(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
JUDY WOODRUFF: Firefighters in parts of the Western U.S. were hoping for help from cooler weather today, but there's still no end in sight to a plague of wildfires, including one in Northern California that keeps growing. Stephanie Sy has our report.
STEPHANIE SY: In Indian Falls, California, charred homes, cars and keepsakes are all that's left, after the Dixie Fire tore through the enclave north of Sacramento. It's the largest active fire in the state, and one of more than 85 wildfires burning across the nation, mostly in the drought-stricken West. Unlike the sprawling Bootleg Fire in a sparsely populated area of Southern Oregon, California's Dixie Fire is threatening more than 10,000 homes. Cal Fire spokesman Jon Heggie says they're trying to get ahead of fire behavior that can turn aggressive quickly.
JON HEGGIE, Spokesman, Cal Fire: We're really being cautious to ensure that the safety of the public is taken care of, to make sure that we're giving ourselves enough lag time, because what we have seen is, throughout the summer and throughout the last few years, really, is that fires have that potential to grow exponentially within a few hours, really.
STEPHANIE SY: The fire ignited nearly two weeks ago. California's Pacific Gas & Electric utility said its equipment may have played a role in starting the fire, which has been fueled by a prolonged drought and erratic winds in steep hard-to-reach terrain. Heggie says it's all part of the perilous new reality firefighters face in wildfire season.
JON HEGGIE: The lack of rain we received last winter is really showing itself this summer as aggressive fires and big devastating fires. And, really, the 10-year drought that we saw, we're still paying a price for that, because all that fuel that was stressed and died during that 10-year drought is still on the landscape and still is available fuel. We're in a new era of firefighting. And understanding that environment and making that preparations for it is key.
STEPHANIE SY: In Indian Falls, at least three dozen homes and structures have been lost, but with the Dixie Fire less than 25 percent contained, the worst wreckage may lie ahead. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Stephanie Sy.
重点解析
1.get ahead of 胜过
We are sure to get ahead of them in the near future.
我们相信不远的将来一定能超过他们
。2.lag time 滞后时间
There's a lag time, so it'll flicker all over the place.
由于存在时间的滞后,它的颜色会闪烁不停
。3.pay a price for 为……付出代价
The American people are willing to pay a price for energy independence.
美国人民愿意为能源自立付出代价
。4.lie ahead 即将来临
But far more perilous times lie ahead.
不过更加危险的时刻还在前面
。5.wreckage 废墟
A few survivors were pulled from the wreckage.
从废墟中扒出了几个幸存者
。参考译文
朱迪·伍德乐夫:驻扎在美国西部部分地区的消防队员盼着今天的天气能够转凉,但野火仍在肆虐,包括北加州的野火也在继续蔓延
。下面由斯蒂芬妮·赛为我们报道 。斯蒂芬妮·赛:在加州的印第安瀑布,南部大火席卷萨克拉门托北部的飞地后,只剩下烧焦的房屋、汽车和纪念品
。这是该州最大的火灾,也是全国85起火灾之一,大部分发生在干旱的西部地区 。此次火灾和发生在南俄勒冈州的非法纵火不同,那里人口稀少,而加州的迪克西火灾正威胁着一万多户人家 。加州消防局发言人乔恩·赫吉表示,他们正努力防止火灾的迅速蔓延造成更大的破坏 。乔恩·赫吉,加州消防局发言人:我们非常谨慎,我们要确保公众的安全,确保能有足够的滞后时间,因为我们所看到的是,在整个夏季和过去的几年里,真的,火灾有可能在几小时内呈指数蔓延,真的
。斯蒂芬妮·塞:大火是大约两周前开始的
。加州太平洋燃气电力公司表示,该公司的设备可能是引发火灾的原因之一,长期干旱和难以企及的陡峭地形上的怪风使得火灾加剧 。赫吉表示,这些都是消防员在野火季节面临的部分危险的现实 。乔恩·赫吉:去年冬天我们缺少雨水,今年夏天却发生了严重的火灾和毁灭性的大火
。事实上,我们看到的10年干旱,我们仍在为此付出代价,因为所有在10年干旱期间耗尽的燃料仍然在地表上,仍然是可用的燃料 。我们正处在消防的新时代 。了解这种环境并为之做好准备是关键所在 。斯蒂芬妮·塞:印第安瀑布至少有30多座房屋和建筑物被毁,但由于南部大火只有四成得到了控制,所以毁坏还会更加严重
。这里是PBS新闻一小时,我是斯蒂芬妮·塞 。译文为可可英语翻译,未经授权请勿转载!