【英语时差8,16】英国人迷恋的话题--天气

 Weather Language British people are famous for always talking about the weather, but the weather also affects the way we speak and the phrases we use. The return of snowstorms to the UK proves that when it comes to bad weather it never rains but it pours. The police have warned that unnecessary road travel is not recommended but some motorists have thrown caution to the wind and made their journeys anyway, claiming that it’s all a storm in teacup. Those whose cars are stuck in the snow may consider themselves to be twisting in the wind. There are problems too for local councils who are running out of sand and grit¹ for the roads, having not saved enough supplies for a rainy day. However it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good and breakdown² services will be seeing an increase in business at this time of year. And every cloud has a silver lining³ for plumbers⁴ too as the cold weather brings burst and frozen pipes in homes and businesses. What has become apparent from the cold snap is that seasonal⁵ weather forecasting is not a precise science. The UK Meteorological Officepredicted that this winter would be mild and warm so the bad weather came like a bolt from the blue, defying predictions. It’s no wonder then that many people are feeling under the weather with flus and colds an ever-present danger, especially for the very old and very young. The best thing to do then is to wrap up warm, stay at home and weather the storm and hopefully in a few weeks everything will be as right as rain.

1 grit   

n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• The soldiers showed that they had plenty of grit. 士兵们表现得很有勇气。
• I've got some grit in my shoe.我的鞋子里弄进了一些砂子。

2 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

3 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

4 plumbers   

n.管子工，水暖工( plumber的名词复数 )；[美][口]（防止泄密的）堵漏人员

参考例句：

• Plumbers charge by the hour for their work. 水管工人的工作是以小时收费的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Plumbers, carpenters, and other workmen finished the new house quickly. 管道工、木工及其他工匠很快完成了这幢新房子。 来自辞典例句

5 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。