英语听力：自然百科 飓风揭秘

 An Atlantic hurricane often begins its life over the mountains in East Africa as an area of low pressure. It travels across the Sahara Desert, then moves out over warm ocean waters. Travelling with the trade winds and circles the globe just above and below the equator, these lows can spawn¹ thunderstorms over a broad region. They gradually come under the influence of the earth rotation² called the Coriolis Force and begin to spin. Satellites orbiting the globe begin to peer into them to watch for signs of intensification³, at the center, a region of low atmospheric⁴ pressure forms, known as "the eye." It acts like a partial vacuum causing winds at the sea surface to spiral inward toward it. These in-spiraling winds evaporate moisture from the warm ocean surface. As they near "the Eye," they rise rapidly, producing clouds and rain. Much of the air flows outward at the top of the storm like a chimney; soon flows back down into "the eye" itself causing the central zone to dry out and become clear. 

 

The path a hurricane takes is determined⁵ by its interaction with weather systems and global air currents. Scientists use super computers to try to predict not only where they will go but also how they will behave along the way. Based on these predictions, alerts go out to shipping⁶ concerns, coastal⁷ business, governments and the public at large. Over the years, meteorologists have improved their forecasts of the twists and turns of a hurricane's path.

 

But at the same time, our exposure to these great storms keeps rising. From the coastlines of China, the Philippines and Japan to the Gulf⁸ of Mexico and the Bay of Bengal, coastal populations are growing faster than any where else in the world. Not only are there more people near the ocean, it takes more time to evacuate⁹ them all. 

 

Scientists have been computing¹⁰ the risks and running the probabilities of a terrible growing conflict between humans and the nature. To reduce the margin¹¹ of error, hurricane scientists will have to improve their ability to predict a storm's intensity¹² as it makes its way toward land, whether it will fizzle, bring in only wind and high surf or become a destructive monster.

1 spawn   

n.卵，产物，后代，结果；vt.产卵，种菌丝于，产生，造成；vi.产卵，大量生产

参考例句：

• The fish were madly pushing their way upstream to spawn.鱼群为产卵而疯狂地向上游挤进。
• These fish will lay spawn in about one month from now.这些鱼大约一个月内会产卵。

2 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。

3 intensification   

n.激烈化，增强明暗度；加厚

参考例句：

• The intensification of the immunological response represents the body's natural defense. 增强免疫反应代表身体的自然保卫。 来自辞典例句
• Agriculture in the developing nations is not irreversibly committed, to a particular pattern of intensification. 发展中国家的农业并没有完全为某种集约化形式所束缚。 来自辞典例句

4 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

7 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

8 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

9 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

10 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

11 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

12 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。