A utumn is the season between summer and winter. In the US and Canada, autumn is known as fall, mostly because autumn is the season when leaves fall from the trees. When I lived in Washington DC, fall was always cool and comfortable. The leaves on the trees would turn a beautiful red and then fall. When I was growing up in Hong Kong, autumn was not as hot as it is now. But global warming and tall buildings everywhere have made Hong Kong much hotter. Hong Kong no longer has an autumn. Our winters are getting shorter and they are not as cold as before.
The expression global warming means a rise in the temperature of the earth. Scientists say it is caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil. Global warming has already melted a lot of the ice in the Arctic (North Pole area). Scientists have warned that the effects of global warming, such as rising sea levels and climate change, could affect us all in many negative ways. They often urge leaders of big countries such as the US, China, and India to take global warming seriously by reducing the use of fossil fuels. But I don't think world leaders are taking global warming seriously enough.
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我厭惡（loathe）香港的天氣，盡是悶熱的（oppressive）。夏天愈來愈熱，冬天卻不再寒冷，空氣都很污濁。上星期是中秋（autumn），中秋（autumn）應是涼快舒適的，但中秋（autumn）節卻是炎熱（scorching）的。我認為我們不應再把它叫作中秋（autumn）節，因為全球暖化（global warming）大大改變了我們的天氣。我們應稱之為晚夏節吧。若一個政府不賦予人民人權和自由，嚴厲（harshly）對待人民，那就是一個專制（oppressive）的政府。但如果天氣又濕又悶熱，令人很不舒服，你也可以把它形容為oppressive。
Autumn就是秋天。在美國和加拿大， autumn會被稱為fall，因為秋天（autumn）是有許多落葉的季節。當我住在華盛頓時，秋天（fall）都很涼快愜意。樹上的葉子會轉紅，落在地上。我在香港長大時，秋天（fall）也不像現在般炎熱。但全球暖化（global warming）和四處的高樓大廈已令香港變得更悶熱。香港不再有秋天（autumn）了，我們的冬季也變得更短，不再像以往般寒冷。
Global warming這個習語解作地球氣溫上升，科學家聲稱這是源於煤、煤氣、石油等化石燃料（fossil fuels）的燃燒而造成的。全球暖化（global warming）已經溶化了北極（Arctic）的許多冰塊。科學家都有警示過全球暖化（global warming）的影響，例如水位上升和氣候變化，都會給我們帶來許多負面影響。他們不時促請美國、中國、印度等大國領袖嚴正對待全球暖化，減少使用化石燃料（fossil fuels），但我認為世界領袖都不夠認真看待全球暖化（global warming）。mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.hkheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=255688§ion_name=wtt&kw=126