??THE extent of thedevastationwill become clear only when the floodwater recedes, leaving ruined cars, filthy mud choked houses and the bloated corpses of the drowned. But as wewent to press, with the rain pounding South Texas for the sixth day, Hurricane Harvey had already set records as America’s most severedeluge(see briefing). In Houston itdrenchedHarris County in over 4.5trn litres of water in just 100 hours— enough rainfall to cover an eight-year-old child.
1） devastation?英 [?dev??ste??n] ? 美 [?dev??ste??n] ?n.毀壞;荒廢;極度震驚或悲傷
Adam?stumbles?on,?leaving?a?trail?of?devastation?in?his?wake
亞當蹣跚而行，沿路留下毀壞的痕跡。
2） go to press?英 [ɡ?u tu: pres] ? 美 [ɡo tu pr?s] ?付梓，付印
The?manuscript?will?go?to?press?early?next?month.
原稿將于下月初付印。
3） deluge?英 [?delju:d?] ? 美 [?d?ljud?] ?n.洪水;泛濫;傾盆大雨?vt.使淹沒;使泛濫； 大量涌來;大批泛濫； ?使涌現;使充滿；涌現的事務；蜂擁而至的事務
A?deluge?of?manuscripts?began?to?arrive?in?the?post
大量的手稿開始通過郵遞涌來。
4） drenched?英 [drent?d] ? 美 [drent?d] ?adj.濕透的;充滿的?v.使濕透( drench的過去式和過去分詞 );在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液體）
He?was?drenched?with?rain.
大雨澆得他全身都濕透了。?
? ????The fate of America’s fourth-largest city holds the world’s attention, but it is hardly alone. In India, Bangladesh and Nepal, at least1,200 people have died and millions have been left homeless by this year’s monsoon floods. Last month torrential rains caused a mudslide in Sierra Leone that killed over 1,000—though the exact toll will never be known. Around the world, governments aregrappling withthe threat from floods. This will ultimately be about dealing with climate change. Just as important, is correctingshort-sightedgovernment policy and the perverse incentives that make flooding worse.
1） grapple with?英 [?gr?p?l wie] ? 美 [?ɡr?p?l w?e] ?v.扭打，抓住;努力應付困境（或解決難題）
Managers?have?learned?to?grapple?with?networking,?artificial?intelligence,?computer-aidedengineering?and?manufacturing.
經理們已經學會了如何應對聯網、人工智能、計算機輔助工程和制造。
2） short-sighted?英 [???:t?sa?t?d] ? 美 [???rt?sa?t?d] ?adj.目光短淺的;近視的
Testing?showed?her?to?be?very?short-sighted.
檢查表明她近視得很厲害。?
? ??????The overwhelming good news is that storms and flooding have causedfar fewerdeaths in recent decades, thanks to better warning systems and the construction of levees, ditches and shelters. The cyclone that struck Bangladesh in 1970 killed 300,000-500,000 people; the most recent severe one, in 2007, killed 4,234. The bad news is that storms and floods stillaccount foralmost three-quarters of weather-related disasters, and they are becoming more common. According to the Munich Re, a reinsurer, their number around the world has increased from about 200 in 1980 to over 600 last year. Harvey was the third “500-year” storm to strike Houston since 1979.
1） far fewer?英 [fɑ: ?fju:?] ? 美 [fɑr ?fju?] ??adj.比想像中少得多的
We?found?that?television?and?radio?gave?rise?to?far?fewer?complaints?than?did?the?printedmedia.
我們發現電視和廣播引發的投訴比印刷媒體要少多了。
2） account for?英 [??kaunt f?:] ? 美 [??ka?nt f?r] ?說明（原因、理由等）;導致，引起;（在數量、比例上）占;對…負責
Now,?the?gene?they?discovered?today?doesn't?account?for?all?those?cases.
不過，他們現在發現的基因無法解釋所有的病例。?
? ??????At the same time, floods and storms are also becoming more costly. By one estimate, three times as many people were living in houses threatened by hurricanes in 2010 as in 1970, and the number is expected to grow as still more people move to coastal cities. The UN reckons that, in the 20 years to 2015, storms and floods caused $1.7trn of destruction; the World Health Organisation estimates that,in real terms, the global cost of hurricane damage is rising by 6% a year. Flood losses in Europe are predicted to increasefivefoldby 2050.?
1） at the same time?英 [?t e? seim taim] ? 美 [?t ei sem ta?m] ?同時; 一起;但是; 然而
Never?before?has?the?industry?had?to?cope?with?war?and?recession?at?the?same?time
這個行業以前從未有過必須同時應付戰爭和蕭條的經歷。
2） in real terms?實際;不變價;實值;扣除物價因素;按實質計算
Inflation?would?be?lower?and?so?nominal?rates?would?be?rather?more?attractive?in?real?terms
通貨膨脹會更低，因此名義利率換算成實際利率會更具吸引力。
3） fivefold?英 [?fa?vf??ld] ? 美 [?fa?vfo?ld] ?adv.五倍
The?innovation?raised?(?or?increased)?efficiency?fivefold.
這項革新使工作效率提高五倍。?
????One cause is global warming. The frequency and severity of hurricanes vary naturally—America has seen unusually few in the past decade. Yet the underlying global trend is what you would expect from climate change. Warmer seas evaporate faster and warmer air can hold more water vapour, which releases energy when it condenses inside a weather system, feeding the violence of storms and the intensity of deluges. Rising sea levels, predicted to be especially marked in the Gulf of Mexico, exacerbate storm surges, adding to the flooding. Harvey was unusually devastating because it suddenly gained strength before it made landfall on Friday; it thenstayed put, dumping its rain on Houston before returning to the Gulf. Again, that isconsistent withmodels of a warmer world
1） stay put?英 [stei put] ? 美 [ste p?t] ??<美>安裝牢固，原位不動
Nigel?says?for?the?moment?he?is?very?happy?to?stay?put?in?Lyon.
奈杰爾說目前他很樂意留在里昂。
2） consistent with?英 [k?n?sist?nt wie] ? 美 [k?n?s?st?nt w?e] ?與某事物并存[一致]
New?goals?are?not?always?consistent?with?the?existing?policies.
新目標并不總是與現行政策一致。
