VOA慢速英语2016 特大暴风雪袭击美国东部

AS IT IS 2016-01-23 Major Snowstorm Bears Down on Eastern US 特大暴风雪袭击美国东部

The U.S. East Coast is preparing for a major snow storm that weather experts are calling “historic” even before any snow falls.

美国东海岸正在准备抵御一场特大暴风雪的侵袭，气象专家称这次暴风雪是“历史性的”，比任何一次降雪的规模都要大。

The storm could produce blizzard¹ conditions in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and New York City.At least 15 states expect heavy snow until Sunday.

这次暴风雪会给华盛顿特区、巴尔的摩和纽约市带来强降雪。至少15个州会下暴雪并将持续到周日。

Weather officials expect between 30 and 90 centimeters of snow.Officials expect strong winds, ice and coastal² flooding during the storm.

气象官员预计会有30-90厘米的降雪。官员预测，暴风雪期间会有强风、冰雹和沿海洪灾。

Some cities and states, including Washington and Maryland, have declared states of emergency.Government leaders are asking the millions in the storm’s path to be “better safe than sorry.”

包括华盛顿和马里兰州在内的一些城市和州已经宣布进入紧急状态。政府官员们呼吁在暴风雪经行地区的数百万人“保得安全总比后悔好”。

“Be [careful], stay home on Saturday unless you have to travel somewhere,” said Anthony Santino, a city official for Hempstead, N.Y.

“小心点，周六最好待在家里，除非你有什么必须外出办的事情。”纽约州亨普斯特德市市政官员安东尼·桑蒂诺说。

Residents of the nation’s capital experienced winter weather earlier this week.Washington had barely 5 centimeters of snow Wednesday.But many drivers were stranded³ because of a thin layer of ice on the roads.Some people abandoned their vehicles in the middle and on the side of the road.

该州首府的居民们本周早些时候感受了冬天的天气。华盛顿周三这天只下了5厘米的雪。但是很多司机都滞留在路上，因为路面上有一层薄冰。一些人将车丢在路中间或者路边。

Leading up to the weekend storm, supplies are difficult to find at hardware stores and grocery stores.Supplies of bottled water, wood for fires and snow shovels⁵ are limited.

为了迎接周末的暴风雪，五金店和杂货店的供应都快售罄了。瓶装水、劈柴和推雪铲都限量供应。

“The fastest moving thing has been snow shovels.We are down to the last few of them,” said Derek Staton, who works at a hardware store in Virginia.

“最抢手的东西就是推雪铲。我们这里只剩最后几把了。”在弗吉尼亚州一家五金店工作的德雷克·斯坦顿说。

Schools in the Washington area closed Friday in preparation for the storm.The federal government only required its employees to work for half the day on Friday.

为了迎接暴风雪，华盛顿地区的学校周五停课。联邦政府要求工作人员周五只工作半天。

The capitol’s public transportation system will close Friday evening and plans to stay closed through Monday morning.

国会的公共交通系统也会在周五傍晚关闭，计划一直关闭到周一上午。

Words in This Story

blizzard – n. a severe snowstorm that goes on for a long time

stranded – adj. abandoned or unable to go somewhere

abandoned – adj. left by the owner

shovel⁴ – n.  a tool with a long handle that is used for lifting and throwing dirt, sand or snow

1 blizzard   

n.暴风雪

参考例句：

• The blizzard struck while we were still on the mountain.我们还在山上的时候暴风雪就袭来了。
• You'll have to stay here until the blizzard blows itself off.你得等暴风雪停了再走。

2 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

3 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

4 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

5 shovels   

n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份

参考例句：

• workmen with picks and shovels 手拿镐铲的工人
• In the spring, we plunge shovels into the garden plot, turn under the dark compost. 春天，我们用铁锨翻开园子里黑油油的沃土。 来自辞典例句