes. Yeah, it's a -- I mean, it's in the Mojave Desert, right?

    是啊，这里是莫哈韦沙漠，对吧?

    So when you think of a pristine⁴, pretty large-looking lake that just formed in the middle of the desert in August in California, when temperatures are usually like, you know, 110, 120 degrees, that's pretty wild to think about.

    当你想到8月份在加州沙漠中间形成的一个原始的巨大湖泊时，而且气温到达110华氏度(43.3摄氏度)、120华氏度(48.9摄氏度)时，想想就很疯狂。

    Today, what this strange lake in the desert and other recent disasters tell us about our new climate reality.

    今天，沙漠中的这个奇怪湖泊以及最近发生的几起灾难告诉我们新的气候现实。

    Later in the show, we'll also hear about Brianna's new reporting from Maui, where residents say public officials ignored the threat of catastrophic wildfires, even after one struck the island in 2018.

    在稍后的节目中，我们还会听到布里安娜从毛伊岛发回的新报道，毛伊岛的居民说，即使2018年一场野火袭击过毛伊岛，政府官员还是忽视了灾难性野火带来的威胁。

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 smack   

vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍

参考例句：

• She gave him a smack on the face.她打了他一个嘴巴。
• I gave the fly a smack with the magazine.我用杂志拍了一下苍蝇。

3 serene   

adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的

参考例句：

• He has entered the serene autumn of his life.他已进入了美好的中年时期。
• He didn't speak much,he just smiled with that serene smile of his.他话不多，只是脸上露出他招牌式的淡定的微笑。

4 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。