VOA常速英语2015--海平面上升未来不可逆转

海平面上升未来不可逆转

LONG BEACH, CALIF.— Scientists say the sea levels are rising and will continue to do so indefinitely. Coastal¹ communities around the world are already feeling the impact of the rising waters. Many cities and towns are adapting to this new reality. Their response has been photographed and is being presented at an exhibit called Sink or Swim: Designing for a Sea Change.

Devastating² storms and floods are part of a new reality around the globe, said oceanographer and president of the Aquarium³ of the Pacific, Jerry Schubel.

破坏性风暴和洪灾是全球新现实的一部分。

“Global climate change is resulting in rising seas, coastal flooding and increasingly powerful storm surges,” he said.

“全球气候变化导致海平面上升、海岸洪灾和越发强大的风暴。”

A scene in the video produced by the Aquarium of the Pacific, low-lying places around the world that flood historically are the areas that are immediately vulnerable to the sea level change. Meteorologist Dan Cayan with Scripps Institution of Oceanography:

太平洋水族馆制作的视频显示，全世界历史上经历过洪灾的低洼地区很快就要受到海平面变化的影响，斯克里普斯海洋研究所气象学家丹·卡延说：

“In the last couple of decades it’s risen at a greater rate. We think very confidently it will accelerate in the next several decades,” said Cayan.

“过去几十年海平面上升得很快，我们非常确信未来几十年将上升得更快。”

Scientists estimate by the end of the century, the seas level will rise by an average of almost a meter around the world.

科学家预测截止本世纪末，全世界的海平面将平均上升一米。

“Sea level rise will not end in 2100. It’s an ongoing⁴ problem, as the planet adjusts to a new, essentially⁵ a new energy balance because of greenhouse gases,” said Cayan.

“海平面上升并非到2100年就结束了，这是个持续的问题，因为地球在调整以适应温室气体造成的新的能量平衡。”

Cayan said those greenhouse gases are warming the planet, “and as the climate warms, the potential for unleashing⁶ stored water on Earth, largely in Greenland, Antarctica, holds a lot of potential sea level rise in the future."

卡延说温室气体令地球升温，“随着气温的上升，那么未来地球上可能会释放出储藏的水，主要是格陵兰和南极很有可能出现海平面上升。”

We have the issue of the rising seas but that is coupled with our desire to live on coast lines. There is an intense level of development on coastlines.

目前我们已经面临了海平面上升的问题，但同时我们还希望能生活在海岸线附近，海岸线已经上升很高了。

The photo exhibit Sink or Swim shows how people around the world are affected⁷ by flooding and how they adapt to the rising sea.

名为“成败全靠自己”的图片展展示全世界人们如何受到洪灾的影响，以及他们如何应对海平面上升。

In Bangladesh, students attend floating school. A more high-tech⁸ floating building is in the Netherlands, this house boat.

在孟加拉国，学生们去漂浮学校上学。荷兰出现了一座更高科技的漂浮建筑，这座屋船。

 

Scientists say city planners in coastal communities need to continue to come up with innovative⁹ ways to adapt to this new environment through futuristic infrastructure¹⁰ and buildings that are water-friendly and can minimize devastation¹¹ and human suffering.

科学家称沿海社区的城市规划者们需要提出创新办法来适应新环境，通过建造未来派的水友好型基础设施和建筑来将破坏和人类苦难减少到最低。

1 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

2 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。

3 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 unleashing   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Company logos: making people's life better by unleashing Cummins power. 公司理念：以康明斯动力建设更美好的生活！ 来自互联网
• Sooner or later the dam will burst, unleashing catastrophic destruction. 否则堤坝将崩溃，酿成灾难。 来自互联网

7 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。

8 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

9 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

10 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

11 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》