2015年将成史上最热年份

Are you still wearing shorts and T-shirts? If you say yes, there's a good reason.
你现在还穿着T恤和短裤吗？如果是，倒也不奇怪。

Planet Earth has definitely experienced its hottest summer since detailed records have been kept, and according to scientists, it might have been the hottest in more than 4,000 years.
今年夏天无疑是自人类详细记录地球气温以来最热的一个夏天，科学家称，这可能是4000多年来最热的夏天。

The meteorological summer of June-July-August in the Northern Hemisphere saw its highest globally averaged temperature since records began in 1880, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported.
美国国家海洋和大气管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration，NOAA）报告称，今年六、七、八月——北半球气象学意义上的夏天——全球平均气温创下自1880年有气温记录以来的新高。

Seven out of the nine months this year have made their way to the record books. Now that it's fall, September saw its highest temperature on record, for land and ocean surfaces.
今年过去的九个月中，七个月份的气温都创造了历史记录。现在正是北半球的秋天，九月份的陆地和海洋表面温度都创造了高温新纪录。

What do scientists point to for this phenomenon?
科学家对这种现象作何解释？

"The uNPRecedented heat continues to be driven by the strong El Niño in the Pacific," said cnn senior meteorologist Dave Hennen. "We're now five months in a row of record highs, and that will likely continue with El Niño forecast to last well into the spring."
cnn高级气象学家戴夫·亨嫩（Dave Hennen）说，“太平洋的强厄尔尼诺（El Niño）现象致使这种史无前例的高温持续，连续五个月的气温都创历史新高，而这很可能继续下去，根据预测，厄尔尼诺现象将持续到下个春天。”

Climate research suggests these are the hottest temperatures the Earth has seen since the Bronze Age.
气候研究认为，这是自青铜时代（Bronze Age）以来地球上出现的最高气温。

The report also said record heat was reported across northeastern Africa stretching into the Middle East, part of southeastern Asia, most of the northern half of South America, and parts of central and eastern North America.
报告还显示，从非洲东北部、中东、亚洲东南部分地区到南美洲北部大部分地区、北美洲东部和中部的部分地区都出现了创纪录的高温。

However, not all regions experienced above-normal temperatures. Southern South America, far western Canada, Alaska and a swath across central Asia were cooler or much cooler than average.
然而，并非所有地区的气温都高于正常值。南美洲南部、加拿大最西部、阿拉斯加和中亚的一片地区的气温低于或远低于平均气温。

"With a 98% chance that the strong El Niño conditions will last, it is virtually certain that this year will end up globally being the warmest on record," according to Hennen.
亨嫩说：“这种强厄尔尼诺现象有98%的可能持续下去，因此今年势必将是全球气温再创新高的一年。”

The last strong El Niño was back in 1997. That year it wreaked weather-related havoc across the globe, from mudslides in California to fires in Australia.
上一次强厄尔尼诺现象出现在1997年。那一年，厄尔尼诺现象在全球引发了不少与气候相关的灾害，包括加州的泥石流和澳大利亚的火灾。

According to NOAA, the average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for September 2015 was at 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 20th century average.
NOAA称，今年九月全球陆地和海洋表面平均气温高于20世纪平均值1.62华氏度。

Experts predict El Niño will peak in late fall/early winter, and forecasts now suggest it will remain constant through winter and gradually weaken as spring settles in.
专家预计厄尔尼诺现象将会在秋末或者初冬达到顶峰，目前的气象预报也表明，厄尔尼诺现象将会贯穿整个冬天，在下个春天来临时逐渐减弱。

Vocabulary

meteorological：气象学的

swath：长而宽的一条(或地带)