外研版必修三册第六单元阅读讲解

Unit 6 Disaster and hope

第62页阅读讲解

Hot! Hot! Hot!
热！热！热！

1 Picking up a free newspaper at the Tube station, I see the title “Hot! Hot! Hot!”. Today, the temperature in London is expected to reach 30 plus degrees! The average high temperature in July is only 22 degrees, so over 30 is not usual for London. It's going to be awful on the Central Line, with no air conditioning. Why did they have to invent the Tube before air conditioning? It's just typical that my journey is on one of the oldest lines, as well as one of the deepest. It's the hottest on the whole Tube system.
在地铁站拿起一份免费报纸，我看到的标题写着“热！热！热！”。今天，伦敦的温度预计将达到30度以上！7月的平均最高温度只有22度，所以超过30度对于伦敦来说太不寻常了。地铁中央线没有空调系统，情况会很糟糕。为什么要在空调系统之前发明了地铁？我通常上班所走的路线刚好是地铁里最老、最深的一条线。那也是整个地铁系统里最热的一条线。

2 Sure enough, going down the stairs and onto the platform is like jumping into a volcano that's erupting. This, however, is nothing compared to the train. Because there's no air conditioning, the temperature inside the train can reach 35 degrees! It's lovely at the beach, but not so when you're wearing a suit and in a crowd of passengers! I'm sure the passenger next to me and I are melting and becoming one! I had bacon and eggs for breakfast, and now I'm feeling a bit sick – I hope I can make it to Bank station… I'll avoid the feeling by thinking about work. I work in a tall, glass building. One very hot summer, the sun reflected off it and melted cars parked below! Will this happen again today?
果不其然，走下楼梯，来到站台上就像跳进一座正在喷发的火山一样。但是，这与在火车厢里相比算不了什么。因为没有空调，车厢内的温度能达到35度！这样的温度在海滩上会很舒服，但是当你穿着西装挤在一群乘客中，可就没那么舒服了！我敢肯定，旁边的乘客和我都正在熔化，我们要融为一体了！我早餐吃了培根和鸡蛋，现在我觉得有点不舒服——希望我能撑到银行站……我还是想想工作的事情来逃避这种感觉吧。我在一栋高大的玻璃建筑里上班。有一年夏天非常热，大楼表面反射的阳光竟然熔化了停在楼下的车!今天这种事会重演吗？

3 Yes, each summer in London definitely seems hotter than the last. I suddenly feel a bit scared. Perhaps now is the time to start planning for the future? I should probably put my flat on the market and buy a boat. That way, when the Thames rises and there is a flood in London, I'll still be able to get to work. But wait! Would I still have a workplace to go to? My office is only on the third floor of the building, so quite low. I'll speak with my manager about moving to the top floor. Most importantly, I will need to learn to swim! I'll join a beginner's swimming class immediately. Then I'll be able to survive even when the tall buildings are flooded.
没错，好像伦敦的夏天一年比一年热。我突然感到有点害怕。也许是时候开始为将来打算了？我或许应该把房子在市场上卖掉，然后买一艘船。这样，等泰晤士河的水上涨，伦敦被洪水淹没的时候，我还能继续上班。不过等等！到那时候我还有地方工作吗？我的办公室就在四楼，太低了。我得和经理谈谈搬到顶楼去。最重要的是，我得学会游泳！我得马上报个游泳入门班。这样就算高楼大厦都被洪水淹没了，我也能活下来。

4 Looking through my newspaper, I'm shocked by photos showing that a hurricane in Asia has destroyed a town. What's more, heavy rain in Eastern Europe has caused landslides, and the heat across Southern Europe has caused forest fires. Experts say this bad weather has occurred due to climate change. News like this makes me feel nervous. Now that it's hard to avoid a disaster on Earth, perhaps I should start thinking about moving to space…
翻阅着手里的报纸，我震惊地看到亚洲的飓风摧毁了一个城镇的照片。还有且，东欧的暴雨造成了山体滑坡，席卷南欧的热浪引发了森林火灾。专家说，这种恶劣的天气是由气候变化导致的。这样的新闻让我很紧张。既然在地球上难逃一劫，或许我应该开始考虑移民太空了……

5 “The next station is Bank!” comes the announcement. That's my destination. Stepping out of the station with a heavy heart, I suddenly feel a fresh wind on my face. Well, maybe I have been worrying too much. After all, it's only 30 degrees outside!
地铁播报：“下一站，银行站！” 我要到站了。我怀着沉重的心情走出地铁站，我突然感觉到一阵清风扑面而来。罢了罢了，也许是我担心得太多了。毕竟外面只有30度！

第68页阅读讲解

Stars after the storm
风暴过后现繁星

1 It's strange, but I don't really remember much about the hurricane itself. It all happened so quickly. I was sitting in my room with my cat, Smartie, on my lap, when the roof just flew off. All of a sudden, there was sky where the roof had been. I was so frightened that I just froze.
说来也怪，我对飓风本身的印象并不深。这一切发生得太快了。当时我正坐在房间里，我的猫咪斯玛蒂趴在我的腿上，突然屋顶就飞走了。突然之间，屋顶变成了天空。我吓呆了。

2 Mom cried to get out quickly, but it was already too late by then. The rain was coming down so hard and so fast. Our street turned into a river in seconds. We were going nowhere.
妈妈大喊着让我们快跑，但已经来不及了。暴雨迅速倾盆而下，瞬间就将道路淹没成了河流。我们无处可去了。

3 At first, I was pleased we could stay at home, but soon it got really tough. Without a roof, staying inside was too dangerous. There was water everywhere, but we couldn't drink any of it otherwise we'd get really sick. We just had drinking water that was sent to us by helicopter, but it was never enough. It was August, so it was really, really hot and it smelled so bad everywhere! I just spent the days watching the boats going up and down the street and looking out for Smartie. He had disappeared the moment the storm hit.
一开始，我还庆幸我们能待在家里，但很快情况就糟糕起来。没有屋顶，待在屋内太危险了。到处都是水，可我们一滴也不能喝，否则就会染上重病。我们只能喝直升机运过来的饮用水，但总是不够喝。当时是八月，天气真的真的很热，到处都散发着难闻的气味！我只能整天看着街上来来往往的船只，留意寻找斯玛蒂的身影。风暴袭来的那一刻它就失踪了。

4 Living in the open air, we became breakfast, lunch and dinner for the mosquitos. But Mom said that whatever happens, we should always try to see the good side of things. It was difficult to stay positive, though. We had lost our home and everything in it, including Smartie. All we had left were the clothes on our backs. But as Mom kept on reminding us, we were all together and safe. Mom's words made us feel better. I remember us all lying under the midnight sky and looking up at the stars. Because there were no lights, we could see the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper and the Milky Way. It was amazing! Even though we had lost a lot, moments like those gave us hope for the future.
住在露天的环境里，我们成了蚊子的一日三餐。不过妈妈说无论发生什么，我们都应该尽量看到事物好的一面。然而要保持乐观却不那么容易。我们的家毁了，家里的一切也都没了，包括斯玛蒂。我们只剩下身上的衣服了。不过就像妈妈一直提醒我们的那样，好在全家人都在一起而且平安无事。妈妈的话让我们心情好些了。我还记得那时我们躺在午夜的苍穹之下，仰望星空。因为没有灯光，我们能看到北平七星、小北斗七星和银河。太奇妙了！尽管我们损失惨重，但这样的时刻重新点燃了我们对未来的希望。

5 Although it was only a few days before we were rescued, it felt like months. We were taken to another town in a faraway county. Thankfully, Smartie came home just in time. We were so happy to take him with us, although then, none of us knew that we wouldn't be back for quite a while.
虽然几天后我们就获救了，但却觉得像是过了好几个月。我们被带到了一个很远的县的一座小镇上。万幸的是，斯玛蒂及时回了家。我们都很高兴能带上它，不过那时我们都没料到这一去就很久都回不来。

6 Now, one year has passed and I'm back home in New Orleans. Some families have yet to return, but many others have come back. Although we are surrounded by reminders of the disaster, we are working together to rebuild our homes and our lives. Now we have another chance to look up at the stars of New Orleans, their beauty inspiring us and giving us confidence to move on.
现在，事情已经过去了一年，我也重新回到了新奥尔良的家。有的人家仍然流落在外，但也有许多人已经回来了。虽然我们周围的一切都提醒着我们这里曾发生的灾难，但大家都在为重建家园和生活而一同努力着。现在我们又能仰望新奥尔良的星空了。星空的美鼓舞着我们，让我们有信心继续前行。