读者文摘:关于雷暴雨你不知道的13件事(1)

1Lightning strikes more than eight million times a day worldwide.

1世界每天有超过八百万次的闪电。

That's about 93 times per second.

大约是每秒93次。

2 How hot is a lightning bolt? About 50,000°F—five times hotter than the surface of the sun.

2闪电温度有多高?大约50000°F，是太阳表面温度的5倍。

3 Yes, it really can rain frogs, fish, and other decidedly odd things.

3是的，真的能下青蛙、鱼和其他一些奇怪的东西。

It's a rare meteorological event,

这是一个罕见的气象事件，

but scientists say strong winds from a tornado¹ or from a storm can be powerful enough to propel² animals and objects high into the air,

但是科学家表示，龙卷风或暴风雨带来的强风足以将动物和物体推向高空，

and they have to come down eventually.

最终落到地面。

A small Australian town reported hundreds of fish falling from the sky in 2010

据报道，2010年，澳大利亚的一个小镇上有数百条鱼从天上掉下来。

4 Is it a hurricane or a typhoon? They're actually the same type of event.

4是飓风还是台风？飓风和台风实际上是同一类型的事件。

What we call a hurricane in the United States is a typhoon if it forms in the northwestern Pacific.

在美国我们把形成于西北太平洋的飓风称之为台风。

Meteorologists also use the general term tropical cyclone³.

气象学家也使用总称——热带气旋。

5 It is a bad idea to take a shower during a thunderstorm.

5雷暴天气淋浴是个不明智的想法。

If lightning hits your house,

如果闪电击中你家房子，

it can travel through your plumbing⁴ and shock anyone who comes into contact with water flowing through it.

电会穿过管道，任何接触过水流的人都会受到电击。

People have been shocked or killed while bathing, washing dishes, and doing laundry.

人们在洗澡、洗碗和洗衣服时被电击或死亡。

(This is also why indoor pools often close during storms.)

（这也是暴风雨期间室内泳池经常关闭的原因。）

1 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 propel   

vt.推进，推动，激励，驱策

参考例句：

• They use oars to propel boats.他们用浆推进船只。
• Paddles are used especially to propel canoes and kayaks.短桨特别用于划独木舟和小艇。

3 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

4 plumbing   

n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究

参考例句：

• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche. 她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。
• They're going to have to put in new plumbing. 他们将需要安装新的水管。 来自《简明英汉词典》