source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DiDFzXnDXY

Well, you're live with BBC News. Let's turn to another really important story today, because the beginning of July was the hottest week on record on this planet. Around the world, a series of extreme weather events have intensified concerns about runaway climate change. And nowhere illustrates that better than North America. The southern and western United States is struggling under what's called a heat dome. Texas has suffered a record number of 100 degree days. But further north in Vermont, flooding has caused President Biden to declare a state of emergency. In southern Europe, yet another heat wave is building. In Italy, temperatures have risen above 40 degrees Celsius and could go higher still in Greece and Spain. In India, one of the most climate vulnerable regions, deaths are reported to have spiked as a result of sustained high temperatures. And it's sweltering, too. In China, Beijing has issued its highest level heat alert for northern parts of the country. In all, it amounts to a worrying pattern of extreme weather caused in part by climate change. Well, let's show you a little more on two of what we've just been looking at. In a minute, we'll go to India. But first, we start in Vermont, where two months of rain have dumped on the state in just a matter of days. I want to show you where we are right now. We are in It's about 20 minutes south of the state capital, and the damage is everywhere. Down Main Street, there's extensive flooding. Right here, as you can see, the road has completely crumbled. This is a car dealership behind me. And take a look where you can see the concrete buckled. And it's just holding on to that Jeep from falling into the river below. Scenes like this are playing out statewide. It happened so fast. And there have been so many comparisons between this storm and Hurricane Irene in 2011, which completely devastated Vermont. And so many residents have told us this was far worse. I'm in Solon district of the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, which is the worst affected state in the region because of heavy rains since the last weekend. Authorities say that in Himachal Pradesh, 31 people were killed till Tuesday. Nearly 1300 roads were closed due to landslides and flash floods, and 40 major bridges damaged in the last three days. A lot of tourists flocked to this state, but for many, their holiday has turned into a nightmare. Many people have been stranded because of landslides and flash floods. Officials claim that as many as 2,000 tourists stranded in Kullu district owing to incessant rain have been safely evacuated. Several parts of the state and also that of the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana continue to be flooded. Since Tuesday, weather has been largely clear in most parts, bringing relief to the residents. The authorities have stepped up relief measures in the region. Well, that's just a glimpse of what is happening. Let's go live to Dr Federica Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science at Imperial University and author of Angry Weather, Heat Waves, Flood Storms and the New Science of Climate Change. Doctor, thanks so much for being here on the program. So not just angry weather, but deadly weather. Is this happening faster than expected or what you anticipated? The weather is not changing faster than expected. What is changing very, very fast and is continuing to change very fast is emissions. We are continuing to burn fossil fuels and emissions are continuing to rise. And as long as we are burning fossil fuels, we will see more and more of these extreme events. That's not unexpected. It's exactly as expected. We're seeing floods, but we are principally concerned and talking about heat. How hot is it likely to get and are we likely to see these records keep tumbling? Yes. So this year we have on top of the increasing global temperatures because of the burning of fossil fuels, we have some natural phenomena that also lead to high temperatures. So the most famous of them is El Nino, which leads to higher ocean temperatures. We have seen that particularly also around the UK, but that means that we have climate change plus naturally conducive weather to heat waves. So this year we will see more heat records being broken than if there was no El Nino event. But as long as I say as long as we are burning fossil fuels, we will see heat records being broken again and again and again. And it's not just about trying to slow climate change. I mean, that's pretty obvious. And we know about the very well publicised route maps to actually doing that. But I suppose it's also now having to address the here and now for governments to come up with plans to protect their own publics. We know that Greece are having to formulate emergency plans. That is going to have to change how we're dealing with this now, isn't it? Well, both has to change. A lot of the plans to reduce emissions are actually also measures that will help us to adapt to extreme heat. So we need to insulate homes to lower emissions. But of course, that also helps people not to die in a heat wave if your homes are better insulated and you're kept cool. Greener cities and cities without cars and too much asphalt will be cities with lower emissions overall, but also cities that can deal with heat better because they won't get as hot. But also, of course, that can withstand flooding much better if the ground is able to take up the water and is not going into houses. A twin final question then. Geographically, is there any part of the world that's not seeing exactly the impacts you're talking about? And in terms of climate change, we have at the moment the El Nino effect, as you were talking about kicking in and making everything worse. Will there be periods where when that is not happening, it's not going to be as extreme as this? It will not always be as extreme as this, but it will never be as it used to be 10 years ago. And as long as we keep burning fossil fuels, it will just get worse. There is no place that's safe. But of course, the really mean impact of climate change is that those that have least done to the problem are those that suffer most. So the poor people in every country in the world, the most vulnerable living in poor housing are the ones who pay often with their lives for the profits of fossil fuel companies. Dr. Roto, we have to leave it there, but thanks so much for being here on the programme. Thanks for your time. Bye.

Section 1: Important Words

1. Planet - a celestial body that orbits around a star, such as the Earth

2. Extreme - very intense or severe

3. Intensify - to make something greater in degree or strength

4. Concern - a feeling of worry or interest in something important

5. Heat dome - a high-pressure system that traps hot air and causes prolonged heatwaves

6. Record - the highest, lowest, or best performance ever achieved

7. Suffer - to experience pain or hardship

8. Flooding - the overflowing of water onto normally dry land

9. Declare - to announce or make known

10. Emergency - a serious, unexpected situation requiring immediate action

11. Heat wave - a prolonged period of excessively hot weather

12. Vulnerable - easily harmed or affected by something

13. Spike - a sudden and significant increase

14. Sweltering - uncomfortably hot

15. Alert - a warning or announcement about a dangerous or critical situation

16. Worrying - causing anxiety or concern

17. Pattern - a repeated or regular way in which something happens or is done

18. Devastate - to cause severe and widespread damage or destruction

19. Stranded - left without the means to move or leave

20. Relief - a feeling of reassurance or relaxation after a period of discomfort or distress

Section 2: Important Grammars

1. Comparative form: used to compare two or more things

- Example: Texas has suffered a record number of 100 degree days.

2. Present perfect tense: used to talk about an action or event that happened at an indefinite time in the past or is connected to the present

- Example: Flooding has caused President Biden to declare a state of emergency.

3. Conditional sentences: used to express a condition and its result

- Example: If your homes are better insulated and you're kept cool, you won't die in a heat wave.

4. Superlative form: used to describe something as the highest, greatest, or best of its kind

- Example: This storm was far worse than Hurricane Irene in 2011.

5. Passive voice: used to emphasize the action rather than the subject

- Example: Many people have been stranded because of landslides and flash floods.

Section 3: Questions

1. What are some extreme weather events mentioned in the article?

2. How does the author describe the impact of climate change on vulnerable regions?

3. What measures can be taken to adapt to extreme heat and minimize its effects?

Section 4: Example Answers

1. Some extreme weather events mentioned in the article include heatwaves in the United States, flooding in Vermont, heatwaves in southern Europe, and heavy rains and flash floods in India.

2. The author describes the impact of climate change on vulnerable regions as having spiked deaths due to sustained high temperatures and causing significant damage and destruction.

3. Measures that can be taken to adapt to extreme heat and minimize its effects include insulating homes to lower emissions, creating greener cities with less asphalt and fewer cars, and improving infrastructure to withstand flooding.

Section 5: Chinese Translation

嗯，您正在觀看 BBC 新聞直播。我們來看看今天的另一個非常重要的新聞，因為七月初是地球上有記錄以來最熱的一周。全球范圍內(nèi)，一系列極端天氣事件加劇了人們對失控的氣候變化的擔(dān)憂。沒有哪個地方能比北美更好地說明這一點。美國南部和西部正面臨著所謂的高溫圈。得克薩斯州遭受了記錄數(shù)量的100度的天氣。但在佛蒙特州北部，洪水導(dǎo)致拜登總統(tǒng)宣布進入緊急狀態(tài)。在南歐，又一次的熱浪正在形成。在意大利，氣溫已經(jīng)上升到40攝氏度以上，并且希臘和西班牙可能會更高。在印度，作為氣候脆弱地區(qū)之一，因持續(xù)高溫導(dǎo)致死亡人數(shù)激增。在中國也是熱浪襲人。北京已經(jīng)發(fā)布了該國北部地區(qū)的最高級別熱浪警報?？傊@些極端天氣現(xiàn)象構(gòu)成了一種令人擔(dān)憂的氣候變化模式的一部分。接下來，我們將詳細介紹我們剛剛關(guān)注的兩個問題。一分鐘后，我們將轉(zhuǎn)到印度。但首先，我們來到佛蒙特州，州內(nèi)已經(jīng)降下了兩個月的雨水，只用了幾天時間。我想給你們展示一下我們現(xiàn)在所處的位置。我們位于州首府的南部約20分鐘的地方，這里到處都是災(zāi)情。在主街上，洪水泛濫。就在這里，正如你們所見，道路已經(jīng)完全坍塌。我身后是一家汽車經(jīng)銷商?？纯椿炷恋膹澢?。它只是憑借著Jeep不掉入下面的河流。像這樣的場景在整個州內(nèi)都在上演。事情發(fā)生得太快了。很多人將這次風(fēng)暴與2011年的艾琳颶風(fēng)進行了比較，后者曾徹底摧毀了佛蒙特州。許多居民告訴我們，這次情況更糟。我現(xiàn)在身處喜馬拉雅山脈的Solan地區(qū)，那是因為上周末的大雨而受災(zāi)最嚴重的地區(qū)。當局表示，在喜馬拉雅邦，到周二為止，已有31人死亡。由于山體滑坡和山洪爆發(fā)，關(guān)閉了近1300條道路，造成40座重要橋梁受損。很多游客涌入這個州，但對于很多人來說，他們的假期已經(jīng)變成了一場噩夢。由于山體滑坡和山洪爆發(fā)，許多人被困。官方稱，由于持續(xù)的雨水，庫盧縣約有2000名游客被安全疏散。喜馬拉雅邦以及旁邊的旁遮普邦和哈里亞納邦的一些地區(qū)仍然被洪水淹沒。自周二以來，大部分地區(qū)的天氣大部分晴朗，為居民帶來了一些寬慰。當局已加強了該地區(qū)的救援措施。好的，這只是我們正在發(fā)生的一瞥。現(xiàn)在我們連線來到費德里卡?奧托博士，她是英帝國學(xué)院的氣候科學(xué)高級講師，也是《憤怒的天氣：熱浪、洪水和氣候變化的新科學(xué)》一書的作者。博士，非常感謝您能在節(jié)目中出現(xiàn)。所以不僅是憤怒的天氣，還是致命的天氣。這是否比您預(yù)期的發(fā)展得更快？天氣變化的速度不是比預(yù)期的更快。正在迅速變化和持續(xù)迅速變化的是氣體排放。我們繼續(xù)燃燒化石燃料，排放量也在不斷增加。只要我們繼續(xù)燃燒化石燃料，我們將看到越來越多這樣的極端事件。這并不出乎意料。我們看到了洪水，但我們主要關(guān)注和談?wù)摰氖歉邷?。溫度可能會變得多熱，我們是否會繼續(xù)看到這些記錄被打破？是的。今年我們除了因燃燒化石燃料導(dǎo)致全球氣溫上升外，還有一些自然現(xiàn)象導(dǎo)致氣溫升高。其中最著名的就是厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象，它會導(dǎo)致海洋溫度升高。我們在英國尤其明顯，但這意味著我們既有氣候變化又有自然有利于熱浪的天氣。所以今年我們會看到打破更多的高溫記錄，而如果沒有厄爾尼諾事件，打破的高溫記錄會比較少。但只要我說我們繼續(xù)燃燒化石燃料，我們將一次又一次地見到高溫記錄被打破。這不僅僅是試圖減緩氣候變化。這是相當明顯的。我們都聽說過為此制定的非常有名的路線圖。但我想現(xiàn)在必須解決當下的問題，政府必須制定計劃來保護自己的公眾。我們知道希臘正在制定緊急計劃。這將不得不改變我們目前在如何處理這個問題上的方法，對嗎？兩者都必須改變。實際上，減少排放的計劃往往也是幫助我們應(yīng)對高溫的措施。我們需要絕熱房屋以降低排放。但是，如果你的住房絕熱效果更好，保持涼爽的話，這也將幫助人們在熱浪中不至于死亡。更綠色且盡量減少瀝青和汽車的城市總體排放量會更低，同時也可以更好地應(yīng)對熱浪，因為城市不會變得那么熱。此外，如果地面能夠吸收水并且不進入房屋，也能更好地抵御洪水。最后的問題，有地區(qū)沒有看到你所談?wù)摰挠绊憜?？在氣候變化方面，目前是否有厄爾尼諾效應(yīng)啟動并使一切變得更糟？不總是像現(xiàn)在這樣極端，但永遠不會再像10年前那樣。只要我們繼續(xù)燃燒化石燃料，情況只會變得更糟。沒有一個地方是安全的。但是，氣候變化的真正惡劣影響是那些為這個問題所付出最小努力的人反而承受了最大的痛苦。每個國家中的窮人，以及生活在貧困住房中的最脆弱人群，往往是為化石燃料公司的利潤付出生命代價的人。奧托博士，我們不得不結(jié)束了，但非常感謝您能在節(jié)目中出現(xiàn)。謝謝您的時間。再見。