Typhoons are large tropical storms made up of rain and high-velocity winds. They originate in the Northwest Pacific and often travel westward toward Asia. Taiwan is sometimes hit by typhoons, which can cause landslides on mountain slopes and damage to homes. But how exactly do they form?
The first requirement for a typhoon to form is that an area of water on the ocean’s surface needs to be above 26°C. This water will originate in the tropics or subtropics. The warm water evaporates, creating warm and moist air above it. The moisture is light and moves upward. It then makes contact with cold air and forms clouds.
When the warm air rises, air from surrounding areas rushes in to take its place. The warm water makes the “new” air become warm and humid. The air then moves upward in a spiraling motion and forms more clouds. More air pushes into the area to fill a “deficit” of air near the surface. This process continues, and the storm gets bigger and stronger.
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A space of clear weather forms in the center as the storm rotates faster and faster. This is known as the eye of the storm. The weather within the eye is peaceful, while the eyewall directly surrounding it is the fiercest. This process of air being “fed” into the tropical storm by warm ocean water continues while wind speeds increase. When wind speeds reach 119 kilometers per hour, the storm is classified as a typhoon. Typhoons weaken as they hit land since they can no longer draw energy from the ocean.
Typhoons are called by different names, depending on where they originate. For example, in the Northeast Pacific and the northern half of the Atlantic Ocean, they are known as hurricanes, while in the Southern Hemisphere, they are called tropical cyclones.
颱風是由雨水和高速的風組成的大型熱帶風暴。颱風起源於西北太平洋,通常向西往亞洲移動。台灣有時會受到颱風侵襲,可能導致山坡地坍方以及造成房屋損壞。但颱風究竟是如何形成的呢?
形成颱風的第一個條件是︰海洋表面的某個水域溫度需要高於攝氏二十六度。這個水域總是起源於熱帶或亞熱帶。溫暖的水蒸發,在上方形成溫暖潮溼的空氣。那團溼氣很輕,會向上移動。接著其與冷空氣接觸並形成雲朵。
暖空氣上升時,來自周遭的空氣會湧入來取代其位置。溫暖的水使「新」空氣變得溫暖潮溼。接著那團空氣以螺旋狀向上移動並形成更多雲朵。更多空氣向該區域推進,填補水面附近的空氣「不足」。這個過程持續進行,風暴就變得愈大、愈強。
隨著風暴的旋轉愈來愈快,中心形成了一個有著晴朗天氣的空間。這被稱為颱風眼。颱風眼內的天氣平靜,而直接包圍著颱風眼的眼牆天氣則是最猛烈的。由溫暖海水將空氣「餵」給熱帶風暴的這個過程持續進行,與此同時風速增加了。當風速達到每小時一百一十九公里時,風暴即被歸類作颱風。颱風登陸時會減弱,因其不能再從海洋中汲取能量。
颱風有不同的名稱,取決於它們的起源地。例如,在東北太平洋和北大西洋的颱風被稱為「颶風」,而在南半球的颱風叫作「熱帶氣旋」。
What Did You Learn?
1. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
(A) Warm, humid air rises because it is light.
(B) A typhoon has wind speeds of about 33 meters per second or higher.
(C) The surface of a sea has to be at least 26°C to form a typhoon.
(D) Typhoons are called tropical cyclones in the Northeast Pacific.
2. What happens when a typhoon reaches land?
(A) It has more water.
(B) It slowly loses power.
(C) It immediately vanishes.
(D) It gradually gets stronger.
答案:1. (D) 2. (B)
Practical Phrases
1. be made up of... 由…組成
A baseball team is made up of a pitcher and eight other players.
棒球一隊由一名投手與八名其他球員組成。
2. cause damage to... 使…受到傷害
The flood caused damage to dozens of homes, and many people were left homeless.
那場洪水造成數十間房屋損毀,許多人落得無家可歸。
3. make contact with... 接觸…;與…聯繫
The outer edges of a tire make contact with the road’s surface.
輪胎外側邊緣與道路表面接觸。
The father was worried, because he couldn’t make contact with his daughter.
那位父親很擔心,因為他聯繫不上他的女兒。
4. take one’s place 取代某人/某物的…(位置、職務等)
Jennie quit, and the supervisor had to hire someone to take her place.
珍妮辭職了,主管得僱用人來取代她的位置。
5. feed A into B 餵A給B;將A送到B中
feed vt. 餵養;放入
Helen fed some documents into the shredder.
海倫將一些文件送入碎紙機。
Words in Use
1. tropical a. 熱帶的
Coconut palms grow in tropical coastal areas.
椰子樹在熱帶沿海地帶生長。
2. originate vi. 起源,發源
The sport originated in the UK, but it is also a huge hit outside of the country.
雖然那項運動起源於英國,但其在英國外也大受歡迎。
3. evaporate vi. 蒸發
Most of the water evaporated because of the hot sun.
大部分的水都因為炙熱的太陽而蒸發了。
4. moist a. 潮溼的
Iris was so touched that her eyes were moist with tears.
艾麗絲很感動,她的眼眶被淚水浸溼。
Plants absorb moisture from the soil.
植物從土壤吸收水分。
5. surrounding a. 周圍的
The shop attracts customers not only from surrounding areas but also from other countries.
那間店不只吸引周圍地區的顧客,也吸引了外國客。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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