英语博客：It's here early!

　　If you have the blog or the app of A Cup Of English handy, you will see from the photo or the video clip just what the 'it' is. Yes, the snow. Last year, we hardly had any at Christmas, and not even a hint of it at Thanksgiving. This year is very different. People have been saying that it is going to be a long, cold Winter  because of La Nina. So far, they are right. The snow started several days before Thanksgiving, and now, today, it is snowing consistently. One thing that tends to happen during the first few days of snow, is that the traffic goes into a mild panic. Some people still drive as fast as ever, as if there was no difference in the weather. Other people go painfully slowly, even when they're on a dry road. Moods go up and down. The last thing you want is to be in a hurry when you are driving in the stuff. On the way home today from the supermarket, I drove past a man who was trying to push his car out of the middle of the road. It had obviously 'died' right there, and was in the way. I pulled over to see if I could help. Another man ran over, and the three of us managed to push the car back away from the moving traffic. I felt like a knight¹ in shining armour², rescuing someone. The man didn't have a cell phone either, so he borrowed mine and called his family to come and help him. It's good insurance helping³ someone like that, because when your car dies in a snow storm, a couple of people will appear from nowhere and help you. That's my theory, anyway. So now I'm at home, looking out of the window. I have a beef stew⁴ bubbling away on the stove, so my kids can have something hot to eat when they get home. And I'm all wrapped up in my woolly clothes, quite happy to stay inside. Mind you, I'm going to have to get out the snow blower and clear the drive way, or our cars will get stuck. That machine will come in handy this season, I bet.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: a video clip, to tend to, a knight, to come in handy.
1. My sister sent me several video clips of her and her family by E-mail.
2. He tends to plan something, and then cancel at the last minute.
3. The brave knight killed the princess and saved the dragon, or was it the other way around?
4. My cell phone comes in handy all the time, and not only for myself. Other people use it all the time.

1 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

2 armour   

（=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队

参考例句：

• His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。
• Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。