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本週美國大小事來聊聊美國夏季難得一見的景象👉蟬！
夏日常見的蟬聲，為什麼在今年的美國變得如此特別？
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🌳 Brood X 第10蟬群

In backyards and forests all across the eastern United States, Brood X is beginning to emerge. With their red eyes and shiny black bodies, the legions of Brood X may seem like some kind of alien invader. But these strange creatures aren’t aliens, and they aren’t invaders either—they’ve been here all along. What are they? Cicadas!
在美國東部的家庭後院和森林，第10蟬群開始現身。有著紅眼睛跟漆黑發亮的身體，第10蟬群軍團就像是某種外星入侵者。不過這些奇怪的生物不是外星來的，也不是入侵者，它們一直都在這裡。它們到底是什麼？牠們是蟬！

There are over 3,000 species of cicadas around the world, but what makes Magicicada—seven closely related species of North American cicada—unique is their 13 to 17 year life cycle, the longest of any cicada. Most other cicada species have life cycles that last just three to five years. Of the 12 broods of 17-year cicadas that can be found in the U.S., Brood X is the largest—both in terms of geographic distribution and population size.
地球上一共有三千多種的蟬，不過這種名為 Magicicada 的物種（是北美蟬中密切相關的七個物種），其獨特之處在於，牠們的生命週期長達13到17年，是所有種類的蟬中生命最長的。其他大多數的蟬物種，其生命週期只能持續3到5年。在美國境內的12個17年蟬群中，就屬第10蟬群規模最大、分布最廣。

Brood X territory covers 15 states, from Illinois in the Midwest to Georgia in the South and New York in the Northeast—with major concentrations in Maryland, Indiana, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. But their numbers are even more impressive. An acre of soil—they spend most of their lives underground—can contain over a million cicadas, and a single generation of Brood X may consist of billions and even trillions of the insects!
第10蟬群的分布範圍含括15個州，從美國中西部的伊利諾州，到南部的喬治亞州與東北部的紐約州，主要集中於馬里蘭州、印第安納州、德拉瓦州、新澤西州與賓州。不過牠們的數量更是驚人，牠們多數時間生活在地下，一英畝的土壤可以容納約一百萬隻蟬，而第10蟬群的一代約有數十億甚至數兆隻！

The current generation of Brood X got its start in 2004, back when Facebook was only available to Harvard students. At that time, newly hatched cicada nymphs fell from trees and burrowed underground, where they feed on the sap of tree and grass roots and slowly mature over the next 17 years. Now they’re slowly beginning to emerge from the soil, climb back up into the trees and molt into their adult form. Then they’ll have just a few weeks to sing their high-pitched songs, mate, and lay their eggs before their short adult lives end.
第10蟬群最新的一代始於2004年，當時臉書才剛起步。那年剛孵出的蟬幼蟲從樹上掉下去，鑽到地下，在地底下牠們以樹汁草汁為食，並在接下來的17年裡慢慢成熟。現在正是牠們慢慢地從土壤中冒出、爬回樹上並蛻變為成年型態的時候。接著，牠們只有幾週的時間可以鳴唱高音調的歌曲、進行交配、產卵，然後牠們短暫的成年生活就此結束。

Early European settlers in America called these insects “locusts,” because they reminded them of the swarms of locusts God used to punish the wicked in the Bible. But unlike locusts, which can damage crops and cause famines, cicadas are largely harmless. After emerging, they don’t eat plants like other insects. In fact, they don’t eat anything at all. Some people may find large swarms of cicadas scary, but they’re quite a sight to see! And if you can’t make it to the U.S. this year, don’t worry—Brood X will be back for another visit in 2038.
早期到美國的歐洲移民者稱這些昆蟲為「蝗蟲」，因這群昆蟲讓他們聯想到聖經裡頭上帝用來懲罰作惡之人的蝗蟲群。不過，牠們跟蝗蟲不同，蝗蟲會破壞農作物並導致饑荒，但蟬幾乎可以說是無害的。牠們冒出土壤後，不會像其他昆蟲以植物為食。事實上，牠們根本不吃東西。有人覺得一大群蟬很嚇人，但是這其實是一大奇觀！如果你今年沒辦法到美國去看，請放心，第10蟬群將會在2038年再次到訪。
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著名童書作家「鬼混大王」Dr. Seuss，
近日卻有6本童書因涉及歧視遭下架！
究竟是什麼內容放到今日讓人覺得不妥🤔
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夏熱冬暖的德州上週罕見出現零下溫度❄，究竟是什麼原因❓
德州人斷水斷電斷瓦斯，是天災還是人禍？

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學習效果更好喔😉

The state of Texas is known for its long, hot summers and mild winters. That’s why the 🔖freezing weather that hit Texas last week 🔖took everyone by surprise. Normally, the jet stream keeps 🔖swirling cold air—known as the “polar vortex”—trapped in 🔖the Arctic. But last week, the jet stream 🔖dipped south, bringing 🔖frigid weather all the way south to Texas.
德州一向以漫長炎熱的夏天加上溫和的冬天聞名，這也是為什麼上週全德州陷入冰天雪地會讓大家跌破眼鏡。正常來說，高速氣流會將盤旋的冷空氣（稱極地渦旋）圍在北極圈內。然而上週，高速氣流南下，將嚴寒的天氣也帶到了德州。

The series of winter storms that swept across Texas brought snow, ice, and some of the coldest temperatures the state has ever experienced. Temperatures in Dallas, Austin and San Antonio were lower than those in Anchorage, Alaska, and snow fell all the way to the Mexican border!
一連串的冰風暴橫掃德州，帶來冰雪與該州有史以來的最低溫。德州城市達拉斯、奧斯丁與聖安東尼奧的氣溫低於阿拉斯加的安克雷奇，雪甚至一路下到墨西哥邊境！

Because storms like these are so rare here, Texans—and the state’s 🔖infrastructure—just weren’t prepared for the effects of 🔖extreme cold weather. 🔖Frozen natural gas pipes and ice on power lines caused outages that left millions without gas or electricity, and icy roads resulted in thousands of accidents.
這類的暴雪在德州相當罕見，德州人與當地的基礎建設都沒有準備好應對此極寒天氣。結凍的天然氣管線、結冰的電線桿造成大規模停電，上百萬人斷瓦斯斷電，結冰的路面也導致了數千起車禍。

Left without power to heat their homes, people resorted to extreme measures to stay warm. Some ran their cars in their garages, and others ran generators indoors, resulting in hundreds of cases of carbon monoxide poisoning. By the time temperatures started to rise again, dozens of Texans had died, mostly from road accidents, 🔖carbon monoxide poisoning and 🔖hypothermia.
斷電無法使用家中暖氣，人們只得採取極端手段保暖。有些人在自家車庫發動車子，有的在室內開發電機，造成幾百起一氧化碳中毒事件。在氣溫回升到正常溫度之前，數十名德州人死亡，多數死於車禍、一氧化碳中毒以及失溫。

So are there any special terms for weather events like this? The most common term is ✏“cold snap,” which means a sudden short period of very cold weather. Why is it called a cold snap? When you snap your fingers, the sound is sudden and short—just like a cold snap. Another term with the same meaning is ✏“cold wave.” Although “cold wave” isn’t as common as “cold snap,” the opposite term, “heat wave,” is commonly used. Another related term is ✏“cold spell,” which usually refers to a period of cold weather longer than a cold snap.
有什麼詞可以形容這樣的天氣狀況呢？最常用到的詞是「cold snap（短暫的氣溫驟降，類似中文的「霸王級寒流」）」，指突然來襲的短期極寒天氣。為什麼要用到snap（打響指）這個字？打響指的聲音既突然又短促──就像這突如其來的天氣一樣。可以用的另一個詞則是「cold wave（冷浪）」，這個字雖然沒有cold snap常見，不過它的相反詞 heat wave（熱浪）倒是很常見。最後一個詞則是「cold spell」，通常用來形容比cold snap更長的寒流。