新西兰英语 783 Wild weather

 　　Wild weather hit Wellington last night with heavy rain and strong winds. Winds reaching 200 km an hour caused a lot of damage. Winds lifted roofs off houses. Trees and power lines came down. About 30,000 homes lost their electricity. Huge waves broke sea walls and damaged houses near the sea. The airport was closed and some trains could not operate in and out of Wellington. There were no ferry sailings between Wellington and Picton.

　　Meanwhile in the South Island, snow closed roads in many inland places. All 6 mountain passes were closed for some time; the Lindis Pass and Burkes Pass between Fairlie and Queenstown are still closed 24 hours later, while chains are needed on other passes. Snow has caused problems for farmers trying to feed animals. They use a bulldozer to make a path where they drop hay¹ for the animals. New Zealand farmers do not keep their animals in barns² because snow is not usual.

　　The 10-day Queenstown Winter Festival starts tonight. They have plenty of snow to celebrate the event but the problem is that tourists can’t get to Queenstown easily with roads and airports closed.

　　Today is also the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Tomorrow, many people will celebrate by taking part in a polar plunge³ at some beaches – a quick dip in the sea and maybe a hot toddy (an alcoholic⁴ drink) to warm up afterwards.

　　Vocabulary

　　?huge – very, very big

　　?ferry – ships that travel across Cook Strait

　　?mountain pass – lowest place on a mountain where a road goes through from one side to the other

　　?chains – on the tyres for safety in snow

　　?bulldozer – big tractor⁵ which clears a path through the snow

　　?solstice – when the sun reaches its lowest point

　　?polar – very cold like at the north or south pole

　　?plunge, dip – dive into the water

1 hay   

n.(用作饲料或覆盖的)干草

参考例句：

• Cows feed on hay.奶牛以干草为生。
• They usually keep the hay in the barn.他们通常将干草存放在谷仓中。

2 barns   

n.牲口棚( barn的名词复数 )；（公共汽车、卡车等的）车库；仓房；简陋的大建筑物

参考例句：

• Hurstwood breathed freely when he saw the barns. 当赫斯渥看见车场时，轻松地出了一口气。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Groups of ham actors took the barns by storm like soldiers. 一伙伙的蹩脚演员就象士兵攻占堡垒一样大闹各仓。 来自辞典例句

3 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

4 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

5 tractor   

n.拖拉机，牵引车

参考例句：

• You must oil the tractor every day.你必须每天给拖拉机加油。
• He has a tractor.他有一台拖拉机。