文本选自：The New York Times（纽约时报）
作者：Christopher Flavelle and Manuela Andreoni
原文标题：How Climate Change Turned Lush Hawaii Into a Tinderbox
原文发布时间：12 Aug. 2022
How Climate Change Turned Lush Hawaii Into a Tinderbox
The fires in Hawaii would be shocking anywhere — killing at least 36 people, in one of the deadliest wildfires in the United States in modern history. But the devastation is especially striking because of where it happened: In a state defined by its lush vegetation, a far cry from the dry landscape normally associated with fire threats. The explanation is as straightforward as it is sobering: As the planet heats up, no place is protected from disasters.
The story of this week's blaze arguably began decades ago, when Hawaii started experiencing a long-term decline in average annual rainfall. Since 1990, rainfall at selected monitoring sites has been 31 percent lower in the wet season, and 6 percent lower in the dry season, according to work published in 2015 by researchers at the University of Hawaii and the University of Colorado. There are multiple reasons for that change, according to Abby Frazier, a climatologist at Clark University who has researched Hawaii.
One factor is La Niña, a weather pattern that has usually led to significant rainfall but began delivering less precipitation beginning in the 1980s. Those weaker La Niñas "are not bringing us out of drought, " Dr. Frazier said in an interview earlier this year. Another change: As temperatures increase, the clouds over Hawaii are thinner, Dr. Frazier said. And less cloud cover means less precipitation. On top of that, big storms have been moving north over time — delivering less of the rainfall that they typically bring to the islands.
气候变化如何将繁茂的夏威夷变成了易燃之地
精听党背景导读
当地时间8月8日，美国夏威夷州毛伊岛燃起熊熊山火。截至13日，大火已造成96人死亡，约1300人失踪。美国夏威夷州州长乔希·格林在新闻发布会上说：“随着搜救工作的艰难推进，伤亡人数可能进一步增加。”据统计，这是美国百年来致死人数最多的山火灾害。夏威夷大学马诺阿分校热带火灾研究员克莱·特拉尼希特则表示，这是夏威夷迄今为止最致命的山火。
山火无情，它向人们展示了大自然超强破坏力的一面。与此同时，美国政府在应急管理上的种种表现也表明，这次山火造成如此重大的损失，既是天灾，亦是人祸。
文本选自：The New York Times（纽约时报）作者：Christopher Flavelle and Manuela Andreoni原文标题：How Climate Change Turned Lush Hawaii Into a Tinderbox原文发布时间：12 Aug. 2022关键词：夏威夷 山火 气候变化
精听党带着问题听
1.“繁茂植被”用英语可以怎么表达？2. 如何理解段一中的“a far cry from”？3. 夏威夷的气候这些年发生了什么变化？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
How Climate Change Turned Lush Hawaii Into a Tinderbox
气候变化如何将繁茂的夏威夷变成了易燃之地
lush adj. 茂盛的，繁茂的；丰富的，富饶的；1. The tropical rainforest is known for its lush vegetation and diverse wildlife. 热带雨林以其茂盛的植被和多样的野生动物而闻名。
tinderbox n. 易爆炸的物体；引火物；1. The political tension in the region has turned it into a potential tinderbox. 该地区的政治紧张局势使其成为潜在的引火物。2. The dry weather conditions turned the forest into a tinderbox, increasing the risk of wildfires. 干燥的气候条件使森林变成了引火物，增加了野火的风险。
段一
The fires in Hawaii would be shocking anywhere — killing at least 36 people, in one of the deadliest wildfires in the United States in modern history. But the devastation is especially striking because of where it happened: In a state defined by its lush vegetation, a far cry from the dry landscape normally associated with fire threats. The explanation is as straightforward as it is sobering: As the planet heats up, no place is protected from disasters.
shocking adj. 令人震惊的，出乎意料的；1. The news of the accident was truly shocking to everyone. 事故的消息确实使每个人都感到震惊。
devastation n. 毁坏，破坏；蹂躏；1. The earthquake left a trail of devastation in the city. 地震在城市留下了一片毁坏的痕迹。2. The devastation caused by the hurricane was overwhelming and took years to recover from. 飓风造成的破坏是巨大的，需要数年时间才能恢复。
striking adj. 惊人的，异常的；
define vt. 定义，界定；阐明；
vegetation n. 植被，植物；1. The tropical rainforest is home to a diverse range of vegetation. 热带雨林是各种各样植被的家园。
a far cry from 与…大不相同，迥异于；大相径庭；1. His current success is a far cry from the struggles he faced a few years ago. 他目前的成功与几年前他所面临的困境大不相同。
landscape n. 风景，景色；地形，地貌；1. The landscape of the countryside is breathtakingly beautiful. 乡村的风景美得惊人。
associate with 与…相关联，与…有关；
explanation n. 解释，说明；
straightforward adj. 直接的，明确的；简单的，易懂的；1. The instructions for assembling the furniture are straightforward and easy to follow. 组装家具的说明简单易懂。2. Her straightforward approach to problem-solving has been highly effective. 她直截了当解决问题的方法非常有效。
sobering adj. 令人深思的，发人深省的；
参考译文
夏威夷的大火放在任何地方都是让人震惊的，造成至少36人死亡，这是美国现代史上最致命的野火之一。但这次破坏之所以特别引人注目，是因为它发生的地点：在一个以繁茂植被为特征的州，与通常受火灾威胁相关的干旱地貌截然不同。解释既直接又发人深省：随着地球变暖，没有任何地方能免受灾难的影响。
段二
The story of this week’s blaze arguably began decades ago, when Hawaii started experiencing a long-term decline in average annual rainfall. Since 1990, rainfall at selected monitoring sites has been 31 percent lower in the wet season, and 6 percent lower in the dry season, according to work published in 2015 by researchers at the University of Hawaii and the University of Colorado. There are multiple reasons for that change, according to Abby Frazier, a climatologist at Clark University who has researched Hawaii.
blaze n. 火焰，烈火；光辉，灿烂；1. The blaze consumed the entire building within minutes. 大火在几分钟内烧毁了整座建筑物。
arguably adv. 可以说是，可以辩论的是；1. Arguably, the novel presents a unique perspective on social issues. 可以说，这部小说对社会问题提出了独特的观点。
monitoring site 监测站点，监测点；
multiple reasons 多种原因，多个理由；1. The decline in sales can be attributed to multiple reasons, including economic downturn and increased competition. 销量下降的原因多种多样，包括经济低迷和竞争加剧。
climatologist n. 气候学家；
参考译文
这周大火的故事可以说始于几十年前，当时夏威夷开始经历年均降雨量的长期下降。夏威夷大学(University of Hawaii)和科罗拉多大学(University of Colorado)的研究人员在2015年发表的研究报告显示，自1990年以来，选定监测站的雨量在雨季减少了31％，在旱季减少了6％。克拉克大学(Clark University)研究夏威夷的气候学家艾比·弗雷泽（Abby Frazier）表示，这种变化有多种原因。
段三
One factor is La Niña, a weather pattern that has usually led to significant rainfall but began delivering less precipitation beginning in the 1980s. Those weaker La Niñas “are not bringing us out of drought,” Dr. Frazier said in an interview earlier this year. Another change: As temperatures increase, the clouds over Hawaii are thinner, Dr. Frazier said. And less cloud cover means less precipitation. On top of that, big storms have been moving north over time — delivering less of the rainfall that they typically bring to the islands.
factor n. 因素，要素；
La Niña （西）拉尼娜现象；
lead to 导致，引发；1. Poor communication led to misunderstandings among team members. 沟通不畅导致团队成员之间产生误解。
significant rainfall 大量降雨；
precipitation n. 降水，降水量；1. The region experienced heavy precipitation during the winter months. 该地区在冬季经历了强降水。
drought n. 干旱，旱灾；1. The prolonged drought has resulted in crop failures and water rationing. 持续的干旱导致了作物歉收和水源配给。
on top of that 除此之外，而且；
参考译文
一个因素是“拉尼娜”现象，这种气象模式通常会导致大量降雨，但自上世纪80年代以来，降雨量开始减少。弗雷泽博士今年早些时候在一次采访中表示，这些较弱的拉尼娜现象“并没有让我们摆脱干旱”。弗雷泽博士说，另一个变化是，随着温度升高，夏威夷上空的云层变薄了。云量减少意味着降水减少。此外，随着时间的推移，大风暴一直在向北移动，给岛屿带来的降雨量也减少了。
精听党每日单词
lush
/lʌʃ/ adj. 茂盛的，繁茂的；丰富的，富饶的；
tinderbox
/ˈtɪndərbɑːks/ n. 易爆炸的物体；引火物；
shocking
/ˈʃɑːkɪŋ/ adj. 令人震惊的，出乎意料的；
devastation
/ˌdevəˈsteɪʃn/ n. 毁坏，破坏；蹂躏；
striking
/ˈstraɪkɪŋ/ adj. 惊人的，异常的；
define
/dɪˈfaɪn/ vt. 定义，界定；阐明；
vegetation
/ˌvedʒəˈteɪʃn/ n. 植被，植物；
a far cry from
与…大不相同，迥异于；大相径庭；
landscape
/ˈlændskeɪp/ n. 风景，景色；地形，地貌；
associate with
与…相关联，与…有关；
explanation
/ˌekspləˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 解释，说明；
straightforward
/ˌstreɪtˈfɔːrwərd/ adj. 直接的，明确的；简单的，易懂的；
sobering
/ˈsoʊbərɪŋ/ adj. 令人深思的，发人深省的；
blaze
/bleɪz/ n. 火焰，烈火；光辉，灿烂；
arguably
/ˈɑːrɡjuəbli/ adv. 可以说是，可以辩论的是；
monitoring site
监测站点，监测点；
multiple reasons
多种原因，多个理由；
climatologist
/ˌklaɪməˈtɑːlədʒist/ n. 气候学家；
factor
/ˈfæktər/ n. 因素，要素；
La Niña
（西）拉尼娜现象；
lead to
导致，引发；
significant rainfall
大量降雨；
precipitation
/prɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 降水，降水量；
drought
/draʊt/ n. 干旱，旱灾；
on top of that
除此之外，而且；
精听党文化拓展
山火爆发后的第一时间，上至美国总统下至美国媒体，似乎对此无动于衷，就好像灾难是发生在遥远的另一个国度。拜登9日在犹他州盐湖城的一个筹款活动上对山火只字未提。10日，拜登请求国会批准约 400 亿美元的额外支出中，才终于出现了“救灾”事项。但用于赈灾的资金只有120亿美元，只相当于援助乌克兰和“其他国际需求”资金数额的一半。愤怒的美国网友立刻做了基辅和毛伊岛的对比图。画面显示，乌克兰人在购物、喝酒、逛街，而夏威夷人则断电、断水、断通讯，苦不堪言。
事发地夏威夷恰恰是美军在太平洋地区的后勤和指挥中心，然而，美军的救援行动却出奇地迟缓。当地餐厅店主凯莉·谢尔批评称：“我们居住在毛伊岛，这个岛距离军队100英里，然而，火灾发生72小时后，美国海军、医疗船、直升机、陆军、自然灾害救援设备才来到灾区。”
从2005年卡特里娜飓风灾难，到年初的毒列车脱轨事故，再到如今的夏威夷山火，美国在应对天灾人祸方面表现出的基础设施落后匮乏，救援行动迟缓且草率，对百姓生命财产安全的轻视和冷漠，都让人不禁慨叹：自诩为“人权灯塔”的美国，对别国人权无比“热衷”和“关切”，为何对本国人权忽视、敷衍至此？
精听党每日美句
I think success has no rules, but you can learn a lot from failure.
我认为成功没有定律，但你可从失败中学到很多东西。