Severe tropical storms are among the most destructive natural forces on the planet. Each year, thousands of lives are lost worldwide from typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes. Due to the effects of climate change and rising sea temperatures, these storms have been steadily growing in size and intensity over the past five decades.
__1__ Dubbed Morakot, the storm led to the deaths of around 700 people and caused over US$3 billion in damage. Over the following decade, however, Taiwan was less affected by typhoons. Since 2020, not a single one has made landfall on the island.
Taiwan’s lack of typhoons in recent years has resulted from a combination of factors. According to climatologists, a persistent zone of high pressure over Taiwan, along with other atmospheric conditions, has been creating a “protective wall” around the island. __2__ So, while typhoons are still developing out in the oceans nearby, they are simply no longer making landfall in Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
照片: Shutterstock 提供
This development has been both a blessing and a curse. While some people are happy to be spared the destructive effects of these storms, the absence of typhoons is having a negative environmental impact on Taiwan in some ways. __3__ Since Taiwan has relatively few sources of natural fresh water, it relies heavily on rainfall to replenish the reservoirs that provide water for domestic, industrial, commercial and agricultural use.
While typhoons may be a nuisance, they are very effective in quickly refilling major reservoirs. __4__ This has caused the government to enforce water rationing, which is not only inconvenient for residents and businesses but also has a profoundly negative effect on the economy.
強烈的熱帶風暴是地球上最具破壞性的自然力量之一。全世界每年有數千人喪命於颱風、氣旋和颶風。由於氣候變遷和不斷上升的海水溫度的影響,這些風暴的規模和強度在過去五十年來一直穩步增長。
事實上,北太平洋上最高紀錄雨量的颱風於2009年登陸臺灣。這個被稱為莫拉克的風暴導致大約七百人死亡,並造成超過三十億美元的損失。然而,在接下來的十年裡,臺灣受颱風的影響較小。自2020年以來,沒有一個颱風登陸臺灣。
臺灣近年少有颱風起因於多種因素的結合。根據氣候學家的說法,臺灣上空持續存在的高壓帶以及其他大氣條件一直在該島周圍形成一道「防護牆」。這道牆讓颱風改變方向向北移動,遠離臺灣轉至日本和韓國。因此,雖然颱風仍在附近外海發展,但它們根本不再登陸臺灣。
這種發展既是福也是禍。儘管有些人很高興能夠免受這些風暴的破壞性影響,但颱風的缺乏在某些方面對臺灣的環境造成了負面影響。最嚴重的後果是乾旱。由於臺灣的天然淡水資源相對較少,因此重度依賴降雨來補充為家庭、工業、商業和農業用水提供水源的水庫。
雖然颱風可能是個麻煩,但它們在快速補充主要水庫方面非常有效。由於缺乏颱風及其所帶來的強降雨,這些水庫近年來經常下降到極低水位。這已導致政府實施限水,不僅為居民和企業帶來不便,也對經濟產生深遠的負面影響。
What Did You Learn?
(A) The most serious consequence is drought.
(B) The wall redirects typhoons northward, away from Taiwan towards Japan and Korea.
(C) In fact, the typhoon with the highest recorded rainfall in the North Pacific made landfall in Taiwan in 2009.
(D) Due to the lack of typhoons and the heavy rainfall that they bring with them, these reservoirs have regularly fallen to critically low levels in recent years.
答案:1. (C)
2. (B)
3. (A)
4. (D)
Word in Use
1. blessing n. 祝福;幸事
Tony obtained his girlfriend’s parents’ blessings before he proposed to her.
東尼在向女友求婚之前,先得到了她父母的祝福。
2. curse n. 詛咒,咒語
The wicked witch put a curse on the prince and turned him into a frog.
那個邪惡的巫婆對王子下詛咒,把他變成了一隻青蛙。
3. severe a. 猛烈的;嚴重的
A severe flood followed by a landslide buried the whole village last year.
去年一場嚴重的水災再加上隨之而來的土石流,把整個村莊都埋了。
4. destructive a. 破壞性的,毀滅性的
The very destructive typhoon left hundreds of people homeless.
那個破壞力很強的颱風讓數百人無家可歸。
5. intensity n. 強度
Richard couldn’t stand the intensity of the sound.
理查無法忍受這樣強度的音量。
Practical Phrases
1. have an impact on... 對……有影響
Lack of sleep can have an impact on your performance at school.
睡眠不足會影響你在學業上的表現。
2. rely on... 仰賴∕依賴……
Jasmine relies on a cup of black coffee every morning to get her through the day.
潔思敏每天早上得要依賴一杯黑咖啡才能撐完一整天。
3. be effective in V-ing 在……上是有效的
This spray is effective in repelling mosquitoes.
這罐噴劑驅蚊很有效。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
Instagram is changing the default privacy settings for many US teenagers, part of an effort to keep them safer and give parents more control over how their kids interact online. The new settings will make teen accounts private by default, limit who those users can send private messages to, and put teens in the “most restrictive” tier when it comes to viewing sensitive content. That means the app will block teens from seeing sensitive photos and videos, including posts that show people fighting or certain cosmetic procedures. These more restrictive settings will be turned on automatically for all Instagram users under 18
Located in the picturesque mountains of eastern Spain, the small town of Bunol might appear to be just another idyllic place in the Spanish countryside. However, it is home to one of the world’s most popular food fights. Each August, tens of thousands of people from all around the globe swarm into Bunol to take part in La Tomatina. On the last Wednesday of August, you will find the streets of Bunol full of people eagerly waiting to hear the blast of a cannon. This signifies the start of La Tomatina, an event where participants hurl thousands of pounds of tomatoes
Get ready to spin on your head -- “breaking” is set to make its Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games! Often referred to as breakdance or breakdancing, breaking was born in the streets of New York City during the early 1970s. It began as a way for African-American and Latin youths to express their narratives and struggles through astonishing spins and movements. B-boys and b-girls, also known as breakers, frequently compete in cyphers: events where they take turns showcasing their dance moves within a circle of spectators. Breaking comprises four main elements: toprock, downrock, power moves, and freezes. Toprock consists
在 COVID-19 成為全球大流行 (pandemic) 的傳染病後,如何有效篩檢確診病患,一度成為討論的熱點。 疫情爆發初期,國內有些縣市首長主張要普篩(全面篩檢),找出隱藏的新冠肺炎病例,不過,疫情指揮中心說明,全面用聚合?連鎖反應 (polymerase chain reaction, PCR) 檢驗來為全民普篩,將耗費近七百億元公帑和醫療資源,不符合效益。 根據衛福部長陳時中的說法,用準確度高的 PCR 方式對全國 2300 萬人普篩,平均一人 3000 元,總額將高達 690 億元。以當時的盛行率萬分之 18,即使不用人人普篩,以看似健康的人口1800 萬人計算,也需要花費 540 億元,才能找出當中的 3 萬 2577 人無症狀感染者,其中還有 1797 人屬於「偽陽性」,即使沒有得病,還是得將他們隔離、再檢測,才能恢復正常生活。 雖然也可以用價格較低(200 元/人)的快篩做篩檢,但此舉也需花費約 46 億元,且準確度偏低,偽陰和偽陽性機率更高。 (新冠肺炎)「普篩/全面篩檢」的英文是 widespread coronavirus testing 或 community-wide screening/testing。「快篩」是 rapid testing。篩檢中,可能出現「偽陰性」(false negative) 有患病,但篩不出來,和「偽陽性」(false positive)沒患病,卻篩檢出來。 在醫學檢測上「陰性」(negative) 代表沒有(病或病毒),「陽性」 (positive) 代表有(病或病毒),避免患病與否造成污名化,因此用比較中性 (neutral) 的詞彙來稱呼。至於驗孕 (pregnancy test),「陰性」代表未懷孕,「陽性」代表懷孕。 「盛行率」的英文是 prevalence rate,即患病率,在流行病學中指特定時間內總人口中罹患該病的人口所占比例。在新冠肺炎的篩檢中,「咽喉拭子」是目前國內主流採用的方式,「咽喉拭子」英文是 throat swab,就是以棉棒擦拭咽喉部位,取得上皮細胞,並置入病毒收集瓶。如果是採集鼻咽部位,就叫「鼻咽拭子」(nasal swab)。 另外,「靈敏度」(sensitivity) 與「特異度」(specificity) 也是醫學檢測時所使用的術語,用以衡量該檢測的準確度。特異度是不帶原者 (non-carrier) 中採檢陰性的比例,而靈敏度則是帶原者 (carrier) 中採檢陽性的比例,靈敏度、特異度越高,代表準確度越高。 文章由書林出版公司提供: www.bookman.com.tw 蘇正隆 — 台灣翻譯學學會前理事長、師大翻譯研究所兼任副教授; 編著《英語的對與錯》,《世紀病毒:必讀防疫英文知識與詞彙》...等