美国国家公共电台 NPR--Yosemite's seqoias are being threatened by a wildfire

Yosemite's seqoias are being threatened by a wildfire

Transcript¹

A wildfire in Yosemite National Park is threatening a grove² of some of the oldest trees in the world.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Hundreds of ancient trees are under threat because of a wildfire in California's Yosemite National Park. It's called the Washburn Fire, and it has burned nearly 3,000 acres already. Crews are working to try to keep the flames from destroying that group of giant sequoias. Mike Hagerty from CapRadio in Sacramento has the story.

MIKE HAGERTY, BYLINE³: Of the millions of trees in Yosemite, the Mariposa Grove is special - about 500 giant sequoias, some as tall as 200 feet and nearly 3,000 years old. They've been protected by law since 1864, but protecting them against wildfires like the Washburn Fire has become a recurring⁴ battle in recent years.

Marc Peebles with the U.S. Forest Service says extra measures are in place now.

MARC PEEBLES: Some of the trees have been wrapped with fire-protective wrap, and some sprinkler systems have been put in the Mariposa Grove in order to help protect the grove.

HAGERTY: That's in addition to the more than 550 people with hoses and other equipment, a number that's growing by the day. Also growing in these blazes is the phenomenon of fire-generated winds - updrafts that can take flaming debris⁵ and send it shooting into the sky. On Saturday, a large tree branch rocketing upward narrowly missed two firefighting airplanes working the Washburn Fire.

Craig Clements is a professor of meteorology and climate science director of the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center at San Jose State University.

CRAIG CLEMENTS: These are strong winds that go vertically⁶ from the fire, as strong as a hundred and twenty miles per hour. Those are the type of winds that we can see, which can clearly loft⁷ branches and parts of trees and such.

HAGERTY: Extreme fire weather has become more common with climate change. While there's optimism that the tide may be about to turn, the sheer amount of fuel and the rugged⁸ terrain⁹ make the Washburn Fire a real challenge.

For NPR News, I'm Mike Hagerty in Sacramento.

1 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。

2 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

3 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。

4 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

5 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

6 vertically   

adv.垂直地

参考例句：

• Line the pages for the graph both horizontally and vertically.在这几页上同时画上横线和竖线，以便制作图表。
• The human brain is divided vertically down the middle into two hemispheres.人脑从中央垂直地分为两半球。

7 loft   

n.阁楼，顶楼

参考例句：

• We could see up into the loft from bottom of the stairs.我们能从楼梯脚边望到阁楼的内部。
• By converting the loft,they were able to have two extra bedrooms.把阁楼改造一下，他们就可以多出两间卧室。

8 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

9 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。