Part of northern California had become an inferno. A nearby town, Paradise, was incinerated and reduced to ash. Nearly 50 people are confirmed dead and over 200 missing. Six of the ten most destructive fires in California’s history have occurred in the past decade. Last year was the most destructive year on record, until this year. Why is the Golden State so flammable?
加州北部部分地区已成人间炼狱。其附近的天堂镇已被焚毁并化为灰烬。将近 50 人被证实死亡，200 多人失踪。加州历史上十个最具破坏性的火灾中，有六个发生在过去的十年里。去年曾是有记录以来最严重的一年，而今年又破纪录了。为什么“金州”如此易燃呢？
There are three reasons why California has been besieged by flames. First, the climate is becoming warmer. This has led to snow melting earlier, drier landscapes and a longer season when fires are likely to ignite. “This is not the new normal. This is the new abnormal,” Jerry Brown, the state’s governor, said recently.
加州总被大火围困的原因有三。首先，气候正在变暖。这导致了积雪融化得更早，地貌变得干旱，且易燃季节延长。加州州长杰瑞·布朗最近说：“这不是新常态，而是新的反常态。”
A second reason is that more people live in combustible places. Since 1990 60% of new homes in California, Washington and Oregon have been built in spaces abutting nature. These areas, which environmentalists call the “wildland-urban interface”, are at higher risk of wildfire.
第二个原因是有更多的人生活在容易着火的地区。自 1990 年以来，加州、华盛顿州和俄勒冈州 60%的新住宅都建在大自然的周边地区。这些被环保主义者称为“荒地与城市的交界处”的区域，面临着更高的野火风险。
A third reason is that there is more fuel. Before western settlers arrived, fires used to happen often and naturally, which made less fuel available for future fires. For the past century fires have tended to be quickly suppressed. This has led to a build-up of dry brush, and makes the average wildfire much likelier to turn into a raging mega-fire.
第三个原因是燃料更多。在西方殖民者到来之前，火灾往往自然发生，这就减少了未来火灾的所需燃料。而在过去一个世纪里，火势一般很快得到控制。这导致了干灌木丛的堆积，使得寻常野火更有可能变成燎原的熊熊烈火。
Putting out the blazes is the most immediate task for California, but not the last. Many survivors will want to rebuild their homes exactly where they were. Californians will also want to ensure that utility companies are acting and investing responsibly. Investigations into what caused the fire are still going on, but some reports suggest it may have begun with sparks from lines owned by an electricity company.
扑灭大火是加州最紧迫的任务，但绝不是最后一项。许多幸存者希望能在原址重建他们的家园。加州人还希望确保公用事业公司以负责任的方式行事和投资。对火灾原因的调查仍在继续，但一些报道表明，火灾可能是由一家电力公司旗下的线路产生的电火花引发的。
————— 文章来源 / 经济学人
inferno/ɪnˈfɜːrnoʊ/
n. 人间炼狱；火海
incinerate/ɪnˈsɪnəreɪt/
v. 焚毁
reduce (sth.) to ash/ashes
化为灰烬
on record
记录在案的，有记录的
flammable/ˈflæməbl/
adj. 易燃的
besiege /bɪˈsiːdʒ/
v. 围攻，围困；包围
e.g.
Our programme has been besieged.
Kris is besieged by his fans.
ignite/ɪɡˈnaɪt/
v. 点燃
e.g.
The fires ignited the trees.
ignite your spirit/imagination
ignite a war
ignite your anger
combustible /kəmˈbʌstəbl/
adj. 易燃的；易挑起争端的 (combust v.)
e.g.
Britain’s domestic politics are combustible.
abut/əˈbʌt/
v. 邻接；毗连
e.g.
My house abuts the company.
interface/ˈɪntərfeɪs/
n. 接口；相互联系
settler /ˈsetlər/
n. （尤指来自别国的）移居者，定居者；殖民者
suppress/səˈpres/
v. 压制，制止
e.g.
The uprising was suppressed.
build-up
n. 加强；增大
e.g.
the build-up of heat
brush/brʌʃ/
n. 灌木丛
raging /ˈreɪdʒɪŋ/
adj. 剧烈的；猛烈的（rage n./v.）
e.g.
I was in a rage and raged at her.
a raging toothache
a raging temper
mega-fire
n. 大火，烈火
e.g.
mega-city
put out
扑灭；使熄灭
blaze /bleɪz/
n. 大火，烈火
utility /juːˈtɪləti/
n. （电、煤气、铁路等）公用事业
spark /spɑːrk/
n. 火花，火星；电火花
知识拓展：加州被称为“金州”的五个原因
官方颜色 （State’s Official Colour）
金色实际上是加州的官方颜色之一。金色和蓝色在 1951 年被指定为加州官方颜色。蓝色象征其广阔的海岸线和美丽的海滩，金色象征高山和开阔的沙漠。
淘金热（The Gold Rush）
金色也代表了金子。黄金也是加州的官方矿产，1848 年有人在加州发现黄金之后，就掀起了一波淘金热，人们纷纷涌入加州试图寻找黄金。
金罂粟（Golden Poppies）
加州被称作金州的另一个原因是它的金色罂粟花，每年春天都会在全州各地的野外盛开。金罂粟在 1903 年成为加州官方花；此外，4 月 6 日被称为加州罂粟日（California Poppy Day），5 月 13 日至 18 日人们还庆祝罂粟周（Poppy Week）。
日落（Sunsets Over the Pacific）
加州临近的太平洋上美丽的日落也是金色的。许多人在休息日会来到海滩上放松，享受日落的自然奇观。
金门大桥（Golden Gate Bridge）
金门大桥是第五个原因。这个旧金山的著名地标常常出现在流行电视节目和电影里。它建于 20 世纪 30 年代，是一座横跨金门海峡的大型红色桥梁，也是加州最热门的旅游目的地之一。