California wildfire

山東 孫啟祿

?

難詞探意

1. breeze /bri?z/ n. 微風

2. debris /?debri?/ n. 殘骸；碎片

3. instinct /??nst??kt/ n. 本能；直覺

4. regenerate /r??d?en?re?t/ v. 再生

Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to enter many different wildfire areas at various times of destruction, but I've rarely had the opportunity to see the immediate aftermath of a fire.My first reaction to a recent one in California was the strange quiet of the forest.There were no birds orbreezescaught in the leaves of a tree.

Photographing burnt-out areas before the regrowth really takes over is interesting and challenging, since there is really only a bunch of burnt-out wood anddebristo photograph. Myinstinctis to look for the beauty in the image I want to create, but what to do here? As I walk through the forest and see only the skeletons of trees and a white, smoky sky, inevitably the artistic aspect of it catches my eye. Am I making an image beautiful even if it's of destruction? What is the right approach? How can I take a beautiful photo of a horrible scene?

It's a challenge that has no clear answer,but after years of photography, I believe the key is to let the artistic instinct drive you and not to make those decisions in the field. For me, it's the editing of your own work that will be most important in defining the story. Back at the home studio, I have an opportunity to separate myself from my emotions of the moment and determine which images truly represent the scene, and not just my artistic impression of it,though that is sometimes an impossible task.

As a nature photographer passionate about conservation, it's important to document the ugly as well as the beautiful. We need both two things, so we understand what we have to lose and have hope. We can also know how devastating that loss can be. Without that balance, we risk becoming accustomed to a world shaped by destruction and not one of harmony.

Nature willregenerateand fire is an important part of that process, but now more than ever before, we must consider what role we play in that process, too.

Reading

Check

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A. The California forest was rather quiet after the wildfire.

B. Many birds were killed because of the wildfire.

C. Entering wildfire areas is dangerous.

D. The California wildfire is strange.

2. What does the author think of photographing burnt-out areas?

A. Impossible. B. Easy.

C. Tough. D. Inspiring.

3. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A. It's unnecessary to compare the beautiful and the ugly.

B. The author cares much about nature protection.

C. People should have a balance between work and rest.

D. Wildfire is harmful to nature's development.

Language

Study

Useful expressions

destruction 破壞；毀滅

aftermath 創傷

devastating 毀滅性的

regrowth 再生物

burnt-out wood 燒壞的木頭

a white, smoky sky 煙霧彌漫的天空

have the opportunity to do... 有機會做......

play a role in... 在……中發揮作用/扮演角色

Cultural

Background

加利福尼亞州山火規模破紀錄

2020年9月， 美國加利福尼亞州的山火規模已達該州歷史上最嚴重的程度。據美國有線電視新聞網(CNN)報道，加州森林防火廳(CAL FIRE)的理查德·科多瓦表示，加州已經有超過209萬英畝的土地被燒毀， 相當于10多個紐約市的面積。“這太瘋狂了，我們甚至還沒有進入10月和11月的火災季節，但我們已經打破了歷史紀錄。 ”