红色表示重点词汇
蓝色表示句子主干
带着问题听讲解
Q1: 你能总结出多少和“火”相关的单词和表达？
Q2: “inferno”和“hell”有什么区别？
Q3: 加州大火频发和人类的行为有何联系？
The new abnormal: California faces the most destructive fire in its history
Part of northern California had become an inferno. A nearby town, Paradise, was incinerated and reduced to ash. Nearly 50 people are confirmed dead and over 200 missing. Six of the ten most destructive fires in California’s history have occurred in the past decade. Last year was the most destructive year on record, until this year. Why is the Golden State so flammable?
There are three reasons why California has been besieged by flames. First, the climate is becoming warmer. This has led to snow melting earlier, drier landscapes and a longer season when fires are likely to ignite. “This is not the new normal. This is the new abnormal,” Jerry Brown, the state’s governor, said recently.
A second reason is that more people live in combustible places. Since 1990 60% of new homes in California, Washington and Oregon have been built in spaces abutting nature. These areas, which environmentalists call the “wildland-urban interface”, are at higher risk of wildfire.
A third reason is that there is more fuel. Before western settlers arrived, fires used to happen often and naturally, which made less fuel available for future fires. For the past century fires have tended to be quickly suppressed. This has led to a build-up of dry brush, and makes the average wildfire much likelier to turn into a raging mega-fire.
Putting out the blazes is the most immediate task for California, but not the last. Many survivors will want to rebuild their homes exactly where they were. Californians will also want to ensure that utility companies are acting and investing responsibly. Investigations into what caused the fire are still going on, but some reports suggest it may have begun with sparks from lines owned by an electricity company.
“新的反常态”：加州面临史上最严重大火
加州北部部分地区已成人间炼狱。其附近的天堂镇已被焚毁并化为灰烬。将近 50 人被证实死亡，200 多人失踪。加州历史上十个最具破坏性的火灾中，有六个发生在过去的十年里。去年曾是有记录以来最严重的一年，而今年又破纪录了。为什么“金州”如此易燃呢？
加州总被大火围困的原因有三。首先，气候正在变暖。这导致了积雪融化得更早，地貌变得干旱，且易燃季节延长。加州州长杰瑞·布朗最近说：“这不是新常态，而是新的反常态。”
第二个原因是有更多的人生活在容易着火的地区。自 1990 年以来，加州、华盛顿州和俄勒冈州 60%的新住宅都建在大自然的周边地区。这些被环保主义者称为“荒地与城市的交界处”的区域，面临着更高的野火风险。
第三个原因是燃料更多。在西方殖民者到来之前，火灾往往自然发生，这就减少了未来火灾的所需燃料。而在过去一个世纪里，火势一般很快得到控制。这导致了干灌木丛的堆积，使得寻常野火更有可能变成燎原的熊熊烈火。
扑灭大火是加州最紧迫的任务，但绝不是最后一项。许多幸存者希望能在原址重建他们的家园。加州人还希望确保公用事业公司以负责任的方式行事和投资。对火灾原因的调查仍在继续，但一些报道表明，火灾可能是由一家电力公司旗下的线路产生的电火花引发的。