太熱了，鳳凰城到晚上才能「活」過來

As Phoenix Heats Up, the Night Comes Alive – The New York Times

鳳凰城坐落在美國亞利桑沙漠，約有371萬人居住於此。由於鳳凰城地處沙漠，氣候乾燥，年平均溫度長年都高居全美主要城市之首。近年來，隨著氣候變遷，鳳凰城的白天溫度越來越高，許多人乾脆改變生活作息，越夜越活耀。

For workers doing concrete pours, jobs can start close to midnight so the material doesn’t get too hot or dry too quickly and later crack. 

From June through August, the Phoenix Zoo opens two hours earlier so visitors and the animals avoid the most sweltering stretch of the day. Some staff arrive well before 5 a.m. to be ready for members, who can arrive at 6. The zoo closes at 2 p.m., three hours earlier than it does most of the year.

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Night is not a respite from heat in the way it once was. According to the Arizona Department of Water Resources, nights are roughly nine degrees hotter than in 1948. The increase is due to global climate change and to the urban heat island effect: Sunbaked structures release the day’s heat and air conditioners pump heat outside.

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"You find people on the trail that shouldn’t be there. They are overheated and exhausted and unprepared," Mr. Thomason said, adding that many don’t know about the physiological dangers of heat. "With the temperatures changing, there are new problems."

完整文章：The New York Times
閱讀時間：9min

關鍵單字

sweltering (adj.) oppressively hot

換成中文就是超級超級熱，熱到像被壓迫一樣，很壓抑地熱。

respite (n.) an interval of rest or relief

喘息空間，休息區，後面如果接名詞，respite center，就可以當形容詞來形容「可休息的」地方。

heat island effect (n.) 熱島效應

「都市地區的溫度持續比周圍鄉村地區高的現象，稱為都市熱島效應。 」根據國家教育研究院所公布的雙語詞彙。

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本文收錄於英語島English Island 2019年9月號
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