First a trickle, then a flood.

先是涓涓细流，接下来是滔滔洪水。

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When Jia Son first noticed the rising temperatures—an unfamiliar trickle of sweat down his back about a decade ago—he figured it was a gift from the gods.

十年前一次不常见的汗流浃背，让贾森注意到了气温的上升，当时他以为这是上天的恩赐。

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Did it change into the cry of the wind, plaintive at first, angrily shrill as it freshened, rising to a tearing whistle, sinking to a musical trickle of air from the leech of the bellying sail?

这话音似又变成了风声，开始是呜咽悲鸣，随后逐渐转强，变成咆哮怒吼，又越升越高，成了撕心裂肺的尖叫，然后又渐渐降低，成了满帆边缘在空气里振动的悦耳的颤音。

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This digital wave started with a trickle called TiVo, one of the first computer-hard-drive-based digital video recorders (DVRs).

FORBES: ZAP!

Their delicate texture alone is enough to make a hunter strap on his boots at the first trickle of melting snow.

NPR: Morel Satisfaction: Stalking the Wild Mushroom

Though psychological trauma, which can eventually lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, became a widely recognized problem after the Vietnam War, the promotion of mental-health counseling for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans has accelerated a trickle-down effect to civilians and first responders.

WSJ: First Responders Seek Out Counseling as Attitudes Shift