British Vision Issue 38 热浪席卷英伦三岛

Record temperatures and the hottest day of the year so far. Parts of Britain have outstripped¹ temperatures in Bermuda and Rio today. Council gritters have been out treating roads to stop them melting. Health warnings have been issued for the elderly and others at risk. And tomorrow is said to be even hotter. Emily Reuben has been finding out how Britons trying to stay cool.

It's not exactly the sort of traffic you'd expect on a hot July afternoon. But the gritting² lorries were out in Cumbria today, not for the ice, of course. The council says this is the only way they can keep the roads from melting in the heat.

Today is going to be hot and sunny with temperatures up to 33 degrees. In parts of Britain, temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit³. Hot summers like this used to come along every 30 years. Now it's looking like becoming every 3 years.

The Met Office keeps a track of rising temperatures with these automatic climate recorders that're used in the UK and around the world. Currently, the temperature gauge⁴ is reading 33 degrees centigrade.
The forecasts are predicting a 30% chance that tomorrow that could rise to 39-degree-centigrade, a record-breaking 102 degrees Fahrenheit.

But for many it's no reason to celebrate. The last European heat wave in 2003 killed 15 thousand people in France. 2,000 died in Britain.

We need to realize that hot weather is just as dangerous as windy weather, just as dangerous as flooding, and just as dangerous as snow and ice. So we have to really start to take precautions now on our day-to-day way of life. Why, do you think, for example, the Spaniards have a siesta⁵? Because nobody would be mad enough to go out in that kind of heat at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

The government hasn't gone as far as introducing siestas⁶. But after 2003, the Department of Health launched a Heatwave Plan. There are 4 levels of alert. We are currently on level 3, which is introduced when the temperature goes above 32 degrees. GPs must ensure there is extra support for the elderly and the very young. And Primary Care Trusts should commission additional care for those at risk.

We've certainly learned lessons from 2003, what happened in France in 2003. And that's why we've got this big publicity⁷ campaign to raise awareness⁸ and get people to do very sensible things both for themselves but also to look after their neighbours.

The message for tomorrow is to stay indoors and drink lots of water. And if you are going to take a siesta, make sure you do it in the shade.

【WORLD BANK】
outstrip
to do something better than someone else or be more successful
We outstripped all our competitors in sales last year.
gritter
a large vehicle that puts salt or sand on the roads in winter to make them less icy
American Equivalent: salt truck
the Meteorological Office
the national organization that collects information about the weather in the UK, and provides weather reports for newspapers, radio, and TV, and also for farmers, scientists, airports etc. There is a similar organization in the US called the National Weather Service.
siesta
[countable]
a short sleep in the afternoon, especially in warm countries
take/have a siesta The stores all close after lunch when everyone takes a siesta.
general practitioner⁹
a doctor who is trained in general medicine and treats people in a particular area or town
I've got an appointment with my GP at five o'clock.

1 outstripped   

v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• That manufacturer outstripped all his competitors in sales last year. 那个制造商家去年的销售量超过了所有竞争对手。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The imagination of her mother and herself had outstripped the truth. 母亲和她自己的想象力远远超过了事实。 来自辞典例句

2 gritting   

v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的现在分词 )；咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• Gritting my teeth, I did my best to stifle one or two remarks. 我咬紧牙关，硬是吞回了几句话。 来自辞典例句
• It takes gritting your teeth. It takes discipline. 你得咬紧牙关，你得有严格的纪律。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

5 siesta   

n.午睡

参考例句：

• Lots of people were taking a short siesta in the shade.午后很多人在阴凉处小睡。
• He had acquired the knack of snatching his siesta in the most unfavourable circumstance.他学会了在最喧闹的场合下抓紧时间睡觉的诀窍。

6 siestas   

n.（气候炎热国家的）午睡，午休( siesta的名词复数 )

参考例句：

7 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

8 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

9 practitioner   

n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者

参考例句：

• He is an unqualified practitioner of law.他是个无资格的律师。
• She was a medical practitioner before she entered politics.从政前她是个开业医生。