IELTS Listening Part 4: A Lecture on Urban Heat Islands

Part Four. You will hear a lecture about urban heat islands.

第四部分。你將聽到一場關於都市熱島的講座。

You have some time to look at questions thirty-one to forty.

你有一些時間閱讀第三十一至第四十題。

Now listen carefully and answer questions thirty-one to forty.

現在請仔細聽，並回答第三十一至第四十題。

Good morning, everyone. Today we're looking at urban heat islands.

大家早安。今天我們來談都市熱島。

Have you ever noticed that cities feel hotter than the countryside?

你們有沒有發現，城市感覺總是比鄉下熱？

Well, that's not just your imagination.

其實，那不只是你的錯覺。

On summer nights, a city can be up to ten degrees warmer!

在夏天的夜晚，城市可以熱上多達十度！

Scientists call this the urban heat island effect.

科學家把這稱為都市熱島效應。

So, what causes it? There are three main reasons.

那麼，原因是什麼？主要有三個。

First, dark surfaces like roads and roofs absorb heat during the day,

第一，道路和屋頂這類深色表面白天會吸收熱能，

and then they slowly release it again at night.

然後在夜裡慢慢釋放出來。

Second, cities have fewer trees and less open water to cool the air.

第二，城市裡能幫空氣降溫的樹木和水域比較少。

And third, there's us! Cars, factories and air conditioners all produce heat.

第三，就是我們自己！汽車、工廠和冷氣都會產生熱。

Ironically, the hotter it gets, the more air conditioning we use.

諷刺的是，天氣越熱，我們就越常開冷氣。

This matters, because extreme heat can be dangerous.

這很重要，因為極端高溫可能很危險。

Elderly people living alone are especially at risk during heatwaves.

獨居長者在熱浪期間特別危險。

Hot cities also use more energy, and the air quality gets worse.

炎熱的城市也會耗用更多能源，空氣品質也會變差。

The good news is that there are simple solutions!

好消息是，有一些簡單的解決方法！

Some cities are painting roofs white to reflect the sunlight.

有些城市把屋頂漆成白色來反射陽光。

In one study, white roofs cooled the rooms below by up to two degrees.

一項研究發現，白色屋頂能讓下方房間的溫度最多降低兩度。

Green roofs, covered in plants, can work even better.

種滿植物的綠屋頂效果可能更好。

But the most effective solution is still the oldest one: planting trees.

但最有效的方法還是最古老的那一個：種樹。

One large tree can cool the air as much as several air conditioners.

一棵大樹幫空氣降溫的效果，可以抵好幾台冷氣。

Next week, we'll look at how one city turned itself into a garden.

下週，我們來看一座城市如何把自己變成一座花園。

Thanks, everyone. See you then!

謝謝大家，到時見！

That is the end of Part Four.

第四部分到此結束。