Violent Weather
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
When Mother Nature Gets Hostile Many climates offer consistency, which helps maintain the smoothness of people’s everyday lives.
当大自然变得充满敌意 许多气候提供了一致性,有助于维持人们日常生活的平稳。
What adds texture are weather events that come with the progress of the seasons, such as when it warms up enough for a gentle spring rain or cools enough for the first winter snowfall.
增加纹理的是随着季节进展而来出行的天气事件,例如当它足够暖和地来进行温和的春雨或足够凉爽地来进行第一次冬季降雪时.
When the weather stays the same for too long a period, many people feel bored and anxiously await the next big change.
当天气维持不变过长一段时间时,许多人感到无聊并焦急地等待下个大变化.
Weather provides drama for people’s everyday lives.
天气为人们的日常生活提供戏剧。
Sometimes, however, weather becomes more than dramatic, it develops into something downright dangerous and destructive.
然而,有时,天气变得比戏剧性更严重,它发展成一种直接危险和破坏性的东西。
Raging thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes are weather events that are awesome—and frightening—in their intensity.
猛烈的雷暴、龙卷风和飓风,
On planet Earth, these three phenomena of nature can wreak havoc when they occur.
在地球上,这三种自然现象一旦发生就会造成严重破坏。
Thunderstorms The most common violent-weather event is the thunderstorm.
暴风雨 最常见的暴力-天气事件是雷暴.
A major thunderstorm can dump several inches of rain on an area in a short amount of time and generate stiff winds.
大雷暴可以在短时间内向一地区倾泻出多英寸的雨水并产生坚硬的风.
Dangers generated by thunderstorms include flash floods, hail, and lightning—with lightning being the most dangerous because it occurs with every thunderstorm.
雷暴造成的危险包括山洪、冰雹和闪电,闪电是最危险的,因为闪电是每起雷暴造成的。
Thunderstorms form when a large mass of warm, moist air rises high into the atmosphere and cools.
当大量温暖而湿润的空气高地升入大气并冷却后,雷暴会形成.
One way warm air rises is by absorbing heat from the ground.
暖气上升的一种方法是从地上吸收热能.
This often happens on summer days as the ground gains plentiful heat from the Sun, and then loses it, warming the air above it.
这经常发生在夏季,因为地表从太阳得到充沛的热量,然后失去热量,使上面的空气变暖.
Warm, moist air can also be pushed aloft when it collides with a cold front.
温暖,潮湿的空气在与冷锋相撞时也可以被推向高空.
Cold air is denser than warm air, so the warm air rides up and over the boundary of a cold front.
冷空气比暖空气更密集,所以暖空气会上行并越过一股冷锋的边界.
As the warmer air reaches higher altitudes, it expands, which causes it to cool.
随着更温暖的空气达到更高的高度,它会膨胀,这使其变得冷却.
After it chills enough, water vapor in the air condenses—turns from a gas to a liquid—and forms puffy clouds called cumulus clouds.
足够冷后,空气中的水蒸气会凝结——从一气体变成一液体——并形成被称作积云的浮云.
Some cumulus clouds expand into cumulonimbus clouds—huge clouds with a large, spreading area at the top—that produce thunderstorms.
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When great amounts of water have condensed within a cumulonimbus cloud, the water grows too heavy to stay in the cloud and it falls as rain.
当大量之水已凝入一积聚相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相
A major storm produces intense rainfall in a brief amount of time, which can cause flash flooding that wipes out farms, homes, and can even cause deaths for those unprepared for the massive downpour.
一场大风暴在短时间内产生强烈的降雨,会引发闪发的洪灾,使农场,家园被冲倒,甚至会为那些对大规模倒灌毫无防备的人造成死亡.
At the same time, strong downdrafts of air from the cloud may produce stiff winds at ground level.
同时,从云层中产生的强烈下流空气可能在地上产生坚硬的风.
There are two main kinds of thunderstorms: ordinary and severe.
雷暴主要有两种:普通和严重.
Ordinary thunderstorms are the typical storms that occur in the summer, usually lasting from 30 to 60 minutes and providing welcome relief from the heat.
普通雷暴是夏季发生的典型风暴,通常持续时间为30至60分钟,并提供受欢迎的从热量中救济.
Severe thunderstorms, also called supercell thunderstorms, are huge rotating storms that can last several hours, producing extremely heavy rains and high winds that increase people’s anxiety.
严重的雷暴,也叫超级细胞雷暴,是巨大的自转风暴,可以持续数小时,产生出极度暴雨和高风会增加人们的焦虑.
Severe thunderstorms may also generate hail with large hailstones— sometimes as big as baseballs, or even larger.
严重的雷暴也可能用大冰雹来产生冰雹——有时与棒球一样大,甚至更大.
About 10 percent of thunderstorms are classified as severe.
大约10%的雷暴被归类为严重.
The biggest danger from all thunderstorms is lightning.
所有雷暴的最大危险是闪电.
Lightning is literally a giant spark in the sky, and it can cause wildfires and it can kill.
闪电在字面上是天空中巨大的火花,它可以引起野火并可以杀死.
Lightning is caused by a buildup of electric charges in storm clouds.
闪电是由暴风云中电荷积聚而来.
A lightning bolt is a flow of electric charges seeking opposite charges either in the clouds or on the ground.
闪电闪电是指在云中或地上寻求相反电荷的电流.
The bolts that shoot down from the clouds to the ground are dangerous to people.
从云层到地上击落的螺栓对人们来说是危险的.
A lightning bolt passes through a narrow channel of air, which is flash heated to a temperature of about 54,000° Fahrenheit (30,000°C), or about five times hotter than the surface of the Sun!
闪电闪电穿过狭窄的空气通道,被闪电加热到华氏54,000°(30,000°C)左右,或比太阳表面热出约5倍!
The explosive heat causes the air in the channel to expand violently.
爆炸性热能使航道内的空气剧烈膨胀.
The expansion produces a shockwave that we hear as thunder, which is how thunderstorms get their name.
扩张产生的冲击波,我们听到的是雷声,雷暴就是如此获得它们的名字.
Tornadoes Some supercell thunderstorms generate the most violent weather phenomena on Earth— tornadoes.
旋风 一些超细胞雷暴产生地球上最暴力的天气现象——龙卷风.
A tornado is a large, spinning funnelshaped cloud that extends downward from the base of a large storm cloud.
龙卷风是一股从一股大风暴云的底部向下延伸的大型旋转漏斗状云.
Many tornadoes have a narrow snakelike appearance, while others appear as wide columns up to a mile (1.6 km) across.
许多龙卷风的外观是狭长的蛇形,而另一些则以宽一英里(1.6公里)的柱状出现.
A tornado moves along the ground with a forward speed averaging 30 miles (48 km) per hour, though some travel more than twice that fast.
一场龙卷风沿着地上移动,前进速度平均为每小时30英里(48公里),尽管有的移动速度超过两倍.
The funnel produces a strong updraft, sucking up almost everything in its path that isn’t securely fastened to the ground, including vehicles and mobile homes.
漏斗产生强烈的反响, 吸取了路途上几乎一切没有安全地固定到地上的东西,
Most tornadoes assume a dark appearance once they touch the ground, the result of dirt and debris they have sucked up.
大部分龙卷风都假设一旦触地后会呈现出黑暗的外表,这是被它们吸走的泥土和碎片所造成.
Tornadoes can strike almost anywhere in the world, but about 75 percent of them occur in the United States.
龙卷风几乎可以在世界任何地方袭击,但其中约75%发生在美国.
Approximately 750 tornadoes occur in the United States every year, killing an average of 100 people annually.
美国每年约有750起龙卷风,平均每年有100人丧生.
Most U.S.
大部分美国。
tornadoes occur in a large area of the central United States known as “Tornado Alley.”
龙卷风发生在美国中部被称为“托纳多·阿莱”的大片地区。 “
This Great Plains region—perfectly designed for the development of tornadoes—has flat terrain that allows cold, dry air from Canada to meet moist, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico.
这个大平原地区为发展龙卷风设计得非常完美,地势平坦,使来自加拿大的寒冷干燥空气能够与来自墨西哥湾的湿润温暖空气相会合。
When large masses of these two kinds of air converge, the result is often supercell thunderstorms—perfect tornado-generators.
当这两种空气的大质量相会合时,结果往往是超级细胞雷暴——完美的龙卷风产生者.
A major tornado can have winds that rotate at speeds faster than 300 miles (480 km) per hour.
大型龙卷风可以有以快于每小时300英里(480公里)的速度旋转的风.
A really powerful tornado can tear a wood-frame house off its foundations and lift it far into the air.
一个非常强大的龙卷风可以把一个木质框架房子 从它的地基上撕开,并把它抬到空中。
Its path of destruction may extend for up to 50 miles (80 km).
其破坏路径可长达50英里(80公里).
One of the most powerful tornadoes ever recorded ripped through suburban Oklahoma City on May 3, 1999, as part of a four-day onslaught of twisters in Tornado Alley.
1999年5月3日 俄克拉荷马市郊区发生的最强的龙卷风 是龙卷风 Alley四天来猛烈袭击的一部分
Doppler radar clocked the tornado’s winds at 318 miles (512 km) per hour.
多普勒雷达以每小时318英里(512公里)的速度对龙卷风的阵风进行计时.
The tornado killed 36 people and destroyed more than 10,000 homes and other buildings.
龙卷风造成36人死亡并摧毁了一万多所民宅等建筑.
Hurricanes For sheer violence in a limited area, nothing can match a major tornado.
飓风 仅仅在有限的地区发生暴力,没有什么能比得上重大龙卷风。
But people who live along seacoasts know that hurricanes can cause extensive destruction across a much wider swath of land.
但是,生活在海岸一带的人知道,飓风可以在更广阔的土地上造成巨大破坏。
A hurricane is an enormous rotating storm that develops above warm ocean waters in the summer or fall.
飓风是一场巨大的自旋风暴,于夏季或秋季在温暖的海水上方发展出.
Most hurricanes occur in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, though some develop in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
多数飓风发生在大西洋,墨西哥湾和加勒比海,虽然有一些飓风在东北太平洋发展.
The same kinds of storms occur in the Western Pacific and Indian oceans, where they are called typhoons or severe tropical cyclones.
同样种类的风暴也发生在西太平洋和印度洋,它们被称作台风或严重的热带气旋.
A hurricane starts with an area of low air pressure, with winds moving in a circular motion around it.
飓风从低气压地区开始,风向以环绕它移动.
The low-pressure area draws up warm, moist air from the sea below and grows into a tropical storm.
低气压区从下方出海形成温暖湿润的空气并发展成热带风暴.
The moisture condenses into clouds, releasing a great amount of energy.
水分凝聚成云,释放出大量的能量.
If the storm continues to grow, powered by that energy, its winds may reach a speed of 74 miles (119 km) per hour.
如果风暴继续增强,以这种能量为动力,其风速可能达到每小时74英里(119公里).
At that point, the storm has become a hurricane.
此时风暴已成飓风.
From space, a hurricane looks like a huge pinwheel.
从太空来看,飓风看起来像一股巨大的平轮.
The outer parts of the pinwheel form a towering mass of rapidly circling storm clouds.
披针轮的外侧部分形成了快速环绕的风暴云的起伏质量.
At the center of the pinwheel is a calm area called the “eye” of the hurricane, where there is no wind or rain.
披针轮的中心是一个叫作"眼"的平静地区,没有风和雨.
A hurricane can be up to 600 miles (965 km) wide.
飓风可达600英里(965公里)宽.
When a hurricane comes ashore, it drenches coastal areas with hammering rains and buffets them with heavy winds.
当飓风上岸时,它使沿海地区遭受了猛烈的降雨并被狂风吹袭。
The winds of a major hurricane can exceed 150 miles (240 km) per hour—strong enough to rip the roofs off many houses.
一场大型飓风的风能能超过每小时150英里(240公里),强度足以摧毁许多房屋的屋顶.
Gusts from a major hurricane can match the wind speed of the most powerful tornado.
大型飓风产生的古斯可以与最强大的龙卷风所形成的风速相匹配.
The biggest danger for low-lying communities is a wall of water, called the storm surge, which is forced toward land by the strength of the winds.
对地势低洼社区最大的危险是一堵被称作"风暴潮"的水墙,被风力逼向陆地.
The storm surge of a major hurricane can be up to 20 feet (6 m) high, and it can cause extensive flooding and loss of life far inland.
一场大型飓风所形成的风暴潮可高达20英尺(6米)高,并会引发大面积洪灾并导致远内陆人员丧生.
One of the worst hurricanes to hit the United States in recent years was Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
美国近年来遭受到最恶劣的飓风之一,是2005年8月的飓风卡特里娜.
The hurricane caused severe destruction and killed thousands along the Gulf Coast in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
飓风造成严重破坏并导致路易斯安那州,密西西比州,阿拉巴马州,乔治亚州和佛罗里达州沿海湾海岸数以千计的人丧生.
Conclusion People can protect themselves from some elements of devastating weather, but they can’t escape them entirely.
人们可以保护自己免受一些毁灭性天气因素的影响,
Parts of the United States with no tornadoes or hurricanes may have broiling summers or harsh winters.
没有龙卷风或飓风的美国部分地区可能会出现繁忙的夏季或严冬.
On the West Coast, earthquakes and brush fires often make up for the moderate weather.
在西海岸,地震和刷火经常能弥补温和的天气.
When choosing a place to live, it’s probably most important for people—rather than worrying about the extremes or the worst calamities that may occur—to consider an area’s general climate.
在选择居住地点时,考虑一个地区的总体气候,对人们来说也许最重要,而不是担心可能出现的极端或最恶劣的灾难。
That’s the weather that will provide both the consistency and the drama they seek.
这将会提供他们所追求的一致性和戏剧性。