2007年VOA标准英语-Freezing Rain, High Winds Cause Havoc in US Hea

By Greg Flakus
Houston
15 January 2007

Wintry weather conditions are causing widespread disruptions in the Great Plains states and as far south as Texas and Louisiana. Hundreds of thousands of people are without electrical power and icy roads have caused more than a dozen deaths in traffic accidents. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, parts of the Gulf¹ coast may be in for the biggest ice storm to hit the area in a decade.

 
A power pole leans at an angle with the weight of accumulated ice and freezing rain following a series of ice storms in Springfield, Mo., 14 Jan 2007
A cold front moving down from Canada and butting² up against moisture out of the Gulf of Mexico has produced freezing rain, snow and flash floods from Kansas down to Texas and eastward³ into Missouri.

Cars and trucks skidding⁴ on icy roads have caused dozens of serious accidents, particularly in northern Texas and across Oklahoma. Seven Mexican nationals died on an icy road in western Oklahoma when the van they were in was hit head-on by a large truck.

Across much of the storm's path, wind gusts⁵ have knocked down ice-coated power lines leaving hundreds of thousands of people without electricity, and, in many cases, without heat for their homes. In Missouri, more than 330,000 people are without power and in Oklahoma 120,000 have been affected⁶.

Susan Gallagher, who represents the private power firm Ameren in St Louis, Missouri, says her state has been through a lot this winter

"Missouri has been one of the hardest hit, in terms of weather in the nation," she said. "Particularly, the St. Louis metropolitan⁷ area has had more weather events than any other National Weather Service office in the nation. It has set the record for bad weather with 765 events."

 
Icicles hang from blackout-darkened traffic lights in downtown Springfield, Mo., 15 Jan 2007
She says 3,000 line workers are out in the field now trying to restore power, giving priority to hospitals, emergency centers and places that serve as shelters for people who have been forced from their homes.

"Essentially⁸, what they have done is set up warming centers, all kinds of places have opened where there is electricity, and made places for people to go. The biggest issue is particularly elderly people who do not want to leave their homes," she said.

Gallagher says police and National Guard troops are sometimes deployed⁹ to convince elderly people to leave their homes and come to a shelter until conditions improve.

Almost the entire state of Oklahoma has experienced icy roads and power outages in the past few days. Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Michelann Ooten says conditions are starting to improve, but there is still much work to be done.

He said, "We are continuing to worry about the people who do not have power and making sure that shelters are open, providing generators¹⁰ for those shelters and keeping water treatment plants online."

In Texas the cold front came through the Dallas-Fort Worth area Sunday night and led to road closures in some places. In central Texas, temperatures remained above freezing, but there was heavy rain. Texas Governor Ricky Perry called out the National Guard to assist areas hit by flash flooding.

A wave of freezing cold air is now moving south toward Houston and forecasters predict freezing rain and sleet¹¹ for the city over the next couple of days. If the forecasts hold true, it will be the first major ice storm to hit this semi-tropical area since 1997 when a blanket of ice disrupted traffic and led to the closing of airports, schools and many businesses.

Road crews are loading trucks with sand and anti-freeze chemicals, which they will apply to icy roadways as needed in the hours ahead. Most Gulf coast motorists are not used to driving on slippery ice and police are urging caution in order to prevent accidents.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 butting   

用头撞人（犯规动作）

参考例句：

• When they were talking Mary kept butting in. 当他们在谈话时，玛丽老是插嘴。
• A couple of goats are butting each other. 两只山羊在用角互相顶撞。

3 eastward   

adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部

参考例句：

• The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。
• The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。

4 skidding   

n.曳出，集材v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的现在分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区

参考例句：

• All the wheels of the truck were tied up with iron chains to avoid skidding on the ice road. 大卡车的所有轮子上都捆上了铁链，以防止在结冰的路面上打滑。 来自《用法词典》
• I saw the motorcycle skidding and its rider spilling in dust. 我看到摩托车打滑，骑车人跌落在地。 来自互联网

5 gusts   

一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作

参考例句：

• Her profuse skirt bosomed out with the gusts. 她的宽大的裙子被风吹得鼓鼓的。
• Turbulence is defined as a series of irregular gusts. 紊流定义为一组无规则的突风。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 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。

8 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

9 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

10 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 sleet   

n.雨雪；v.下雨雪，下冰雹

参考例句：

• There was a great deal of sleet last night.昨夜雨夹雪下得真大。
• When winter comes,we get sleet and frost.冬天来到时我们这儿会有雨夹雪和霜冻。