如果我们用核弹轰炸一座城市会怎样？：英语精读讲义

Playing around with nuclear weapons in videos is fun. 短語動詞

在视频里玩弄核武器很有趣。

There's a visceral joy in blowing things up and a horrifying fascination with things like fireballs, 短語動詞

炸毁东西会带来一种发自内心的快感，而火球、

shock waves,

冲击波，

and radiation.

和辐射等事物也会让人产生一种令人胆寒的痴迷。

And while it does help put our destructive power in perspective, 習語

虽然这确实有助于我们正确看待破坏力，

it's not the best way of understanding the real impact of a nuclear explosion.

但这并不是了解核爆炸真实影响的最佳方式。

This isn't about silly stacks of TNT

这不是关于愚蠢的成堆TNT炸药，

or about how bright an explosion is.

也不是关于爆炸有多耀眼。

Nuclear weapons are about you.

核武器关乎你我。

So we've partnered with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement 短語搭配

因此，我们与红十字会与红新月会国际联合会合作，

to explore what would really happen if a nuclear weapon were detonated in a major city today. 語法

来探讨如果今天在一座大城市引爆核武器会发生什么。

Not nuclear war,

不是核战争，

just one explosion.

仅仅是一次爆炸。

We begin our story in the middle of downtown in a major city. 表達脈絡

我们的故事从一座大城市的市中心开始。

People are going to work,

人们正在去上班，

studying for exams,

准备考试，

are lost in their thoughts and daily lives. 習語

沉浸在各自的思绪和日常生活中。

Right here,

就在这里，

a nuclear weapon is detonated and time freezes. 習語

一枚核武器被引爆，时间仿佛静止。

The first phase of the explosion happens within less than a second.

爆炸的第一阶段在不到一秒钟内发生。

In a millisecond,

在一毫秒内，

a ball of plasma hotter than the sun appears

一个比太阳还热的等离子体球出现了，

and grows in a fireball to more than 2 km across.

并在火球中扩展到直径超过两公里。

Within this ball,

在这个火球内，

everyone is just gone.

所有人瞬间化为乌有。

Think of water dripped onto a very hot pan.

想象一下水滴在滚烫的平底锅上。

A sizzle and then there's nothing.

咝的一声，然后什么都不剩了。

Most buildings,

大多数建筑、

cars, trees,

汽车、树木、

tacky sculptures,

俗气的雕塑，

and people all evaporated.

还有所有的人都蒸发了。

First, the flash,

首先是闪光，

an intense tsunami of light washes over the city in an instant. 習語

强烈的“光海啸”瞬间席卷全城。

If you happen to have your head pointed in the direction of the explosion, 短語搭配

如果你的头刚好转向爆炸的方向，

it renders you blind for a few hours. 用詞

它会让你失明几个小时。

The heat of this light produces a thermal pulse

这道光的热量会产生热脉冲，

so energetic and hot that it just burns everything as far as 13 km from the detonation site. 語法

它的能量和温度极高，会将距离引爆点13公里内的所有东西全部烧毁。

What this means is that everything in an area of 500 square km 表達脈絡

这意味着在一个500平方公里的区域内，

that is able to burn starts burning.

所有能燃烧的东西都开始燃烧。

Plastic, wood,

塑料、木头、

fabric, hair,

织物、头发，

and skin.

还有皮肤。

If you happen to be in reach of the thermal pulse,

如果你正好在热脉冲的范围内，

one moment you're on your way to work, 表達脈絡

前一秒你还在去上班的路上，

the next moment you're on fire.

下一秒你就浑身起火了。

Now the second phase begins.

现在第二阶段开始了。

It happens in a few seconds.

发生只需几秒钟。

Most people will now first notice that something is wrong,

现在大多数人会最先察觉到不对劲，

but it's already too late for hundreds of thousands.

但对数十万人来说已经太迟了。

The flash is followed by the shock wave. 語法

闪光之后是冲击波。

The heat and radiation of the fireball

火球的热量和辐射

create a bubble of superheated and super-compressed air around it that's now expanding explosively,

会在其周围形成一个过热和超压缩的空气泡，现在正呈爆炸性膨胀，

faster than the speed of sound,

速度超过音速，

creating winds stronger than hurricanes and tornadoes.

产生比飓风和龙卷风更强的狂风。

Human infrastructure is no match for its power. 習語

人类的基础设施在它的威力面前不堪一击。

Most major buildings within a kilometer of the fireball

距离火球一公里范围内的大多数主要建筑

are just ground up down to their base. 短語動詞

被瞬间夷为平地。

Only steel-reinforced concrete is able to partially resist the pressure.

只有钢筋混凝土才能部分抵抗这种压力。

In the surrounding parks where retirees feed the ducks,

在退休老人喂鸭子的周边公园里，

trees blackened and smoldering from the heat

前一秒因高温而变得焦黑冒烟的树木，

a second before snap like toothpicks. 習語

下一秒就像牙签一样折断。

If you're outside,

如果你在室外，

you get tossed away like a grain of dust in a tornado. 習語

会像龙卷风中的一粒尘埃一样被抛向远方。

The shock wave weakens as it travels outwards,

冲击波向外传播时会逐渐减弱，

but still about 175 square kilometers of houses collapse

但仍有大约175平方公里的房屋

like they're made of cards,

会像纸牌一样倒塌，

trapping tens of thousands of people who didn't have any time to react. 語法

将数万名根本没有时间反应的人困在其中。

Gas stations explode and fire spread throughout the rubble.

加油站爆炸，大火在废墟中蔓延。

A mushroom cloud made from the remains of the fireball,

一朵由火球残骸、

dust, and ash rises kilometers into the sky in the next few minutes

灰尘和灰烬组成的蘑菇云在接下来的几分钟内升腾至几公里高空，

and casts a dark shadow over the ruined city. 短語搭配

给化为废墟的城市投下黑暗的阴影。

This violently pulls in fresh air surrounding the city,

这猛烈地吸入城市周围的新鲜空气，

destroying more buildings,

摧毁更多的建筑，

and providing an abundance of oxygen.

并提供充足的氧气。

It depends on the city what happens next.

接下来发生的事情取决于城市本身。

If there's enough fuel,

如果有足够的可燃物，

fires may turn into a firestorm that burns the rubble, 短語動詞

大火可能会演变成一场火灾风暴，烧毁废墟，

everybody trapped in it,

烧死被困其中的人，

and people trying to flee the devastation.

以及试图逃离灾难的人们。

Up to 21 km from the explosion,

在距离爆炸点21公里以内的地方，

people just like you rush to their windows to take pictures of the mushroom cloud,

像你一样的人们冲向窗户拍下蘑菇云的照片，

unaware that the shock wave is still coming at them,

没有意识到冲击波仍在向他们袭来，

about to shatter their windows and create a blizzard of sharp glass. 語法

即将震碎他们的窗户，制造一场锋利的玻璃风暴。

The third phase begins in the coming hours and days.

第三阶段将在接下来的几小时和几天内开始。

We're used to the idea that help will come, 語法

我们已经习惯了救援终会到来，

no matter the disaster.

无论是什么样的灾难。

This time is different.

但这次不同。

A nuclear explosion is like every natural disaster at once.

核爆炸就像是所有自然灾害同时发生。

There are hundreds of thousands or millions of people with serious injuries,

会有几十万或数百万人受重伤，

lacerations,

包括撕裂伤、

broken bones,

骨折、

serious burns.

严重烧伤。

In the next few minutes and hours,

在接下来的几分钟和几小时内，

thousands more will die because of these injuries.

还会有数千人因这些伤势而死亡。

Countless people are trapped in collapsed buildings like in earthquakes

无数人像在地震中一样被困在倒塌的建筑物中，

or blinded by the flash,

或者因闪光而失明，

deaf from the blast wave,

被爆炸波震聋，

and unable to flee through streets impassable with rubble and debris.

无法通过布满废墟和瓦砾的街道逃生。

They're terrified, confused,

他们感到恐惧、困惑，

and don't know what's happened to them or why.

不知道自己到底怎么了，也不知道为什么会这样。

Most likely,

很有可能，

many hospitals have been leveled along with all the other buildings, 用詞

许多医院已和其他所有建筑一样被夷为平地，

and most medical professionals are either dead or injured along with everyone else.

大多数医疗专业人员也和其他人一样非死即伤。

The survivors lucky enough to have been in metro tunnels 語法

那些有幸躲在地铁隧道里

or standing in the right place to be unburned and unhurt

或者站在没有被烧毁和未受伤害的地方的幸存者，

won't have truly escaped harm yet.

还没有真正逃脱伤害。

Depending on the type of weapon,

取决于武器类型、

where it explodes,

爆炸地点，

and even the weather,

甚至天气情况，

an awful black rain can begin, 文化背景

一场可怕的黑雨可能会降临，

with radioactive ash and dust descending on the city,

带有放射性的灰烬和尘土降落在城市上空，

covering everything and everyone.

覆盖了所有人、所有物。

The invisible,

看不见的、

malicious,

恶毒的、

silent horror of radiation takes its turn. 習語

无声的辐射恐怖随后登场。

Every breath carries poison to the lungs of the survivors.

幸存者的每一次呼吸都会将毒素吸入肺中。

Over the coming days,

在接下来的几天里，

the people who receive the highest doses of radiation exposure will die.

受到最高剂量辐射的人将会死去。

There will be no help,

不会有任何救援，

not for hours or maybe even days.

几个小时甚至几天内都不会有。

Civilization doesn't operate when there is a total breakdown of infrastructure. 用詞

当基础设施全面崩溃时，文明就无法运转。

Roads are blocked,

道路被阻断，

train tracks warped,

铁轨扭曲，

runways cluttered with rubble.

跑道上堆满瓦砾。

No water,

没水，

no electricity,

没电，

no communication,

没通讯，

no stores to replenish supplies from. 短語搭配

没有商店可以补充物资。

Help from surrounding cities will have a hard time entering the disaster zone, 短語搭配

周边城市的救援人员很难进入灾区，

and even if they can, 語法

即使他们能进去，

the radioactive contamination will make it risky to get too close. 語法

放射性污染也会让靠近变得非常危险。

After a nuclear attack,

遭受核打击后，

you're on your own. 習語

你只能靠自己。

So bit by bit,

于是，渐渐地，

people emerge from the rubble on foot,

人们徒步从废墟中走出，

contaminated with radioactive fallout,

身上沾满了放射性尘埃，

carrying what little they may have left. 語法

带着他们可能仅存的一点点东西。

They are slow,

他们行动迟缓，

in pain,

痛苦不堪，

traumatized,

身心受创，

and they all need food,

他们都需要快速获得食物、

water, and medical treatment fast.

水和医疗救治。

And the damage done by a nuclear weapon doesn't end when the fires burn out 短語動詞

而且，当大火熄灭、

and the smoke clears. 習語

硝烟散尽时，核武器造成的破坏并未结束。

The hospitals in the neighboring cities are under-equipped for a disaster of this scale 講解

邻近城市的医院也没有能力应对如此规模的灾难，

and overwhelmed with tens or hundreds of thousands of patients with serious injuries. 短語搭配

数以万计或十万计的重伤患者会让医院不堪重负。

In the weeks,

在接下来的几周、

months,

几个月，

and years to come, 短語搭配

乃至几年里，

many of those who survived will succumb to cancers like leukemia. 用詞

许多幸存者将死于白血病等癌症。

The reason no government wants you to think about all this is because

为什么没有政府希望你想这些呢，因为

there is no serious humanitarian response possible to a nuclear explosion.

面对核爆炸，根本不可能有像样的人道主义救援。

There's no way to really help the immediate victims of a nuclear attack. 語法

根本无法真正帮助核袭击的直接受害者。

This is not a hurricane,

这不是飓风、

wildfire,

野火、

or earthquake,

地震、

or nuclear accident.

或核事故。

It is all of these things at once, 表達脈絡

它是所有这些灾难的集合体，

but worse.

甚至更糟。

No nation on earth is prepared to deal with 短語動詞

地球上没有任何一个国家准备好应对

it.

它。

The world has changed in the past few years

过去几年，世界发生了变化，

with world leaders again explicitly and publicly threatening each other with nuclear weapons.

强国领导人们又开始明确且公开地互相进行核威胁。

Many experts think the danger of a nuclear strike is higher than it has been in decades. 語法

许多专家认为，核打击的危险性处于几十年来的最高水平。

Governments tell their citizens that it's good that we have nuclear weapons, 表達脈絡

政府告诉公民，拥有核武器是好事，

but it's bad when anyone else gets them.

但别人拥有就是坏事。

That it's somehow necessary to threaten others with mass destruction to keep us safe. 語氣意圖

似乎有必要用大规模杀伤性武器威胁他人来保障我们的安全。

But does this make you feel safe? 表達脈絡

但这能让你感到安全吗？

It only takes a small group of people with power to go crazy or rogue, 語法

只要一小撮掌权者发疯或失控，

a small misstep or a simple misunderstanding to unleash a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. 短語搭配

一个小小的失误或简单的误解，就足以引发一场难以想象的灾难。

Exploding stuff in videos is fun. 表達脈絡

在视频里引爆东西很好玩。

Exploding things in real life,

在现实生活中引爆东西，

not so much. 語氣意圖

就不那么好玩了。

There is a solution, 表達脈絡

不过，还是有

though.

解决办法的。

Eliminating all nuclear weapons and vowing never to build them again. 用詞

那就是销毁所有核武器，并发誓永不再造。

In 2017,

2017年，

almost two-thirds of all the world's countries,

世界上几乎三分之二的国家，

supported by hundreds of civil society organizations 用詞

在数百个民间社会组织

and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, 文化背景

以及红十字会与红新月会国际联合会的支持下，

agreed to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons. 短語搭配

同意禁止并彻底消除核武器。

It's not about who has nuclear weapons 表達脈絡

这与谁拥有核武器无关，

and who doesn't.

与谁没有也无关。

The weapons themselves are the problem.

武器本身才是问题所在。

They are deeply immoral and an existential threat to all of us. 用詞

它们极不道德，对我们所有人都是生存威胁。

No matter what country you come from, 語法

无论你来自哪个国家，

no matter what political side you find yourself on,

无论你的政治立场如何，

we need to demand that they disappear forever.

我们都需要要求它们永远消失。

This will not happen without pressure.

如果没有压力，这就不会发生。

If you want to be part of this pressure,

如果你想成为施加压力的一员，

there are things you personally can do too.

你个人也有可以做的事。

Visit notonukes.org

请访问notonukes.org

to learn more about nuclear weapons

了解更多关于核武器的信息，

and what you can do about them.

以及你可以做些什么。