英語趣味課堂：氣候變化-Climate Change

Paul: So have you seen all these freakish weather events on the news all around the world?

Amy: Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to pay attention, yeah. It's been pretty bad in some places. I think, it's been the wettest January on record in the UK at the moment.

Paul: Right, right, right. So do you think it's kind of indicative of climate change? Are you a climate change believer or a climate change denier?

Amy: I think it's hard to deny really. I think what humans do to the planet is going to have some effect and science is science, you know. It's backed up by evidence and facts and scientists don't tend to say things until they know it's true or as true as it can be. So yeah, I'm definitely a believer in climate change, I think. We are affecting things on the planet.

How about you?

Paul: I've read quite a lot about it. And yes, there is a science to support it but there's also a lot of science to — not to deny it but there's definitely a lot of questions that aren't answered yet. It's a very sort of complex issue. I mean, these global systems of weather and you've got all these like organic processes going on that we just don't really understand. And then trying to explain all these complex events by saying it's climate change, it's…

I mean, what worries me is that by denying it, it seems to also be a sort of justification for us to continue living the way we are, which worries me a lot. Whether it's true or not, I think we need to be thinking about how we can live better. And that means, living in ways that are less, sort of, damaging on our environment.

Amy: Yeah, I agree. I agree. I've also read a bit about weather systems that are perhaps not—because of climate of change, every planet has weather systems that come and go. And I understand that part but I also fully agree that we have to stop being so destructive.

I think it's pretty clear. You can't continue cutting down acres and acres and acres of really valuable resources like the rainforest. I mean, we need that to breathe, so it just doesn't make sense. Yeah, I think we definitely have to stop being so destructive.

重點詞匯：

freakish

Have you seen all these freakish weather events on the news?

Freakish means strange or unusual. Notice the following:

I do not understand his freakish behavior.

There was a freakish storm last night.

indicative

It's kind of indicative of climate change.

Indicative means something is an indication, or sign, for something else. Notice the following:

Stress can be indicative of something else.

A long line at a restaurant is an indication of good food.

hard to deny

I think it's hard to deny really.

If something is hard to deny, it is difficult to prove it is untrue. Notice the following:

It is hard to deny that Brazil produces great football players.

It is hard to deny that cars contribute to global warming.

backed up

It's backed up by evidence and facts.

Backed up means supported by. Notice the following:

He backed up his statement with hard facts.

He backed up his claim of neglect with photos of the damage.

complex

It's a very sort of complex issue.

Complex is the opposite of simple. Notice the following:

This is a complex problem.

We have a complex filing system at work.

acres

We can't continue cutting down acres and acres of trees.

An acre is a large measurement of land (about .4 hectares). Notice the following:

We live on five acres of farmland.

There are acres and acres of fields where I live.