Today’s lesson uses a BBC News current-events report about El Niño to study concise climate and science-news vocabulary.
Title: “El Niño under way and threatens weather extremes, scientists say”
Source: BBC News
Published: June 11, 2026
Read the original article: BBC News article link
BBC News reported that an El Niño event has officially started, according to scientists. The report says the weather pattern raises concerns about more extreme weather and higher temperatures.
For English learners, the article is useful because climate news often uses short but strong phrases such as under way, threatens, and raising fears to describe risk and change.
BBC News 報導，科學家表示聖嬰現象（El Niño）已正式開始。這種氣候型態可能增加極端天氣與高溫的風險，因此引發關注。
這篇文章適合用來學習氣候與科學新聞英文，因為它使用許多精簡但有力的表達，例如 under way（正在進行）、threatens（威脅、可能造成）與 raising fears（引發擔憂）。
In article: “El Niño under way and threatens weather extremes, scientists say”
English definition: happening now; already started and in progress.
中文定義：已經開始、正在進行中；常用於新聞標題，表示某件事已展開。
Usage note: Write it as two words: under way. You may also see underway, especially in American English.
In article: “El Niño under way and threatens weather extremes, scientists say”
English definition: may cause something harmful, dangerous, or unwanted.
中文定義：可能造成傷害、危險或負面結果；可譯為「威脅、可能導致」。
Usage note: In news English, threatens can mean “creates a risk,” not only “makes a direct warning.”
In article: “El Niño under way and threatens weather extremes, scientists say”
English definition: unusually severe weather conditions, such as intense heat, heavy rain, drought, or powerful storms.
中文定義：異常強烈或嚴重的天氣狀況，例如酷熱、豪雨、乾旱或強烈風暴；可譯為「極端天氣」。
In article: “An El Niño event has officially started, say US scientists, raising fears of extreme weather and higher temperatures.”
English definition: confirmed by an authority or expert group as having begun.
中文定義：由官方、權威機構或專家確認已經開始；officially 強調「正式地、經確認地」。
In article: “An El Niño event has officially started, say US scientists, raising fears of extreme weather and higher temperatures.”
English definition: causing people to become worried about a possible problem.
中文定義：引發人們對某個可能問題的擔憂；新聞中常用來描述風險增加後的社會或專家反應。
Usage note: The pattern is raise fears of/about something.
El Niño: This Spanish phrase means “the boy” and is historically connected to ocean warming noticed near Christmas, so it was associated with the Christ child.
Extreme: The word comes from Latin ideas of being outermost or farthest. In weather news, it means conditions far outside the usual range.
Temperature: In everyday English, temperature can describe air, body, food, or machine heat; in climate news, plural temperatures often refers to measured conditions across places or periods.