If you work at one of your country’s embassies orconsulates, be prepared to receive strange requestsfor assistance. Like the one from an Australian manin Thailand who wanted to borrow money from theembassy in Bangkok to pay a local prostitute. Andhe wasn’t the only one with the bizarre plea forhelp as Julie Peacock reports.

　　Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told Australians that their consular staff are not there topay hotel bills, to lend you a laptop or to provide you with the office space in the embassy.Among the other examples offered by officials was the case of a man who approached theAustralian embassy in Bangkok and asked for the loan to help pay a Thai prostitute. Foreignaffairs staff say such requests are common at that embassy. The government is nowconsidering charging Australians for any consular help they receive.

　　Julie Peacock.

　　If the current climate pattern continues, this year will be the warmest around the world sincerecords began. That’s according to the latest estimates from the world meteorologicalorganization announced at the UN Climate Conference in Lima. For more of this, I’ve beenspeaking to our environment correspondent.

　　The figures are for the first ten months of this year and it shows the year is tracking in one ofthe very hottest years on record. If we continue with a warm November and a warm December,then we will have the hottest year on record. And that will make, and I think this is moreinteresting because you know, years can be warmer or cooler, but the general trend is what’simportant here. And that will make 14 of the 15 hottest years on record from the 21st century.And the only other one in that is 1998. So all of the hottest years since 1998. That is reallywhat’s remarkable.

　　So it’s all about the trend.

　　It’s all about the trend. And it’s the trend that gives climate meteorologists so muchconfidence to say we can not explain this trend unless we take into account man-made greenhouse gases. That’s why they are so confident to say that humans are driving up withtemperatures. They can’t be sure how much we are responsible but they can be sure that weare at least partly responsible and they make their predictions based on that.

　　And they are linking the trend to what kind of phenomena that we’re seeing around the world?

　　They are linking the trend to increasing temperatures and the increasing temperatures in turnlead to weather phenomena. So this year apparently, we have had exceptionally high oceantemperatures.

词汇解析：

　　1.prostitute vt. 使沦为妓女 adj. 卖淫的;堕落的 n. 妓女

　　The spy was caught by a policewoman who posed asa prostitute.

　　间谍被一个假扮妓女的女警察抓住了。

　　2.meteorological adj. 气象的;气象学的

　　Meteorological errors are clearly unlikely to be systematic to any great extent.

　　气象误差显然不大可能在大范围内是系统性的。

　　3.meteorologist n. 气象学者

　　Meteorologist believe this pressure jump is the mechanism responsible for storm andtornado.

　　气象学家认为这一气压的突然升高是暴风雨和飓风形成的物理机制.

　　4.bizarre adj. 奇异的(指态度，容貌，款式等)

　　The game was also notable for the bizarre behaviour of the team's manager.

　　这场比赛另一值得注意的地方是该队经理人异乎寻常的表现。

　　5.consular adj. 领事的

　　U.S. consular officials have visited the men, although they have not yet had access to lawyers.

　　美国领事馆的官员已经探望了那些男人，不过他们还没有机会见到律师们。