（注：原文发表于 2020 年 8 月 7 日。）英国迎来了自 2003 年以来，八月份最炎热的一天，英格兰东南部的气温超过 36 摄氏度。人们纷纷前往海边享受阳光充沛的天气，但同时，各地市委会劝诫海边度假者保持社交距离。

The British weather is notoriously fickle, but by any standards, we’re seeing some bizarre features of it right now.

英国的天气是出了名的变化莫测，但无论以任何标准来衡量，我们都可以看到英国现在的天气出现了一些反常的特征。

A huge difference in temperature from the north of the UK to the south. And while torrential rains caused flooding in parts of Wales, blazing sunshine has continued to bake central and southern England. Taps have even run dry in West Sussex, as a surge in demand for water has led to a drop in pressure. The heatwave, persisting for longer than expected, is just one example of a year of extremes, according to Aidan McGivern of the Met Office. 

英国北部到南部的温差很大。尽管暴雨导致威尔士部分地区出现洪水，但炽热的阳光仍炙烤着英格兰中部和南部。在西苏塞克斯，水龙头甚至已经干涸了，这是因为用水需求的激增导致水压降低。据英国气象局的艾丹·麦克吉弗恩称，这次持续时间比预期更长的热浪只是今年极端天气的一个例子。

While high temperatures are welcomed for anyone on holiday, they are a big concern for the elderly and other vulnerable people, especially if it remains warm overnight, and there’s no chance for buildings to lose the heat of the day. And what the Met Office describes as tropical nights, which stay above 20 degrees Celsius, have become far more common in recent decades.

虽然外出度假的人都喜欢高温，但对于老年人和高危人群来说，这是一个大问题，如果夜间温度持续不降，建筑物无法释放一天内积聚的热量，问题则尤为严重。英国气象局将温度保持在20摄氏度以上的夜晚称作 “热带夜晚”，这类夜晚在近几十年来出现得更加频繁。

Climate scientists say, that rising global temperatures make extreme heat more likely.

气候科学家们表示，不断上升的全球气温使极端高温发生的可能性更大。

词汇

fickle 变幻无常的，变化莫测的
bizarre 异乎寻常的，罕见的
torrential rains 倾盆大雨，暴雨
blazing 炙热的
bake 把…烤热
surge 激增
pressure 压力
heatwave 热浪
vulnerable 高危的，易受影响的
heat 热量，高温
tropical 热带的

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. True or false? The British weather is known for being predictable.

2. Why have the taps in West Sussex run dry?

3. For what types of people are the high temperatures a big concern?

4. What are ‘tropical nights’, according to the Met Office?

答案

1. True or false? The British weather is known for being predictable. 
False. The British weather is notoriously fickle, which means it is known for being unreliable and unpredictable.

2. Why have the taps in West Sussex run dry?
Because a surge in demand for water has led to a drop in pressure.

3. For what types of people are the high temperatures a big concern?
They are a big concern for the elderly and other vulnerable people.

4. What are ‘tropical nights’, according to the Met Office?
Tropical nights are nights with a minimum of temperature of 20 degrees Celsius.