VOA慢速英语2019 不断上升的海平面会淹没夏威夷著名的海滩吗?

Could Rising Sea Levels Flood Hawaii Famous Beaches?

Rising sea levels could flood Hawaii’s famous Waikiki Beach and the city streets of Honolulu in the next 15 to 20 years.

海平面上升可能在未来15年到20年内淹没夏威夷著名的威基基沙滩以及檀香山的城市街道。

That information comes from a state climate commission. The commission also shared a video showing how flooding and erosion already affect many parts of Hawaii.

这一信息出自夏威夷气候委员会。该委员会还分享了一则视频，视频显示洪水和侵蚀已经影响到夏威夷的许多地区。

That is not good news for a state where tourism is the main driver of the economy. Hawaiian lawmakers are trying to pass new laws that would involve spending millions of dollars to protect coastlines and cities from rising tides.

对于一个以旅游业为经济主要推动力的州来说，这不是一个好消息。夏威夷州的立法者正试图通过新的法律，包括耗资数百万美元保护海岸线和城市免受涨潮的影响。

State Representative Chris Lee has put forward a bill calling for a coastline protection plan. He said, “The latest data on sea level rise is quite scary and it’s accelerating faster than we ever thought possible.”

州代表克里斯·李（Chris Lee）提出一项法案，呼吁制定海岸线保护计划。他指出，“有关海平面上升的最新数据十分可怕，而且上升速度远比我们想象的还要快。”

Lee added that the program would center on Honolulu, Hawaii’s capital. But it could become a test program for other coastal¹ communities around the state.

李补充说，这一项目将以夏威夷首府——檀香山为中心。但是它可能成为该州其他沿海社区的一个试点项目。

Hawaii has rarely been directly hit by hurricanes. However, Lee writes in the bill that warming oceans increase the risk of hurricanes for the state. The bill estimates that if a major hurricane made landfall in Hawaii, it would cost $40 billion for the state to recover.

夏威夷很少遭到飓风的直接袭击。然而，李在法案中写道，海洋变暖加大了该州遭遇飓风的风险。该法案估计，如果一场大型飓风袭击夏威夷，那么该州将花费400亿美元进行恢复。

Lee said, “The loss of coastal property and infrastructure², increased cost for storm damage and insurance, and loss of life are inevitable³ if nothing is done….”

李说：“如果不采取任何措施，沿海财产和基础设施的损失、风暴破坏和保险成本的增加以及生命损失都是不可避免的……”

The proposed legislation is similar to action taken by New York City in 2012, after a major storm led to $19 billion in damage in the city. The Hawaii bill also seeks more research into a carbon tax that could raise money and lower the state’s dependence⁴ on fossil fuels.

这项拟议的立法与2012年纽约市采取的措施类似，当时，一场大型风暴导致纽约市损失了190亿美元。这项夏威夷法案还寻求对碳税进行更多研究，以此筹措资金，降低该州对化石燃料的依赖。

Democrats⁶ lead both houses of Hawaii’s legislature. The state traditionally has taken a leading role on climate issues. Lee said state lawmakers are to meet in the coming weeks to discuss final changes before sending the bill to Hawaii Governor David Ige. Ige, who is also a Democrat⁵, has not said whether he would sign the bill.

民主党人领导着夏威夷立法机构的两院。该州一直以来在气候问题上发挥着主导作用。李表示，州立法议员将在未来几周内开会商讨最终的修改，再将该法案送交夏威夷州长大卫·伊格，伊格也是民主党人，他并未透露是否会签署该法案。

The bill comes two years after the sea level rise adaptation report was made public as a guideline for future legislative⁷ action and planning.

该法案是在海平面上升适应报告公布两年后提出的，该报告被作为未来立法行动和规划的指导方针。

Research included in the report suggests Hawaii will see nearly a one-meter rise in ocean levels by the end of this century. It predicts that more than 6,000 of the state’s buildings and 20,000 people across all of Hawaii’s islands will experience continuing flooding.

报告中包括的研究表明，到本世纪末，夏威夷的海平面将上升近一米。该机构预测，夏威夷州6000多栋建筑和2万多居民将继续遭受洪水的袭击。

The report says roads, bridges and beaches will be washed away. And the state’s seaports⁸ and airports will likely also be affected⁹.

报告称，道路、桥梁和海滩将被淹没。该州的海港和机场也可能会受到影响。

The report was updated in September to included newly published research. The new research warns that previous estimates of flooding could be 35 to 54 percent lower.

该报告在9月份进行了更新，纳入了最新发表的研究。这项新研究警告，先前对洪水的估计可能被低估了35%到54%。

University of Hawaii researcher Tiffany Anderson led the study. Anderson said she was surprised by the large increase when the effect of beach erosion was added to the study. She said, “We found out it covers a lot more land ... I wasn’t expecting such a large increase…”

夏威夷大学的研究员蒂芙尼·安德森（Tiffany Anderson）领导了这项研究。安德森表示，当把海滩侵蚀的影响列入这项研究里时，她对这种大规模增长感到惊讶。她说：“我们发现它覆盖了更多的土地……没想到会有这么大的增长……”

State Representative Nicole Lowen said people hoping to build near the coast should already be wary¹⁰. She also warned that sea level rise and climate change would impact “an economy that’s so heavily based on tourism …”

州代表妮可·劳文（Nicole Lowen）表示，希望在海岸附近建造房屋的居民保持警惕。她还警告称，海平面上升和气候变化将影响“严重依赖旅游业的经济……”

Words in This Story

tourism - n. the business of providing hotels, restaurants, entertainment, etc... for people who are traveling

accelerate - v. to cause something to happen sooner or more quickly

infrastructure - n. roads and bridges that are needed for a country, area to function

inevitable - adj. sure to happen

update - v. to give the most recent information

1 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。

2 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。

3 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

4 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

5 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

8 seaports   

n.海港( seaport的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner. 机场和海港一样成为来访的外国人的入境关口。 来自互联网
• Sanya has 16 seaports, 10 islands and 180km of coastline. 三亚有16个港口、10个海岛和180公里的海岸线。 来自互联网

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。