Snowstorms affect 7,500 people in NE China

 Snowstorms affect 7,500 people in NE China

HARBIN/CHANGCHUN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Snowstorms in recent days have affected¹ road traffic and caused difficulties to local people in northeast China.

The snowstorms from Sunday to Tuesday have affected more than 7,500 residents in Hegang and Shuangyashan cities in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The snowstorms also flattened² 170 houses and suspended local bus service, local government officials said.

The snowstorms also damaged 33,000 hectares of trees and more than 2,200 hectares of crops in the two cities.

All expressways in Heilongjiang were forced to close on Tuesday morning due to heavy snow, local transportation authorities said.

Major expressways linking Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, and other cities in the province, including Mudanjiang, Daqing and Yichun, have been closed since 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Traffic police have been patrolling in case of emergencies.

Cui Yang, an official with the Harbin Highway Transport Terminal, told Xinhua that heavy snow left 400 coaches stranded³ on Monday and more coaches might be stranded on Tuesday as the snow continues.

More than 7,000 sanitation⁴ workers have been mobilized to clear the roads, and 500 snow-sweepers have been dispatched to remove snow and mud from major streets in Harbin, according to the city's urban management bureau.

Flight services at Harbin Taiping International Airport remained normal.

In neighboring Jilin Province, education authorities have urged schools and kindergartens in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas to remain closed until Wednesday.

The provincial⁵ education department asked primary and middle schools, as well as kindergartens in plain areas to stop or reschedule classes according to the weather conditions until Wednesday. Headmasters should regularly contact students at home to ensure their safety.

Traffic authorities in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, have increased the number of buses on the streets to alleviate⁶ the transport situation.

The Changchun municipal government asked the local meteorological observatory⁷ to monitor weather conditions and provide timely weather information to residents.

The snowstorms have led to hikes of the prices of 80 percent of vegetables in Changchun, with the highest being over 20 percent, according to the Changchun Municipal Price Supervision⁸ and Inspection⁹ Bureau.

Price rises are likely to continue, as ice-covered roads have made transportation in Jilin difficult, reducing supply of vegetables, a local pricing official said.

Transportation authorities at all levels in the province have promised to provide timely weather information to residents via radios, televisions, the Internet and text messages.

Although transportation on all expressways in Jilin had resumed as of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, coaches, trucks and vehicles loaded with chemicals and dangerous articles are still under temporary traffic control.

Flight services in the Changchun Longjia Airport had remained normal as of Tuesday afternoon.

China's National Meteorological Center issued a blue warning for further snowstorms in Jilin, Heilongjiang and northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous¹⁰ Region on Tuesday morning.

China has a four-color-coded warning system for its weather forecast, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The observatory said that snowstorms had started to weaken in northeast China but some parts of the region can still expect heavy snow.

1 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。

2 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

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 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

5 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

6 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

7 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

8 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

9 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

10 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。