VOA慢速英语2016--美国社区清理暴风雪

AS IT IS 2016-01-27 US Communities Clean Up After Major Snow Storm 美国社区清理暴风雪

Clean-up efforts continue in the eastern United States after a major winter storm left recording-setting snowfall and coastal¹ flooding.

But more than 2 ? days since the snow stopped falling, life for many people is still far from normal.

New York City reopened schools and government buildings on Monday. The city’s public transportation system is nearly back to normal service.

But farther south, the situation is different. In Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., schools remained closed on Tuesday and mass transit² was running at reduced levels. In Washington, most federal government offices stayed closed.

All three cities were hit by heavy snowfall -- two-thirds of a meter or more in many areas. The storm is officially called Winter Storm Jonas. But Washington Post readers chose another name -- “Snowzilla.”

“Considering this was a tenth of an inch (0.254 centimeters) away from being the all-time largest snowfall in the history of New York City going back to 1869, this was outstanding effort,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. He made the comment Monday on a trip to the New York City borough³ of Queens. He went there to visit reopened stores.

But he admitted not every side street had been cleared of snow.

In Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., officials reported most major roads had been cleared. But the officials could not say when smaller streets would be cleared of snow.

In Washington, people who did not get the day off because of government and school closings rode – or tried – to ride the city’s public transportation system.

Compared to Monday, more Metro⁴ bus and rail lines were operating Tuesday. But people who showed up at some stations in nearby Virginia Tuesday morning learned the stations were still closed.

The transit system provided buses to take passengers from the closed stations to the nearest open Metrorail stations.

Officials warned that the recovery efforts would cost a lot.

“When you have a storm of historic proportions, the budget will be historic as well,” said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

In New York City, Broadway shows, the Metropolitan⁵ Opera and other fine arts centers cancelled shows on Saturday. The closure announcements came after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a ban on driving last Saturday.

But by Sunday, when the roads reopened, most shows went on as planned.

New York singer-songwriter Libbie Schrader went on Facebook to personally thank the New York City subway system for staying open. She said it enabled people to watch her show Sunday night at Rockwood Music Hall.

Words in this Story

transit – n. buses or trains used to take passengers from one location to another

outstanding - adj. extremely good or well done

proportion – adj.  the relationship that exists between the size, number, or amount of two things

1 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。

2 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

3 borough   

n.享有自治权的市镇；(英)自治市镇

参考例句：

• He was slated for borough president.他被提名做自治区主席。
• That's what happened to Harry Barritt of London's Bromley borough.住在伦敦的布罗姆利自治市的哈里.巴里特就经历了此事。

4 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

5 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。