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God’s Wrath: Thunder from the Heavens 《上帝之怒》

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Throughout the ages, many people have turned to the Bible for inspiration. But in addition to its timeless wisdom, “The Good Book” vividly describes floods, earthquakes, and other catastrophic natural disasters that occur when humans bring forth the wrath of God. In reality, natural disasters are still the greatest threat to life on Earth, and in the future, the damage inflicted by them may be even worse than in Biblical times.

 古往今来，很多人都在圣经中寻求启发。但圣经除了蕴含恒古的智慧外，也生动的论及当人类触怒上帝时，接踵而至的供水、地震和其重大灾害。事实上，地球上最危及人类生命的仍是这些自然灾害，而未来的自然灾难较之于圣经时期将会给人类带来更严重的伤亡。

One event which completely changed the landscape of Earth occurred approximately 7,000 years ago, in the Black Sea Basin. Scientists theorize that a great deluge of saltwater from the Mediterranean Sea flooded the Black Sea, and submerged roughly 100,000 square kilometers of land underwater. Researchers speculate this cataclysmic disaster was triggered when glaciers, which formed during the last Ice Age, began to melt due to rising temperatures.

一场完全改变地表景观的事件就发生在约7,000年前的黑海盆地。科学家们推论来自地中海的一场大洪水淹没了黑海，使将近100,000平方公尺的土地没在水面下。研究者推测这场严重灾难是因逐渐上升的高温造成上一次冰河时期所形成的冰河开始融化。

What’s particularly scary about this scenario is that it may happen again – very soon. The ice caps in Greenland and Antarctica are melting away at an alarming rate, and the pace seems to be accelerating. If sea levels were to rise a mere three feet, this would create millions of refugees and change the course of civilization. And if these sheets of ice were to completely disappear, Earth would be transformed into water world. In the Bible, after the great flood, God made a promise that he would never again wipe out life on earth. But scientists believe there are a variety of natural disasters that could cause massive destruction to life as we know it.

最恐怖的是类似情节很快便将重演。格陵兰岛以及南极洲的冰帽都以惊人的速度融化中，而冰融速度似见加快之迹象。海平面只消升高三英尺，就会产生几百万名难民并且改变文明发展。如果这些冰层完全消失的话，地球将会变成一片汪洋。在圣经中，上帝在大洪水后承诺他将不会把地上所有存活物毁灭，但科学家们相信，现今仍有多种我们已知的自然灾难可能会造成大规模的伤亡。

Vocabulary

单词发音

wrath [ræθ] n. 愤怒，狂怒

inspiration [͵ɪnspəˋreʃən] n. 灵感

Good Book 圣经 the Christian Bible

vividly [ˋvɪvɪdlɪ] adv. 生动地；逼真地

catastrophic [͵kætəˋstrɑfɪk] adj. 灾难的

inflict [ɪnˋflɪkt] v. 施以, 加害, 使承受 to impose

basin [ˋbesn] n. 盆地

theorize [ˋθɪə͵raɪz] v. 推理

deluge [ˋdɛljudʒ] n. 洪水

speculate [ˋspɛkjə͵let] v. 推测，推断

cataclysmic [͵kætəˋklɪzmɪk] adj. 大洪水的

ice cap（高山上常年不化的）冰帽

accelerate [ækˋsɛlə͵ret] v. 使增速

refugee [͵rɛfjʊˋdʒi] n. 难民

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片语发音

bring forth 产生；发表 to give rise to; produce

wipe out 消灭, 彻底摧毁 to destroy completely; eradicate

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Another natural disaster that could completely devastate our planet is a volcanic eruption. In the 16th century, an explosion on the Greek island of Santorini caused chaos around the world. It was one of the largest explosions in the past 10,000 years. The eruption sent a giant plume of ash between 10 and 20 miles high into the atmosphere. To spectators back then, it probably seemed like it was raining ash, as the sun was blocked out by an enormous cloud of dust. However, the eruption at Santorini is mere child’s play compared to what would happen if Yellowstone exploded.

另一个会摧毁我们地球的自然灾难是火山爆发。16世纪时，希腊圣托里尼岛曾有过10,000年以来最大规模的火山爆发，并造成世界各地的纷扰。那次爆发将巨大的火山灰喷发至10到20英哩高的大气层。目睹者回忆当时太阳被大量的尘云所笼罩，天空则似下着火山灰雨。然而圣托里尼岛的火山爆发跟黄石国家公园的火山如果爆发的情况相比还只是小儿科。

Yellowstone is known to most people as one of the most famous natural parks in the U.S. But in reality, it’s a super volcano that has erupted a number of times in pre-historic times. If the 30-mile wide Yellowstone caldera exploded again, it would cause devastation across several continents. Yellowstone packs a punch that’s 100 times stronger than Santorini. In addition to destroying all forms of life in the vicinity, the eruption would send a tremendous amount of ash into the atmosphere, and an estimated one billion people would die, as Earth would be plunged into a frigid, apocalyptic winter. Unfortunately, it’s not a matter of if this will happen, but when. Yellowstone typically produces a super volcanic eruption every 600,000 years, and it has been about that long since the last one occurred. So in essence, a large-scale eruption is overdue.

很多人都知道黄石国家公园是美国最著名的国家公园之一。但事实上，该公园在史前时期就有一座曾爆发数次的超级火山。如果30公尺宽的火山口再度爆发，造成的伤亡将横跨数州。黄石国家公园内的火山爆发强度会比圣托里尼火山爆发强度更强100倍。除了将造成邻近区域所有的生物灭绝，还会喷发极大量的火山灰至大气层，预估将造成近10亿人死亡，地球也将会陷入如末日般寒冷的冬天。不幸地是，这并非只是发生与否的问题而是何时之问题。每隔600,000年就会火山大爆发的黄石国家公园，距离上次爆发已有很久一段时间，所以大规模的爆发基本上只是迟早的事。

In the end, the threat of these natural disasters is a reminder that despite our technological advances, we are still extremely vulnerable to the power of Mother Nature.

这些自然灾难所带来的威胁最终提醒了我们，不论科技多么进步，在大自然的力量下，人类仍是不堪一击。

－by Jamie Blackler

Vocabulary

单词发音

devastate [ˋdɛvəs͵tet] v. 摧毁﹐毁灭

eruption [ɪˋrʌpʃən] n. 爆发

plume [plum] n. 羽状物（如烟云，雪尘等）

spectator [spɛkˋtetɚ] n. 目击者

caldera [kælˋdɛrə] n. 【地】巨火山口

devastation [͵dɛvəsˋteʃən] n. 毁坏

vicinity [vəˋsɪnətɪ] n. 附近地区

tremendous [trɪˋmɛndəs] adj. 巨大的，极大的

plunge [plʌndʒ] v. 使陷入，使遭受

frigid [ˋfrɪgɪd] adj. 寒冷的，严寒的

apocalyptic [ə͵pɑkəˋlɪptɪk] adj. 世界末日的

overdue [ˋovɚˋdju] adj. 早该发生的; 过期未发生的

vulnerable [ˋvʌlnərəb!] adj. 脆弱的; 易受伤的

More Information

片语发音

block out  遮住 shield from light                    

child’s play 不重要的事物; 无意义的事物 a trivial matter

pack a punch (指拳击手)能发出重击 to have a powerful effect or influence

in essence 在本质上  basically; essentially

Reading Questions

1.    What do scientists think happened in the Black Sea seven thousand years ago?

(A)  The water levels decreased due to hot weather.

(B)  The water in the sea turned into salt water.

(C)  Water levels rose and some land was covered by water.

(D)  A flood in this region caused the last Ice Age.

2.    Which of the following statements about the Bible is NOT true?

(A)  It mentions a few times when God was angry at humans.

(B)  The primary reason people read it is to learn about disasters.

(C)  In the book, God promises not to cause any future disasters.

(D)  A disaster at Yellowstone is not mentioned in the Bible.

3.    What can we assume about Yellowstone?

(A)  It is not likely to have an eruption again.

(B)  People are losing interest in it as a tourist attraction.

(C)  It probably won’t erupt for another 600,000 years.

(D)  Another eruption could happen at any moment.

4.    What would be the best title for this passage?

(A)  The Mighty Powers of Mother Nature

(B)  Finding Some Inspiration in the Good Book

(C)  Practical Ways to Survive a Natural Disaster

(D)  A Colder Planet Certainly Awaits

Yellowstone Eruption

Understanding Yellowstone Volcano 2012

Answer