美国国家公共电台 NPR--A blistering heat wave has sparked massive wildfires throughout Europe

A blistering¹ heat wave has sparked massive wildfires throughout Europe

Transcript²

Countries across Europe struggle to control devastating³ wildfires that have displaced thousands. The continent also battles a record breaking heat wave which experts say is driven by climate change.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Countries across Europe are struggling to control wildfires that, in just a week's time, have displaced thousands of people across France, Spain and Portugal. The continent is also sweltering under a record-breaking heat wave, which experts blame on climate change. Rebecca Rosman reports.

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking French).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking French).

REBECCA ROSMAN, BYLINE⁴: Dramatic images on French television show firefighters in the southwestern Gironde region near Bordeaux driving through what looks like an apocalyptic⁵ scene - scorched⁶ earth, thick clouds of orange smoke and trees quickly swallowed by flames.

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PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: (Speaking French).

ROSMAN: Over the weekend, French President Emmanuel Macron thanked the more than 1,200 firefighters battling the wildfires in extreme heat. He also acknowledged this year's fire season was one of a kind, with three times as many forest fires compared to this time just two years ago. Fires in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain have destroyed thousands of acres of land and displaced more than 16,000 people in France alone.

Philippe Cordonnier spoke⁷ to the BBC at a shelter outside of Bordeaux.

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PHILIPPE CORDONNIER: (Through interpreter) We see it on TV, and we tell ourselves it will never happen to us. And then inevitably⁸, when it happens to us, it's a bit strange, especially the people shouting. It isn't reassuring⁹. The smell of smoke and all that - it's scary.

ROSMAN: But not everyone in the affected¹⁰ areas is willing to leave. This retiree in central Portugal brushed off a local television journalist's concern about his safety.

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Speaking Portuguese).

ROSMAN: "Where can I go?" he asks. "Jump into a water tank? I'd rather stay here."

The wildfires have been driven by a record-breaking heat wave expected to grip parts of Europe through Tuesday, with temperatures exceeding a hundred degrees Fahrenheit¹¹ in some places, including France, Spain and even the U.K. The extreme heat has been blamed for more than a thousand deaths in Spain and Portugal alone, with fears those numbers could climb as the heat wave makes its way across the continent.

For NPR News, I'm Rebecca Rosman.

1 blistering   

adj.酷热的；猛烈的；使起疱的；可恶的v.起水疱；起气泡；使受暴晒n.[涂料] 起泡

参考例句：

• The runners set off at a blistering pace. 赛跑运动员如脱缰野马般起跑了。
• This failure is known as preferential wetting and is responsible for blistering. 这种故障称为优先吸湿，是产生气泡的原因。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

4 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。

5 apocalyptic   

adj.预示灾祸的，启示的

参考例句：

• The air is chill and stagnant,the language apocalyptic.空气寒冷而污浊，语言则是《启示录》式的。
• Parts of the ocean there look just absolutely apocalyptic.海洋的很多区域看上去完全像是世界末日。

6 scorched   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦

参考例句：

• I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
• The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

9 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

10 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。

11 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。