今日導讀 聯合國政府間氣候變化專門委員會（IPCC）在近期發出一份關於全球變暖的報告，報告指出如果氣候變暖以目前的速度持續下去，預計全球氣溫可能在 2030 至 2052 年間氣候比工業時代前變暖 1.5 攝氏度，這引起了學術界的高度緊張。1.5 度聽上去是個小數目，但其實卻會導致地球發生翻天覆地的變化，甚至對於一些地區來說生死攸關。

• Q1: 地球變暖 1.5 攝氏度會導致怎樣的後果？ even that much warming could expose tens of millions more people worldwide to life-threatening heat waves, water shortages and coastal flooding. Half a degree may mean the difference between a world with coral reefs and Arctic summer sea ice and a world without them.

• Q2: 全球變暖後，弱勢地區可能遭遇怎樣的挑戰？ The report also warns that vulnerable areas, like many African countries and small island nations, may struggle to cope with multiple impacts. Crop failures, heat waves and the expansion of malaria-carrying mosquitoes compound when they occur together.

• Q3: “2 degrees is aspirational”表達的是什麼意思？ we might not hit it

• 1 degree Celsius 1 攝氏度 The Earth has already warmed 1 degree Celsius since the 19th century.

• major 重要的

• looked at sth 著眼於某事 a major new United Nations report has looked at the consequences of jumping to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius.一份重要的聯合國新報告審視了變暖 1.5 或 2 攝氏度的後果。

• details v. 詳細描述 e.g.Can you produce a report detailing everything?

• expose sb. to sth. 使…遭受（有害或不快的遭遇）；使…暴露於（險境） e.g.About 800,000 children are exposed to poisons each year.

• life-threatening adj. 致命的，危及生命的e.g.life-threatening diseases

• heat waves 熱浪

• water shortages 水資源短缺

• heat waves 沿海洪水（flood 洪水 ，flooding 因降雨所致的洪水） But as the report details, even that much warming could expose tens of millions more people worldwide to life-threatening heat waves, water shortages and coastal flooding.但正如該報告所詳細介紹的那樣，即使只有 0.5 攝氏度，也可能會讓世界上數千萬人受到由熱浪、水資源短缺和沿海洪水導致的生命威脅。

• coral reefs n. 珊瑚礁 e.g.Great Barrier Reef 大堡礁

• Arctic adj. 北極的 e.g.Antarctic 南極的 Half a degree may mean the difference between a world with coral reefs and Arctic summer sea ice and a world without them.僅僅 0.5 度之差，就可能意味著一個地球有珊瑚礁和北極夏季海冰，而另一個沒有。

• vulnerable /ˈvʌlnərəbl/ adj. 易受傷的；易受影響的；脆弱的

• cope with 處理，應付

• multiple impacts 多重的影響 The report also warns that vulnerable areas, like many African countries and small island nations, may struggle to cope with multiple impacts.

• malaria /məˈleriə/ n. 瘧疾 （義大利語：mala壞的 + aira 空氣 誤以為瘧疾是由沼澤上空有毒的氣體傳播）

• mosquito /məˈskiːtoʊ/ n. 蚊子

• compound /kəmˈpaʊnd/ v. 加劇，惡化 e.g.Her terror was compounded. e.g.Severe drought has compounded food shortages. Crop failures, heat waves and the expansion（擴散） of malaria-carrying mosquitoes compound when they occur together.作物歉收，熱浪來襲和攜帶瘧疾的蚊子肆虐，這三大問題同時出現的話還會雪上加霜。

• remote adj. 遙遠的；偏僻的；疏遠的

• hypothetical /ˌhaɪpəˈθetɪkl/ adj. 假定的，假設的 e.g.hypothesis (n.) 假說 These dangers are no longer remote or hypothetical.這些危險不再遙不可及或仍是假設。

• threshold /ˈθreʃhoʊld/ n. 閾值，臨界值 e.g.I have a high laughter threshold. 我的笑點很高 the world will likely cross the 1.5 degree threshold between 2030 and 2052, well within the lifetime of most adults and children alive today.地球很有可能在 2030 至 2052 年間超過 1.5 攝氏度的臨界值，而這個時間段恰好是現在大多數成年人和兒童的“有生之年”。

• best-case scenario/sɪ’nɑːrɪəʊ/ 最好的情況 e.g.Worst-case Scenario Survival Handbook 1.5 degrees is a best-case scenario.

• zero out取消；歸零 e.g.zero out the data file

• Without a push/attampt to do sth. 沒有努力做某事 Without an （定語①）extremely rapid, and （定語②）perhaps unrealistic, （定語③）global push to zero out fossil fuel emissions and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, 2 degrees or higher this century looks more likely.如果不採取一個極為迅速的，甚至是不切實際的全球行動來清零化石燃料的排放和清除大氣層中的二氧化碳，更有可能出現的情況是，本世紀內地球會升溫 2 攝氏度甚至是更高。

• aspirational /ˌæspəˈreɪʃənl/ adj. 有雄心壯志的，渴望成功的

• ridiculously /ˌæspəˈreɪʃənl/ adv. 可笑地；荒謬地 My view is that 2 degrees is aspirational and 1.5 degrees is ridiculously aspirational我的觀點是，想把升溫幅度控制在 2 度之內，這已經稱得上雄心勃勃了，如果想控制在 1.5 度之內，那可就是令人吃驚的偉大巨集願了。

• aim for 瞄準；以…為目標==（aim是不及物動詞，後面加上介詞for）==

• hit 在這裡理解為to succeed in reaching or achiving sth.實現、到達的意思 They are good targets to aim for, but we need to face the fact that we might not hit them.它們是可以去爭取的好目標, 但我們需要面對我們可能不會達成它們的事實。