专题-04-极端天气不再罕见-2023年高考英语外刊时文精读精练.docx

2023年高考英语外刊时文精读精练 (4)
Floods and fires洪水和火灾
Extreme no more极端天气不再罕见
主题语境：人与自然 主题语境内容：自然灾害与防范

【外刊原文】（斜体单词为超纲词汇，认识即可；下划线单词为课标词汇，需熟记。）

The Wilsons river broke its banks on the night of February 27th while Lismore, a town of around 30,000 in New South Wales, was sleeping. Its residents snoozed（打盹儿） through early-hours emergency warnings that “risk to life was imminent（迫在眉睫）”. Within hours the town was submerged（淹没的）. Residents scrambled into their attics（阁楼）. Mothers carried children onto rooftops. An army of locals launched tin boats into the floods to save them. Four people died
Eastern Australia has been hammered by what politicians call “once-in-1,000-year” flooding. It has already had a soggy（浸水的） summer because of La Niña, a phenomenon which triggers downpours there. Then on February 23rd, meteorologists warned that an area of low pressure was forming over southern Queensland. It sucked moisture（水分） from the sea, forming an “atmospheric river（大气层河流）” over the east coast. It has dumped  quantities of water ever since.
Brisbane, Queensland’s capital, received almost 80% of its annual rainfall in less than a week in February, flooding 15,000 homes. As the rain edged into northern New South Wales, it ripped up roads and drowned herds of cattle. Storms lashed Sydney on March 8th, causing a dam to spill over. Some 50,000 people in the state have been forced to evacuate（撤离）.
Scientists are wary（小心的） of blaming floods on global warming because everything from rainfall to urban development contributes to them. They disagree, too, about whether climate change is a factor in this kind of never-ending downpour（倾盆大雨）. No matter the cause, extreme weather is now a regular occurrence in Australia. New South Wales was buffeted（重创） by its last “once-in-100-year” floods, which submerged Western Sydney, just a year ago. In 2019 and 2020 vast lands of the country were torched in bushfires which destroyed more than 3,000 homes and killed 33 people. Unlucky towns such as Lismore have in recent years been hit by both fire and floods.

It does not help that the state and federal governments’ response has been bungled(失败). When disaster strikes, official aid is often slow to come. In 2019 the federal government set aside almost A$4bn ($2.9bn) for a fund that would help it respond to crises(危险) and lessen future ones. But it has spent hardly any of that money. It has now deployed(部署) the army and is dishing out cash to victims, but locals fume（愤怒地说） that they were left for days without power or fuel as supplies of food and water dwindled（减少）. A university is putting up the homeless. “Isn’t somebody meant to write a plan for this?” wonders Ella Buckland, a resident of Lismore.
A debate now rages about how or even whether places like Lismore should rebuild. Analysts think the floods might trigger insurance claims worth more than A$3bn.Some politicians would like the government to pay companies to insure houses that will inevitably be struck by future fires or floods. “If we are going to start thinking every time there’s a natural disaster that we have to give up and leave because it’s too hard, then where are we going to live?” asks Lismore’s mayor, Steve Krieg. That is becoming a question for ever more Australians.
【课标词汇】
1. emergency紧急情况；不测事件；突发事件
How would disabled people escape in an emergency?如果发生紧急情况，伤残人士如何逃离？
Is the emergency exit suitable for wheelchairs?安全出口适合轮椅通行吗？
2. scramble（急速而艰难地）移动；爬；攀登
She scrambled up the steep hillside and over the rocks.她爬上了陡峭的山坡，翻过岩石。
He scrambled into his clothes (= put them on quickly) and raced to fetch a doctor.他匆匆套上衣服，跑去请医生。
3. launch启动，推出，发起
The scheme was launched a year ago.这项计划是一年前开始实施的。
 The Canadian police plan to launch an investigation into the deal.加拿大警方计划对这宗交易展开调查。
4. hammer（在比赛或战斗中）彻底击败，击垮;用力敲打；猛踢;严厉批评，指责
I was woken up suddenly by the sound of someone hammering on/at the front door.有人重重地捶打前门，把我惊醒了。
We were hammered in both games.我们两场比赛都被击败了。
5. phenomenon 现象:
cultural / natural / social phenomena  文化/自然/社会现象
Language is a social and cultural phenomenon.   语言是一种社会文化现象。
6. trigger引发，引起，导致
An allergy can be triggered by stress or overwork紧张或工作过度可能引发过敏症。
Stress may act as a trigger for these illnesses.压力可能会成为引发这些疾病的原因。
7. suck吸；吮吸；咂，啜
She was sitting on the grass sucking lemonade through a straw.她坐在草地上，用吸管吸着柠檬汁。
I sucked my thumb until I was seven.我一直到七岁才不再吮大拇指。
8. dump堆放，扔掉，倾倒（垃圾或废料等）
Trucks dumped 1,900 tons of refuse here.卡车在这里倾倒了1,900吨废物
Toxic chemicals continue to be dumped in the North Sea.有毒化工品还在继续被倾倒进北海。
9. quantities of大量的
Huge quantities of oil were spilling into the sea.大量石油泄漏溢进大海。
 The police found quantities of drugs at his home. 警察在他家发现了大量毒品。
10. edge徐徐移动；挤；悄悄移动
She tried to edge away from him.她想从他身边溜走。
Nick edged his way through the crowd.尼克挤过人群。
11. rip up把…撕碎
If we wrote I think he would rip up the letter...如果我们写信的话，我想他会把信撕得粉碎。
We have to just rip up the rule book and start again. 我们不得不取消规则手册，重新开始。
12. spill（使）洒出；（使）流出；（使）溅出； （使）涌出
I spilt coffee on my silk shirt.我把咖啡洒到丝绸衬衫上了。
He dropped a bag of sugar and it spilt all over the floor.他把一袋糖掉在地上，撒得地板上到处都是。
13. blame...on...把……归咎于
They blame youth crime on unemployment.他们把青年犯罪归咎于失业。
The crash was blamed on pilot error.   这次空难是飞行员的失误
14. contribute to 导致，促成
Carbon dioxide is a gas that contributes to climate change.二氧化碳是一种导致气候变化的气体。
Smoking contributed to his early death.吸烟导致他早逝。
15. disagree不同意，持异议，反对
I'm afraid I have to disagree with you (on that issue).（关于那个问题）恐怕我不能同意你的看法。
I profoundly/strongly disagree with (= do not accept) the decision that has been taken.我强烈反对那个决定。
16. extreme极度的；极大的
We are working under extreme pressure at the moment. 目前我们正在极大的压力下工作。
The heat in the desert was extreme. 沙漠中极其炎热。
17. occurrence发生的事；事件；遭遇；存在
Laughter was a rare occurrence in his classroom.他的课堂上难得有笑声。
Flooding in the area is a common occurrence.该地区经常洪水泛滥。
18. torch放火烧，纵火
19. destroy毁坏，摧毁，毁灭
Most of the old part of the city was destroyed by bombs during the war.该城的大部分老城区都在战争中被炸毁了。
He school was completely destroyed by fire.学校被大火彻底烧毁了。
20. strike突然侵袭；使受折磨；打；撞击；碰撞；攻击; 敲，鸣，报时
The clock was striking ten as we went into the church.我们走进教堂时响起了十点的报时钟声。
Her car went out of control and struck an oncoming vehicle她的汽车失控，撞上了迎面开来的一辆车。
They predict that a large earthquake will strike the east coast before the end of the decade.他们预测这十年内东海岸就会发生一场大地震。
21. aid帮助，援助
The new test should aid in the early detection of the disease.  新的化验应该有助于早早检查出这种疾病。
His feature is designed to aid inexperienced users. 这个特色装置是为帮助没有经验的用户而设计的。
22. set aside留作…之用;留出…用于
Some doctors advise setting aside a certain hour each day for worry...一些医生建议每天留出一点时间来解决烦心事。
£130 million would be set aside for repairs to schools.将划拨1.3 亿英镑用于学校的修缮。
She tries to set aside some money every month. 她每个月都尽量存点钱。
23. dish out大量提供；分发
Students dished out leaflets to passers-by. 学生向过路人散发传单。
Some doctors are dishing out drugs their patients do not need. 一些医生在分发病人不需要的药。
24. supply供给;供应;提供
Food is in short supply all over the country.全国普遍食品供应不足。
Local schools supply many of the volunteers. 许多志愿者来自当地学校。
25. Put up建造；搭建；设置; 张贴；公布;为…提供膳宿；
He was putting up a new fence at his home.他正在为自己家搭建新的篱笆墙。
They're putting new street signs up...他们正在悬挂新的路标。
I wanted to know if she could put me up for a few days...我想知道她能否让我住几天。
26. be meant to do 有责任（或义务）做某事;有意（或打算）做某事
It was meant to be an apology but it only made her angry. 这原本是为了道歉，但却只惹她生气。
I thought the police were meant to protect people.我认为警察就是要保护人民的。
27. wonder疑惑；想知道
He's starting to wonder whether he did the right thing in accepting this job.他现在开始怀疑自己接受这份工作是否正确。
I wonder if I'll recognize Philip after all these years.过了这么多年，我不知道是否还认得菲利普。
28. debate讨论；争论
They had been debating for several hours without reaching a conclusion.他们已经争论了好几个小时，仍然没有得出一个结论。
The issue will be debated on Tuesday.这个问题将在星期二讨论。
29. rage斥；发怒；发脾气;激烈进行；猛烈发作；肆虐
A flu epidemic is raging in/through local schools.一场流感在当地各学校肆虐。
The argument rages on (= continues strongly).正在进行激烈的争论。
30. insurance保险
•life/health/car/travel insurance人寿／健康／汽车／旅游保险
I'll need to take out extra car insurance for another driver.我必须为另一名驾驶者购买汽车保险。
31. insure（给…上）保险，（为…）投保
The house is insured for two million pounds.该房子投保了200万英镑。
Many companies won't insure new or young drivers.许多公司是不会为新司机或年轻司机提供保险的。
32. inevitably 不可避免地
Their arguments inevitably end in tears.他们的争论不可避免地以眼泪告终。
Inevitably, the situation did not please everyone.这种局势必定不能让所有人都感到满意。
【课标词汇精练】
根据语境，从上面的“课标词汇”和“重点短语”中选用合适的单词及其正确形式将句子补充完整。
1. Hazel quietly him away from the others.
2. She took every photograph of me that was in our house and it up.
3. I half an hour every evening to hear Erik read.
4. Few people would that something should be done to reduce the level of crime in the area.
5. The pilot of the aircraft was forced to make an landing on Lake Geneva.
6. As the burning plane landed, the terrified passengers for the door .
7. The organization a campaign to raise $150,000.
8. Her latest film by the critics.
9. Let's see if I can pour the juice into the glass without it.
10. Hugh his lack of confidence his mother.
11. The scandal certainly their defeat at the last election.
12. Globalization is a of the 21st century.
13. Children will be removed from their parents only in circumstances.
14. Some people find that certain foods their headaches.
15. Michael put the cigarette to his lips and in the smoke.
16. He came in with four shopping bags and them on the table.
17. We vast quantities of food and drink that night.
18. The study compares the of heart disease in various countries.
19. The disease the whole community, sometimes wiping out whole families.
20. Huge projects designed to poorer countries can sometimes do more harm than good.
21. She's always advice, even when you don't want it.
22. The doesn't cover you for (= include) household items.
23. All our household goods against accidental damage.
24. Technological changes will lead to unemployment.
25. The UN has agreed to allow the of emergency aid.
26. She a notice about the school trip to Italy.
27. You keep the children out of trouble.
28. Hadn't you better phone home? Your parents where you are.
29. The authorities whether to build a new car park.
30. He at us for forgetting to order a replacement.

Keys:
1. edged黑泽尔悄悄地把他挤到一边去。
2. ripped她拿走了家里所有我的照片，并把它们撕得粉碎。
3. set aside我每天晚上都留半个小时听埃里克朗读。
4. disagree 很少有人会不同意应采取行动减少该地区的犯罪。
5. emergency这架飞机的驾驶员不得不在日内瓦湖面上紧急迫降。
6. scrambled起火的飞机降落后，受惊的乘客奋力向舱门口跑去。
7. has launched为了筹集 15 万美元，该组织发起了一场募捐活动。
8. has been hammered她最新拍摄的电影遭到评论家们的猛烈批评。
9. spilling来试试看我能不能一滴不漏地把果汁倒进玻璃杯里。
10. blames on晓治把自己缺乏自信心归咎于他的母亲
11. contributed to丑闻当然也部分地导致了他们在上次选举中的失败。
12. phenomenon全球化是 21 世纪的现象。
13. extreme只有在极端情况下才会让孩子离开父母。
14. trigger有些人发现某些食物导致他们头痛。
15. sucked迈克尔把香烟放到唇边，吞着烟。
16. dumped他进门后将手里提着的四个购物袋往桌上一扔。
17. consumed那天晚上我们大吃大喝了一顿。
18. occurrence 该项研究比较了不同国家心脏病的发病率。
19. has struck 疾病袭击整个社区，有时整个家族都无一生还。
20. aid旨在援助贫穷国家的庞大计划有时反而会弊大于利。
21. dishing out 即使你不想听，她仍然没完没了地建议这建议那。
22. insurance 这份保险没有包括你的家居物品。
23. are insured 我们家里所有的物品都保了意外损失险。
24. inevitably技术变革必然会导致失业。
25. supply联合国已同意允许提供紧急援助。
26. put up她张贴出一张有关学校组织去意大利旅游的布告。
27. were meant to 你有责任不让孩子们遇到麻烦。
28. will be wondering你是不是最好给家里打个电话？你父母会想知道你在哪里的。
29. debated 政府有关部门就是否要修建一座新停车场进行了讨论。
30. raged我们忘了订购替换件，他对我们大发雷霆。
【译文】
2月27日晚，威尔逊河(Wilsons river)决堤，而此时新南威尔士州(New South Wales)利斯莫尔镇(Lismore)约三万居民还在沉睡中。凌晨响起紧急警报时居民还在打盹，警报称“生命危险迫在眉睫”。几小时后，这座城镇就被淹没了。居民们争先恐后爬上阁楼。母亲抱着孩子爬上屋顶。一群当地人开锡皮船冲进洪水中解救他们，四人死亡。
澳大利亚东部遭受洪水重创，政客们称其是“千年一遇”。此前，由于拉尼娜现象(La Niña)导致澳大利亚下暴雨，那里整个夏天都是湿漉漉的。然后在2月23日，气象学家警告称，一
片低气压区正在昆士兰州(Queensland)南部上空形成。它从海水中吸取水分，在东海岸上空形成一条“大气层河流”。从那以后，昆士兰州南部下起了倾盆大雨。
2月，昆士兰州首府布里斯班(Wilsons river)在不到一周的时间里，其降雨量接近全年的80%，淹没了15000座房屋。随着新南威尔士州北部不断下雨，暴雨摧毁了道路，淹没了牛群。
3月8日，暴风雨袭击了悉尼，导致大坝决堤。该州约有5万人被迫撤离。
科学家们对“全球变暖导致洪水”这一结论持谨慎态度，因为从降雨量到城市发展等一切因素都是造成洪水的原因。对于气候变化是否是造成暴雨永无止境的一个因素，他们也存在分歧。
无论原因是什么，现在澳大利亚极端天气频发。新南威尔士州上次遭遇“百年一遇”的洪水冲击就在一年前，当时洪水淹没了西悉尼。2019年和2020年，该国家大片土地在森林大火中被烧
毁，3000多所房屋被烧毁，33人死亡。像利斯莫尔这样不幸的城镇近年来遭受了火灾和洪水的双重打击。
州政府和联邦政府的应对措施搞砸了，无济于事。当灾难来临时，官方援助往往姗姗来迟。2019年，联邦政府预留了近40亿澳元（29亿美元）作为一项基金，以帮助其应对危机以及缓
解未来的危机。但这笔钱几乎没有花出去。政府现已部署了军队，并发放现金给灾民，但当地人却很不满，因为随着食物和水供应减少，他们已经连续几天没有电或燃料了。一所大学正在收留无家可归的人。利斯莫尔的居民埃拉·巴克兰(Ella Buckland)惊叹道，“难道没有人要为
此写一份计划吗?”。
现在，一场讨论正在激烈进行，讨论的是像利斯莫尔这样的受灾地应该如何重建，甚至是否应当重建。分析家认为，洪水可能引发价值超过30亿澳元的保险索赔。一些政客希望政府向企业支付保险费，为那些未来不可避免会遭受火灾或洪水袭击的房屋提供保险。利斯莫尔市长史蒂夫·克里格(Steve Krieg)问道，“如果每次发生自然灾害时，我们都要开始思考，因为太
严重而不得不放弃并从受灾地离开，那么我们要住在哪里呢?”。越来越多的澳大利亚人都在思考这一问题。
【背景知识】
La Niña（西班牙语）: 拉尼娜现象，又称反圣婴现象，是一种和厄尔尼诺现象相反的现象。拉尼娜现象就是太平洋中东部海水异常变冷的情况。东南信风将表面被太阳晒热的海水吹向太平洋西部，致使西部比东部海平面增高将近60厘米，西部海水温度增高，气压下降，潮湿空气积累形成台风和热带风暴，东部底层海水上翻，致使东太平洋海水变冷。拉尼娜与厄尔尼诺现象相反，随着厄尔尼诺的消失，拉尼娜的到来，全球许多地区的天气与气候灾害也将发生转变。总体说来，拉尼娜的性情并非十分温和，其气候影响与厄尔尼诺大致相反，其强度和影响程度不如厄尔尼诺，但它的到来也可能会给全球许多地区带来灾害。