✸✸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 [ˌdevəˈsteɪʃn]   美 [ˌdevəˈsteɪʃn]  n.毁坏;荒废;极度震惊或悲伤

Adam stumbles on, leaving a trail of devastation in his wake

亚当蹒跚而行，沿路留下毁坏的痕迹。

2） go to press 英 [ɡəu tu: pres]   美 [ɡo tu prɛs]  付梓，付印

The manuscript will go to press early next month.

原稿将于下月初付印。

3） deluge 英 [ˈdelju:dʒ]   美 [ˈdɛljudʒ]  n.洪水;泛滥;倾盆大雨 vt.使淹没;使泛滥； 大量涌来;大批泛滥；  使涌现;使充满；涌现的事务；蜂拥而至的事务

A deluge of manuscripts began to arrive in the post

大量的手稿开始通过邮递涌来。

4） drenched 英 [drentʃd]   美 [drentʃd]  adj.湿透的;充满的 v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 );在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

He was drenched with rain.

大雨浇得他全身都湿透了。​

​ ​​✸✸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 [ˈgræpəl wið]   美 [ˈɡræpəl wɪð]  v.扭打，抓住;努力应付困境（或解决难题）

Managers have learned to grapple with networking, artificial intelligence, computer-aidedengineering and manufacturing.

经理们已经学会了如何应对联网、人工智能、计算机辅助工程和制造。

2） short-sighted 英 [ˈʃɔ:tˈsaɪtɪd]   美 [ˈʃɔrtˈsaɪtɪd]  adj.目光短浅的;近视的

Testing showed her to be very short-sighted.

检查表明她近视得很厉害。​

​ ​ ​​✸✸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: ˈfju:ə]   美 [fɑr ˈfjuɚ]   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.

我们发现电视和广播引发的投诉比印刷媒体要少多了。

2） account for 英 [əˈkaunt fɔ:]   美 [əˈkaʊnt fɔr]  说明（原因、理由等）;导致，引起;（在数量、比例上）占;对…负责

Now, the gene they discovered today doesn't account for all those cases.

不过，他们现在发现的基因无法解释所有的病例。​

​  ​ ​✸✸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 [æt ðə seim taim]   美 [æt ði sem taɪm]  同时; 一起;但是; 然而

Never before has the industry had to cope with war and recession at the same time

这个行业以前从未有过必须同时应付战争和萧条的经历。

2） in real terms 实际;不变价;实值;扣除物价因素;按实质计算

Inflation would be lower and so nominal rates would be rather more attractive in real terms

通货膨胀会更低，因此名义利率换算成实际利率会更具吸引力。

3） fivefold 英 [ˈfaɪvfəʊld]   美 [ˈfaɪvfoʊld]  adv.五倍

The innovation raised ( or increased) efficiency fivefold.

这项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 pʊt]   <美>安装牢固，原位不动

Nigel says for the moment he is very happy to stay put in Lyon.

奈杰尔说目前他很乐意留在里昂。

2） consistent with 英 [kənˈsistənt wið]   美 [kənˈsɪstənt wɪð]  与某事物并存[一致]

New goals are not always consistent with the existing policies.

新目标并不总是与现行政策一致。