美国有线新闻 CNN 平昌冬奥会或成史上最冷 人工造雪确保比赛顺利进行

 

AZUZ: Moving north from Taiwan to where the 2018 Olympic Winter Games are just a day away. It's cold. Pyeongchang, South Korea, is surrounded by mountains. The forecast for the day of the opening ceremonies predicts high temperatures will be around 42 degrees Fahrenheit¹, but a plunge² to the 20s during the day and the teens at night follows, before things warm up a little next week.

This could be one of the coldest Winter Olympics in history. The "Reuters" news agency says in training runs, extremely cold snow has warped³ some athletes' skis, forcing coaches to throw them away. You'd think that this means there'd be plenty of natural snow on the ground, but February is a very dry month at Pyeongchang.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Snowmaking started earlier in South Korea this season. October saw the first artificial snow hit the ski slopes and it hasn't stopped since.

Pyeongchang certainly doesn't have the same problem that Sochi in Russia had four years ago. Any natural snow that falls here is going to say on the ground. It is cold enough. But the issue is, there's just simply not that much natural snow. After all, winter in Korea is the dry season.

Ian Honey is the project manager for SMI Snowmakers. His company has already made snow for five Winter Olympics. He started preparing for Pyeongchang three years ago.

IAN HONEY, SMI SNOWMAKERS: Here, it's all 100 percent manmade snow. And as I said, we've had great temperatures. We've been very lucky.

HANCOCKS: So, none of this is natural snow then.

HONEY: Yes, 98 percent of the — manmade.

HANCOCKS: This has been the scene for months in Pyeongchang, mountainsides, rock and mist of manmade snow. So, how do you actually make it?

HONEY: We're doing very similar to what Mother Nature does. We're taking water and we're forcing it into the atmosphere and we're getting — we're generating a crystallize structure. But the structure that we'll generate is a more consistent structure. Basically, they're all the same, where natural snow is... every flake⁴ is different.

HANCOCKS: Tourists don't seem to mind the snow is manmade, enjoying the last peaceful day on the slopes before the games begin. As for which is better, natural or artificial, these two ski instructors⁵ say there's no contest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Artificial snow is good for skiing more than because we can more — speeding. They're really good.

HANCOCKS: And speed is what Olympic athletes want. We'll no doubt hear soon enough whether they approve of Pyeongchang's snow.

There have been some heavy snowfalls in recent months. A few weeks ago, there was a rush to preserve the snow after it fell, carving⁶ it into massive blocks. We now see why as the snow festival opens, massive sculptures towering over children who are more interested in the snow than the art.

So, while it may not always look like the Winter Wonderland you'd expect from the Winter Olympics, the organizers say they're ready. Let the games begin.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Pyeongchang, South Korea.

1 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

2 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

3 warped   

adj.反常的；乖戾的；（变）弯曲的；变形的v.弄弯，变歪( warp的过去式和过去分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾，

参考例句：

• a warped sense of humour 畸形的幽默感
• The board has warped. 木板翘了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 flake   

v.使成薄片；雪片般落下；n.薄片

参考例句：

• Drain the salmon,discard the skin,crush the bones and flake the salmon with a fork.将鲑鱼沥干，去表皮，粉碎鱼骨并用餐叉子将鱼肉切成小薄片状。
• The paint's beginning to flake.油漆开始剥落了。

5 instructors   

指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The instructors were slacking on the job. 教员们对工作松松垮垮。
• He was invited to sit on the rostrum as a representative of extramural instructors. 他以校外辅导员身份，被邀请到主席台上。

6 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。