氣候變化明顯增加了英國夏天迎來熱浪的可能性。2018年炎熱的夏日創下了高溫記錄，由英國氣象局（Met Office）展開的一項研究顯示，與往年相比，這次熱浪席卷英國的幾率因人類活動產生的排放物而增加了三十倍。

文字稿

The blazing summer of 2018 was the joint warmest for the UK since records began in 1910. Met Office researchers have now analysed the record-breaking temperatures, using climate models that can simulate the world with or without the impact of fossil fuel emissions.

2018年的酷暑是自1910年有記錄以來英國并列最熱的年份。英國氣象局的研究人員利用氣候模型分析了創記錄的氣溫，這些模型能模擬全球氣候在受到化石燃料排放物影響以及未受到它影響時的情況。

According to the scientists, in the absence of global warming, the odds of a UK heatwave like this summer's were less than half a percent in any given year. But a changing climate means this has now risen to 12%, or about once every eight years.

據科學家們的說法，在沒有全球氣候變暖的情況下，英國迎來像今夏這樣的熱浪的幾率在任何一年里都不到 0.5%。但不斷變化的氣候意味著這一比例上升到了 12%，或大約每八年一次。

By looking at records of temperatures in England that date back three hundred years, the Met Office was able to say that summers as warm as 2018 were very rare before the Industrial Revolution.

通過查看過去三百年英格蘭地區的氣溫記錄，英國氣象局得出了這一結論：在英國工業革命以前，像2018年這樣炎熱的夏天是非常罕見的。

And while some people might welcome the idea of having more hot summers in the UK, Met Office researchers said it was not good news, especially for vulnerable elderly people, for farmers, and for those who work outdoors.

盡管一些人可能會歡迎英國有更多炎熱的夏季，但英國氣象局的研究人員說這并不是什么好消息，尤其是對于身體脆弱的老年人、農民和在室外工作的人們來說更是如此。

1. 詞匯

blazing 炙熱的，酷熱的
joint 并列的
record-breaking 破記錄的
fossil fuel 化石燃料
simulate （用計算機）模擬
heatwave 熱浪
date back 追溯到
Industrial Revolution 工業革命
vulnerable （身體）脆弱的
outdoors 在室外

2. 閱讀理解：請在讀完上文后，回答下列問題 。

1. True or false? Summers as warm as 2018 were quite common before the Industrial Revolution.

2. What have Met Office researchers used to analyse the record-breaking temperatures?

3. According to Met Office researchers, who suffer the most from more hot summers in the UK?

4. Which phrase in the text means ‘without’?

3. 答案

1. True or false? Summers as warm as 2018 were quite common before the Industrial Revolution.
False. Met Office was able to say that summers as warm as 2018 were very rare before the Industrial Revolution.

2. What have Met Office researchers used to analyse the record-breaking temperatures?
They have used climate models that can simulate the world with or without the impact of fossil fuel emissions.

3. According to Met Office researchers, who suffer the most from more hot summers in the UK?
Vulnerable elderly people, for farmers, and for those who work outdoors suffer the most from more hot summers in the UK.

4. Which phrase in the text means ‘without’?
In the absence of.