Bill:It's rather cold this winter.

今年冬天真是冷啊!

Cici:Yeah. Australia, however, is awful hot.

是啊。但是澳洲却极其的热。

Bill:In a word, we have abnormal weather all over the world this year.

总而言之，今年全球的天气都很反常。

Cici:Absolutely. And there're so many natural disasters in recent years, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake.

确实如此。而且近几年有很多的天灾，比如04年的印尼海啸，08年的汶川大地震。

Bill:There are also new diseases--SARS and H1N1, they kills a lot of people.

还出现了新的疾病——SARS 和H1N1，它们夺去了很多人的生命。

Cici:According to the Mayan calendar, Dec. 21, 2012 is the end of the world. Maybe that's true.

根据玛雅历，2012年12月21日是世界末日。或许那是真的。

Bill:But a Mayan elder insists 2012 is not the end of the world,"definitely not. "

但是一名玛雅老人强调2012不是世界末日，“绝对不是” 。

Cici:Anyway, I think the prediction is a wake-up call.

不管怎样，我想这个预言为我们敲响了警钟。

Bill:Yeah. We should pay more attention to environmental protection, and try our best to take good care of our unique earth.

是的。我们应该更注重环境保护，并尽力好好爱护我们唯一的地球。

Cici:You're right. By the way, I think we should not buy any houses before Dec. 21, 2012.

说得对。顺便说一句，我想我们不应该在2012年12月21日前买房子。