外刊精读 | 天气热得可以BBQ了，高温及中暑到底是怎么回事？
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持续高温，就一个感受——快要热化了……热热热！近日，我国南北方气温火力全开，40摄氏度的最高气温搭配30摄氏度的夜温，日蒸夜煮热得无法喘息。
因为持续的高温，于是就有了：化了的柏油马路，这下真的是斑马线了……鱼缸里的虾没有熬住……熟了！恒温慢煮，口感鲜嫩。
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最近“热射病”这个词也出现在了我们的生活周围，大家一定要注意高温防暑啊！
1. What is a heat wave? 什么是热浪？
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A heat wave is an extremely dangerous weather condition where temperatures soar (急升) well above 90°F. This high heat combines with high levels of humidity (湿度) and creates a heat bubble (气泡) over a certain area for an extended period of time.
热浪是一种极其危险的天气状况，温度飙升至90°F（32.2摄氏度）以上。这种高温与高湿结合，在一定区域上空长时间形成热气圈。
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2. How do heat waves form? 热浪是如何形成的？
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Heat waves form when high pressure air settles high in the air and causes hot air to sink down. The hot air sinking creates a bubble that acts like a seal and traps heat near the ground. This seal keeps out convection currents that form clouds and eventually rain clouds, both of which would help the area affected cool off. Instead the result is a heat wave that has both high heat and high humidity (湿度) near the ground. These heat waves can last from days to weeks.
当高压空气在空气中高位沉降并导致热空气下沉时，就会形成热浪。热空气下沉会产生一个气圈，带来封闭效应，而且还会在地面蓄热。这种密封阻止了云的形成并最终形成雨云的对流，云和雨云都能让受影响的区域降温。相反，热浪却给地面附近带来高温和高湿。这些热浪可以持续几天到数周。
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3. Is a heat wave a natural disaster? 热浪是自然灾害吗？
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While heat waves may not have the excessive (过度的) winds or rain that you think of when considering natural disasters they are in fact a natural disaster.
谈到自然灾害，人们总是想到狂风或暴雨，尽管热浪并没有这些特点，但它们实际上是一种自然灾害。
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4. How do heat waves affect the environment? 热浪如何影响环境？
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Heat waves affect the environment through high temperatures and low, if any, levels of rainfall. These two factors combine to make conditions ideal for droughts and wildfires. The droughts and wildfires caused by heat waves have huge influences on the surrounding vegetation (植物) and wildlife. Plants that need higher levels of water and more shade will probably die as a result of heat waves.
热浪通过高温和低降雨量（如果有的话）影响环境。这两个因素结合在一起，为干旱和野火创造了理想的条件。热浪引起的干旱和野火对周围植被和野生动物产生了巨大影响。需要更高水位和更多遮荫的植物可能会因热浪而死亡。
