英语新闻丨打雷时不能洗澡？原来是因为

打雷时不能站在大树下，也不要看电视，这是很多人都知道的常识。但是你知道雷雨天气不能洗澡吗？这是因为，闪电可以通过水管传播。闪电可能远比你想象的更可怕。

Trees begin to sway, the sky darkens and suddenly you hear it – the distant sound of thunder. That’s your cue that potential danger is on the way. In fact, it’s likely within 10 miles of you.

树开始左摇右摆，天空变得阴沉沉的，突然间你听到了远处传来的雷声。这预示着潜在的危险正在到来。事实上，闪电很可能距你不到10英里。

Don’t ignore that sound, because where there is thunder there is lightning, and lightning can kill or maim in ways you would least expect it. That includes when you are in the shower, tub or even washing dishes.

不要忽略这一声音，因为雷声都伴随着闪电，而闪电会以最意想不到的方式杀人或致残。这包括人们在冲澡、沐浴甚至洗碗时。

Since lightning can travel through plumbing, “it is best to avoid all water during a thunderstorm. Do not shower, bathe, wash dishes, or wash your hands,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted.

美国疾控中心指出，因为闪电可以通过水管传播，所以“在下雷雨时最好避免接触所有水源。不要冲澡、沐浴、洗碗或洗手”。

"The risk of lightning traveling through plumbing might be less with plastic pipes than with metal pipes. However, it is best to avoid any contact with plumbing and running water during a lightning storm to reduce your risk of being struck,” the CDC added.

美国疾控中心称：“闪电通过塑料水管传播的风险可能比通过金属水管传播的风险低。但是，最好还是避免在雷雨时接触水管和自来水，以降低被闪电击中的风险。”

That’s not the only danger when you’re inside. Stay off porches and balconies, don’t go near windows and doors, and do “NOT lie down on concrete floors or lean against concrete walls,” the agency said.

这不是雷雨天气你在家中面临的唯一危险。远离门廊和阳台，不要靠近门窗，也不要“躺在混凝土地板上或靠在混凝土墙壁上”。

Also, do “NOT use anything connected to an electrical outlet, such as computers or other electronic equipment,” the CDC said. “Stay off corded phones. Cell phones and cordless phones are safe … if they are not connected to an outlet through a charger.”

另外，“不要用任何与电源插座相连的东西，比如电脑或其他电器。远离有线电话。手机和无绳电话比较安全，只要它们不通过充电器和电源插座相连。”

A thunderclap happens when lightning strikes, heating the air around the bolt to as high “as 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun,” the National Weather Service said. “Immediately after the flash, the air cools and contracts quickly. This rapid expansion and contraction (create) the sound wave that we hear as thunder.”

据美国国家气象局介绍，闪电产生的雷击会让周边的空气上升至5万华氏度之高，比太阳表面的温度还要高出5倍。闪电过后，周围空气会迅速冷却收缩。这一快速扩张和收缩产生了我们听到的雷声。

Lightning can kill in many ways. A direct strike is most often fatal, the CDC said, but injuries such as blunt trauma, skin lesions and burns as well as brain, muscle and eye injuries can occur from touching a car or metal object struck by lightning. The current can also travel through the ground, bounce off a person or object, or even stream up from objects near the ground.

闪电能以多种方式产生杀伤力。美国疾控中心指出，被闪电直接击中往往是致命的，但是接触被闪电击中的汽车或金属物体也会导致钝伤、皮肤损伤、烧伤以及脑损伤、肌肉伤和眼伤等伤害。电流还能通过地面传播，反弹到人体或物体上，甚至会通过地面附近的物体往上传播。

"Count the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder, and then divide by 5,” with five seconds equaling 1 mile, 15 seconds equaling 3 miles, and zero seconds very close, the weather service said.

美国国家气象局称，你可以算一算在看到闪电后过去了多少秒才听到雷声，然后将其除以5，就是闪电和你的距离。5秒意味着闪电距离你1英里，15秒相当于3英里，不到1秒意味着闪电离你非常近。

Most deaths and injuries occur when people are outside, especially during summer months in the afternoon and evening, according to the CDC. About 180 people per year are injured by lightning, and 10% of people struck by lightning die each year. Those who work outside are at highest risk.

据美国疾控中心介绍，大多数闪电导致的伤亡都是在户外发生的，尤其是在夏天的下午和夜晚。每年约有180人因闪电而受伤，被闪电击中的人有10%丧生。那些在户外劳作的人被闪电击中的风险最高。

If you are caught outside, do “NOT lie on the ground. Lightning causes electric currents along the top of the ground that can be deadly more than 100 feet away. Get inside a safe location; no place outside is safe,” the CDC said.

美国疾控中心指出，如果下雷雨时你正好在外面，“不要躺在地上。100英尺远的闪电通过地表传播的电流也会很致命。进入一个安全的场所，户外的任何地方都不安全。”

"Avoid anything that will increase your risk of being struck by lightning, such as being near or under tall trees. If there are no safe shelters in sight, crouch down in a ball-like position: put your feet together, squat low, tuck your head, and cover your ears. But remember, this is a last resort. Seek safe shelter first.”

“避免做任何会提高被闪电击中风险的事，比如待在大树附近或大树下。如果目力所及之处没有安全的庇护所，就把自己蜷成一个球：双脚并拢，深蹲缩头捂耳朵。记住，这是不得已的做法。优先考虑的是寻找安全庇护所。”

Lightning

英/ˈlaɪtnɪŋ/ 美/ˈlaɪtnɪŋ/

n.闪电

Thunder

英/ˈθʌndə(r)/ 美/ˈθʌndər/

n.雷，雷声