首個被命名的熱浪

侯昌瑋

“佐伊”是西班牙塞維利亞自6月正式啟動新的試點計劃以來第一個被命名的熱浪。該計劃對熱浪進行排名和命名，只有最嚴重的熱浪才會被命名。

1 The worlds first named heat wave hit Seville， Spain， pushing temperatures past 110 degrees Fahrenheit and earning the most severe tier （級別） in the citys new heat wave ranking system. Heat wave “Zoe” has brought scorching （酷熱的） temperatures to the southern part of the country， particularly the region of Andalusia where Seville is located.

2 “Zoe” is the first named heat wave to hit Seville since it officially launched a new pilot program for naming and ranking heat waves， similar to hurricanes （Climatewire， June 22）. Only the most severe heat waves get names， designated this year in reverse （反向的） alphabetical order. After Zoe， come Yago， Xenia， Wenceslao and Vega. The worst of the heat is expected to begin tapering off today. But it has posed a significant risk to human health while it lasted， according to Sevilles new heat wave ranking system.

3 It takes a three?tiered approach to categorizing heat waves in Seville， with Category 1 as the lowest ranking and Category 3 as the most severe. The system has specific criteria for each category， involving not only daytime temperatures， but also nighttime lows， humidity and the heats expected effects on human health.

4 Spain has been struggling with extreme temperatures for much of the summer already. High heat broke local records around the country and the first two weeks of June were the hottest on record in the country. Across the continent， this year was Europes second hottest June on record， according to the European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service. Extreme heat returned again earlier in July. Cities across Spain broke monthly temperature records and wildfires sprang up on the landscape.

5 Climate change is causing heat waves to become more frequent， more intense and longer?lasting all over the world， increasing the risks to human health. Sevilles new naming and ranking system is intended to heighten public awareness of the dangers of extreme heat.

Detail 1. What can we know about “Zoe”？

A. Its the most severe heat wave in the world.

B. Its power is similar to the hurricane on June 22.

C. It has a negative influence on human health.

D. Its the first heat wave hitting Seville， Spain.

Gist 2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about？

A. The effects of heat waves on human health.

B. The way and standard of sorting heat waves.

C. The approach to learning different heat waves.

D. The present situation of extreme heat in Spain.

Detail 3. Why are heat waves named and ranked in Seville？

A. To distinguish their different types.

B. To raise peoples awareness of good health.

C. To remind the public to get ready for them.

D. To warn the public against their dangers.

Ⅰ. Difficult sentences in the text

1. Heat wave “Zoe” has brought scorching temperatures to the southern part of the country， particularly the region of Andalusia where Seville is located. 熱浪“佐伊”給西班牙南部帶來了酷暑，尤其是塞維利亞所在的安達盧西亞自治區。

【點石成金】本句中，Heat wave “Zoe” has brought scorching temperatures to the southern part of the country是主句；where Seville is located是定語從句，先行詞是the region of Andalusia。

2. “Zoe” is the first named heat wave to hit Seville since it officially launched a new pilot program for naming and ranking heat waves， similar to hurricanes. “佐伊”是繼塞維利亞正式啟動新的類似于颶風的熱浪命名和排名試點項目以來，第一個被命名的熱浪。

【點石成金】這是一個主從復合句，named在句中作定語，修飾heat wave；since引導的是時間狀語從句，表示“自從……”。

Ⅱ. Text?centered chunks

pilot program 試點計劃

in reverse alphabetical order 以顛倒的字母表順序

taper off 逐漸消失；逐漸減少

spring up 迅速出現；突然興起