【BBC学英语】Paris climate aim 'still

文/Ryan

1、国内、外的各类英语考试中，阅读的最大考点之一：同义替换！

2、在【BBC学英语】系列中，会涵盖适用于各类英语考试中的阅读解题技巧、单词及写作句式等。

今天带来的是Paris climate aim 'still achievable'

When the Paris agreement was settled nearly two years ago, one of its key ambitions was dismissed as almost impossible - the notion of limiting the rise in the global average temperature, compared with pre-industrial times, to 1.5°C. The world had already warmed by 1°C.

Now a new analysis of the computer models used to assess future warming has found that the forecast is slightly overestimating how much temperatures will rise.

The world should have been a third of a degree warmer by 2015 than it actually was, and that means, the scientists say,there is a bit longer than previously thought to reduce the greenhouse gase missions driving the rising temperatures.

So, one of the authors of the study, Prof Myles Allen of the University of Oxford, says the Paris target is still feasible.

The scientists are anxious that their study is not used by climate change sceptics to undermine current policy.

They stress that the threats posed by global warming have not receded, and the governments around the world still need to respond urgently by cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

这是来自2017年10月16日BBC learning English的一篇报道：报道显示，2015年的巴黎气候协定目标仍然切实可行，但科学家依旧对全球变暖感到担忧。

先看标题Paris climate aim 'still achievable'

首先注意的是，新闻标题往往都不是一句完整的话，经常会将系动词省略，所以标题完整形式应该是Paris climate aim is 'still achievable'.

其次，achievable来自动词achieve，表示“可实现的”，作者在后文中，将其替换成了feasible，“切实可行的”。考试类阅读文章中，同样会出现很多同义词替换现象，值得注意。

第一、二句交代了，两年前巴黎气候协定的目标，及全球变暖的现状：When the Paris agreement was settled nearly two years ago, one of its key ambitions was dismissed as almost impossible - the notion of limiting the rise in the global average temperature, compared with pre-industrial times, to 1.5°C. The world had already warmed by 1°C.

这里ambition表示“雄心”，比如说奚梦瑶，她曾经的梦想是成为一名模特，就可以说成Her ambition was to become a model.虽然跌倒了，相信她会站得更高，走得更远；但是，ambition却是一个中性词，用在坏人身上就表示“野心”：a mixture of ambition and ruthlessness就是既“野心勃勃又冷酷无情”。

今天的重点，就是dismiss这个词。因为，就算到GRE级别，它也是一个难点。

大家接触到的dismiss的含义可能有“解雇；解散”，它还可以表示“不予考虑；摒弃；对…不屑一提”，用法是dismiss A as B（GRE常考），表示“认为A具备B这样特征而不予考虑”。

文章用了被动语态，即A (one of its key ambitions) was dismissed as B (almost impossible)，即，人们认为，一个关键指标是几乎不可能完成而不予考虑。这个关键指标就是，将全球平均气温上升控制在1.5°C以内。而目前，已经上升了1°C。言下之意就是，现实不容乐观。

第三句话形成转折：Now a new analysis of the computer models used to assess future warming has found that the forecast is slightly overestimating how much temperatures will rise.

有同学可能会不解，哪来的转折？根本就没有BUT, HOWEVER这些词啊？

这就是阅读的技巧了：此处有时间的对比，第一句话说的是two years ago,而此处说Now，就暗示着，事情有转机了。新的分析analysis显示，当初高估overestimate了全球变暖的温度上升。

第四句话继续讲新研究：The world should have been a third of a degree warmer by 2015 than it actually was,and that means, the scientists say, there is a bit longer than previously thought to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions driving the rising temperatures.

2015年气温，本应该比实际温度高三分之一，这里前半句用虚拟语气，表述了一个事实：即，我们高估全球气候上升的速度。科学家解释说，我们应对气候变暖这一问题，就有更充裕的时间a bit longer than previously thought.

第五句交代了结论：So, one of the authors of the study, Prof Myles Allen of the University of Oxford, says the Paris target is still feasible.

这里建议，在阅读外刊和考试的时候，一定要跳过插入语Prof Myles Allen of the University of Oxford，除非他是你亲戚，否则，就是浪费阅读时间。这个能力是可以练习获得的。

Feasible最简单的解释，就是can be done.同义词有achievable, executable, practicable, viable, workable.这些词都比较简单。

第六句话道出研究人员的忧虑：The scientists are anxious that their study is not used by climate change sceptics to undermine current policy.

怀疑主义者sceptic=skeptic，前者是英式拼法，后者为美式拼法。这个词在写作的时候很好用，比如，前一句说supporters maintain(认为) that …后一句就可以说meanwhile the sceptics argue that …

最后一句是科学家的提醒：They stress that the threats posed by global warming have not receded, and the governments around the world still need to respond urgently by cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

全球变暖的问题，并没有后退、远离recede，所以，政府还是要cutting emissions.再此处recede按照词根词缀记忆比较合适：re-表示back; cede表示go；字面理解就是“往回走”，所以recede是“后退、撤退、远离”的意思。