新西兰英语 105 Australian Bush Fires

　　New Zealanders are shocked at the disastrous¹ fires in Australia. We now know that more than 100 people have died. The hospitals are filled with people who have burns; some have minor² burns to the soles of their feet while others have major burns and will probably die. Whole towns have been burnt and thousands of homes have been destroyed. This tragedy is the worst ever national disaster in Australia.
Temperatures in the south of Australia have been as high as 46 degrees Celsius³. People say when you open the door it feels like an oven. The extreme heat, the wind and dry conditions have made it very difficult to control the fires. There is no humidity⁴. The grass and trees are dry and the wind has carried the fires very fast. The government has called in the army to help fight the fires. Even when the fires are out, the wind can easily start them again. Many of these bush fires are quite close to Melbourne, just 40 km away, so smoke is in the air over Melbourne.
Although Australia is three hours away by plane, we feel close. We have a similar culture. Many New Zealanders live in Australia. Many New Zealanders holiday in Australia, especially in the winter when it is cold here and much warmer there. Australians also come to New Zealand, especially in the winter to enjoy skiing. More tourists come here from Australia than from any other country. So this tragedy is a reminder⁵ for us of how close we feel to Australia. We are deeply shocked.

1 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

2 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

3 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

4 humidity   

n.湿度，潮湿，湿气

参考例句：

• The house is not comfortable tonight ,because of the high humidity.由于湿度高，今晚屋子里不舒服。
• It's difficult to work because of the humidity.由于空气潮湿，工作很困难。

5 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。