听播客学英语 77 我们爱雪

 　　When English people meet each other, they generally¹ start their conversation by talking about the weather. “It’s nice weather we are having”, they say. Or, “It’s a bit cold for the time of year.” This week we have had a big national conversation all about the weather. It has snowed.

　　If you live in Scandinavia, or Germany, or Russia or Canada, you are perhaps saying, “It is winter. It snows in winter. Why are the crazy English obsessed² with the snow? What is the problem?”

　　The problem is that, in recent years we have had very little snow. Our winters have been wet and windy, but in most places they have not been cold and snowy. This week has been different. We have had the heaviest fall of snow for 18 years. The snow has come on east winds all the way from Russia. It has been particularly heavy in London and the south-east of England.

　　We do not know how to cope³ with snow in England. In other countries, normal life continues even in the snow. On Monday this week, however, London came to a complete standstill. There were no buses. There were hardly any trains. The airports were closed. People could not go to work. Children could not go to school. It was like an extra⁴ public holiday. The TV news had interviews with tourists who were visiting London. They were puzzled⁵. They said that they had come to London to do some shopping, but all the shops were shut.

　　Later on Monday, the snow came here to Birmingham, and then moved further⁶ north over the rest of the country. We woke up on Tuesday to see the sun shining on a world which was sparkling⁷ white. Then came the really wonderful news – all the schools in Birmingham would be closed for the day.

　　But today, Wednesday, the national conversation about the snow has turned into a national argument⁸ about the snow. Why does normal life come to a standstill in England whenever we have even a little bit of snow? Surely⁹ we could do more to keep the roads open and the trains and buses running. What must the rest of the world think about this country, when they read or see on TV that everything in London has stopped because of some snow? And why were so many schools closed? Surely most children and most teachers could have got to school, even if they had to walk.

　　Some older people remember – or think they remember – winters in the 1950s and 1960s when there was lots of snow. They have become national experts¹⁰ on snow, and they have been on TV telling us how they used¹¹ to go to school through snowdrifts 2 meters deep, and things like that.

　　While the adults have been arguing, the children have been enjoying themselves. Until this week, most British children had never seen real snow, lots of snow, snow to make snowmen and snowballs. Tuesday was a wonderful day – cold and sunny – and because so many schools were closed, the children could go out into the gardens and the parks to play in the snow, and sledge¹² down the hills. This is much more useful than a day in school, in my opinion. The children will remember this winter for the rest of their lives.

　　And the weather forecast¹³ is – more snow. Good.

1 generally   

adv.一般地，通常；普遍地，广泛地

参考例句：

• We generally go to the sea for our holidays.我们通常去海边度假。
• Generally speaking,parents love their children.一般说来，父母爱他们的孩子。

2 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

3 cope   

v.(with)竞争，对抗；对付，妥善处理

参考例句：

• He had a lot of work,but he was able to cope.他的活虽多，但还能应付得来。
• They have to cope with a mountain of problems.他们得应付成堆的问题。

4 extra   

adj.额外的，外加的；特大的

参考例句：

• We do not ask for extra pay.我们不要求额外报酬。
• You have to pay extra for breakfast.早餐你要另外付费。

5 puzzled   

adj.迷惑的；困惑的

参考例句：

• The student was puzzled about what to do next.这个学生对下一步做什么伤透了脑筋。
• I was somewhat puzzled at his unwillingness to help.他不愿意帮忙让我有点困惑。

6 further   

adv.（在时间或空间上）距离更大地；更远地

参考例句：

• Have you had any further news?你有进一步的消息吗？
• We will help you further.我们会进一步帮助你的。

7 sparkling   

adj.发火花的，闪亮的；灿烂的，活泼的；闪闪发光的，闪烁的；起泡沫的v.闪光，闪耀(sparkle的现在分词)

参考例句：

• the calm and sparkling waters of the lake 平静的波光粼粼的湖水
• Other sparkling wines are often considered the poor relations of champagne. 其他起泡的葡萄酒通常被认为较香槟酒为次。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 argument   

n.辩论，争论，论据，理由

参考例句：

• Whatever your argument,I shall hold to my decision.不论你如何争辩，我将坚持我的决定。
• When the argument started I wanted to dive in.争论开始时，我也想加入。

9 surely   

adv.确实地，无疑地；必定地，一定地

参考例句：

• It'should surely be possible for them to reach an agreement.想必他们可以达成协议。
• Surely we'll profit from your work.我们肯定会从你的工作中得到益处。

10 experts   

n.专家，能手( expert的名词复数 )；权威；行家，高手；熟练者

参考例句：

• The letter has been authenticated by handwriting experts. 这封信已由笔迹专家证明是真的。
• Experts are dismissing claims that the painting is a forgery. 专家排除了这幅画是赝品的说法。

11 used   

adj.用旧了的，旧的；习惯于…；过去惯/经常

参考例句：

• I used to work until nearly 6:00 o'clock each day.我过去常常工作到6:00左右。
• He used to walk anywhere from two to five miles an hour.他过去经常一小时走二至五英里。

12 sledge   

n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往

参考例句：

• The sledge gained momentum as it ran down the hill.雪橇从山上下冲时的动力越来越大。
• The sledge slid across the snow as lightly as a boat on the water.雪橇在雪原上轻巧地滑行，就象船在水上行驶一样。

13 forecast   

n./vt.预测；预报

参考例句：

• Heavy rain has been forecast for tomorrow.天气预报明天有大雨。
• I never listen to the weather forecast.我从来不听气象预报。