【英语时差8,16】在冬季,是最好的驾驶季节

 In Canada's arctic¹, winter is the best driving season because every winter, ice roads are built over frozen² rivers and lakes, connecting communities that are usually accessible only by air. Ice is surprisingly strong and forms early in the arctic. By December, it can support light trucks, and by January, the ice is more than a yard thick, allowing full size transport trucks to deliver fuel, food and other goods more easily and cheaply than aircraft. This means that many things are cheaper in the arctic in the dead of winter because they don't have to be flown in.

But ice roads are more than just frozen rivers. Road crews improve the ice road by taking advantage of the fact that ice floats. They drill holes in the ice and drive light trucks over them. The floating ice gives a little under the weight of the truck and forces water up through the holes where it spreads out to form a thin layer. This water then freezes and thickens the ice road. Road crews also maintain³ the road by plowing⁴ regularly, since open ice freezes more solidly than snow-covered ice.

Although ice roads are plowed⁵ like regular roads, they offer a different driving experience. Because ice has give, a wave is created under it as the vehicle drives on top. Driving too fast can create a wave strong enough to crack the ice, especially as you approach the shore. So the speed limit is about 10 miles per hour.

In May, the ice breaks up and is washed away into the sea. So, if you want to drive up to Aklavik or Tuktoyaktuk, to see the northern lights, you'd better plan on winter driving.  

1 Arctic   

adj.北极的；n.北极

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• The sort of animal lived in the Arctic Circle.这种动物生活在北极圈里。

2 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

3 maintain   

vt.支撑；赡养，抚养；维持，保有

参考例句：

• He has to maintain a large family on a small salary.他不得不依靠很少的工资养活一家人。
• We must do our best to maintain sales at their usual rate.我们要尽力使销售额保持在平日的水平上。

4 plowing   

v.耕( plow的现在分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• "There are things more important now than plowing, Sugar. "如今有比耕种更重要的事情要做呀，宝贝儿。 来自飘（部分）
• Since his wife's death, he has been plowing a lonely furrow. 从他妻子死后，他一直过着孤独的生活。 来自辞典例句

5 plowed   

v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• They plowed nearly 100,000 acres of virgin moorland. 他们犁了将近10万英亩未开垦的高沼地。 来自辞典例句
• He plowed the land and then sowed the seeds. 他先翻土，然后播种。 来自辞典例句