Learn English Words – Global Warming

Y: Today on A Moment of Science, global warming . . .

今天是科学片刻,全球变暖。 。 。

D: Uhm, right . . .

D:嗯,对。 。 。

Y: That’s your cue, Don.

Y:那是你的暗示,唐。

D: I know, Ya?l . . . but . . .

D:我知道,呀? 。 。但是。 。 。

Y: What’s wrong?

Y:怎么了?

D: Well, we’re a science program, right? And I know that the accepted scientific wisdom is that human activity is causing the Earth to get warmer. But I can’t help but think that the melting of polar ice and everything else we’re seeing is at least partly caused by natural warming. I mean, weather patterns do change naturally over time.

D:嗯,我们是一个科学计划,对吧?而且我知道公认的科学智慧是人类活动导致地球变暖。但我不禁想到极地冰的融化以及我们所看到的其他一切至少部分是由于自然变暖造成的。我的意思是,天气模式会随着时间的推移自然发生

Y: Of course. And we know that the earth was going through heating and cooling cycles long before people started pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. And, in fact, scientists have observed a strange weather pattern over the past twenty or so years. Normally, cold winds from the Arctic blow south. But during the past few decades, warmer air and clouds from the south have blown north toward the Arctic. All that warm air is a big reason why so much Arctic ice has melted.

当然。我们知道,在人们开始向大气中排放二氧化碳之前,地球正在经历加热和冷却循环。事实上,科学家们在过去的二十多年里观察到了一种奇怪的天气模式。通常,来自北极的冷风向南吹。但在过去的几十年里,来自南方的温暖的空气和云层向北吹向北极。所有温暖的空气都是北极冰层融化的重要原因。

D: But warming caused by human activity still plays a role, right?

但人类活动造成的变暖仍然起作用,对吧?

Y: A big role. Natural warming combined with man-made warming has melted so much Arctic ice that it’s created a sort of feedback loop. Snow and ice reflect sunlight. But the darker ocean water absorbs light and heat, causing even more ice to melt.

一个很重要的角色。自然变暖与人为变暖相结合,融化了如此多的北极冰层,从而产生了一种反馈循环。雪和冰反射阳光。但是较深的海水吸收光和热,导致更多的冰融化。

D: So natural warming or man-made warming in isolation would cause some ice to melt…

如此自然变暖或孤立的人为变暖会导致一些冰融化......

Y: But not nearly as much as the two forces combined. That’s what’s really put us where we are today.

但并不像两股力量的总和那么多。这就是我们今天所处的位置。
Aeroplanes and global warming