中英對照讀新聞》Giant sequoias wrapped in foil to protect from US forest fires 鋁箔包覆巨大紅杉來對抗美國森林大火

＠周虹汶

The world’s biggest trees were being wrapped in fire-proof blankets Thursday in an effort to protect them from huge blazes tearing through the drought-stricken western United States.

全球最巨大的樹木在週四被防火毯包裹，以保護它們不受席捲美國西部乾旱地區的大火侵襲。

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A grove of ancient sequoias, including the 275-foot (83-meter) General Sherman Tree － the largest in the world － were getting aluminum cladding to fend off the flames.

一片古老的紅杉林，包括275英尺（83公尺）高的薛曼將軍樹─世界上最大的樹─正由鋁包層裹覆來抵抗火焰。

Firefighters were also clearing brush and pre-positioning engines among the 2,000 ancient trees in California’s Sequoia National Park, incident commanders said.

事件指揮官說，消防員正清理灌木，並且在加州紅杉國家公園這片2000棵古老樹木中，預先部署消防車。

"They are taking extraordinary measures to protect these trees," said park resource manager Christy Brigham, according to The Mercury News.

根據「水星新聞」報導，公園資源經理克里斯蒂．布里格姆說，他們正在採取非常措施來保護這些樹木。

Scientists say man-made global warming is behind the yearslong drought and rising temperatures that have left the region highly vulnerable to wildfires.

科學家說，人為的全球暖化是長年乾旱和氣溫上升的原因，使得該地區極易發生野火。

新聞辭典

tear through：片語動詞，撕裂、撕開、快速猛烈地穿過某地（物）。例句：The child tore through the wrapping paper with manic excitement.（孩子狂熱興奮地撕開了包裝紙。）

fend off：片語動詞，抵擋、防禦、擋開。例句：The boxer tried to fend off the blows.（這位拳擊手試圖躲開追擊。）

drought：名詞，乾旱、缺乏。