英语博客：What's happened to the weather?

　　The weather is one thing, where I live, that is consistent¹. It is one of the attractions about living here. The tourist information about Wenatchee talks at once about the 300 days of sun each year, and the regular, consistent four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Rarely does the weather 'step out of line' or not follow the typical patterns of this climate. Yesterday, however, was a different story. The first thing that made me realize that something was different was that, at six o'clock in the morning, the birds were not singing. Usually they are making a terrible racket at that time. I could hear, instead, the whooshing² noise of the wind, and a buffeting⁴ or banging as it was hitting the house. I was immediately reminded of the poem 'Wind' by Ted⁵ Hughes, but I could hear my kids getting up, so I didn't have time to dream about poetry. As I pulled out of the driveway, I saw that most of the asphalt of the cul-de-sac was under water. The trees were being thrown around by the wind, and the rain poured heavily without stopping. The children were excited at the change in weather. It makes the day interesting, after all. "We must make cookies today, after school," I said. "Yes, and have a fire too," replied one of the children. The idea of getting cosy⁶ on a day like today is the fun part of bad weather. 50 mile an hour winds were recorded, and continued to blow most of the day. The baseball game was cancelled, and nobody was out on the street. Our warm front was over for a while, now that a cold one had moved in. C'est la vie! I annoyed a few people by telling them that I love the rain, but it's true. It's in my genes⁷. Well, by evening, the storm had blown itself out, and everything was soggy and still. No harm done, just a good reminder⁸ that we can never get too complacent⁹ about our consistent climate.
Grammar notes.
Combining similar consonants¹⁰ from the ends and beginnings of words + related vocabulary: to step out of line, a racket, to buffet³, soggy.
1. If that employee steps out of line and behaves badly again, no way will he keep his job. (1 n's)
2. The birds were making such a racket today; I'll be glad when Spring is over. (1 t's)
3. The wind buffets¹¹ the house so much that the walls seem to shake. (2 s's).
4. After your walk, could you please take off your shoes and socks; they will be dirty and soggy, and I don't want to get the carpet dirty. (1 k/c's) (1 t's).

1 consistent   

adj.坚持的，一贯的，一致的，符合的

参考例句：

• He has been a consistent friend to the Chinese people.他是中国人民始终如一的朋友。
• His action is always consistent with his words.他始终言行一致。

2 whooshing   

v.（使）飞快移动( whoosh的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by. 我喜欢最后期待。我尤其喜欢它们飞驰而过时发出的嗖嗖声。 来自互联网
• The constant whooshing of the wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background. 不断跑车疾速的风雨整个屋顶不会褪色的背景。 来自互联网

3 buffet   

n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台

参考例句：

• Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐？
• Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗？

4 buffeting   

振动

参考例句：

• The flowers took quite a buffeting in the storm. 花朵在暴风雨中备受摧残。
• He's been buffeting with misfortunes for 15 years. 15年来，他与各种不幸相博斗。

5 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

6 cosy   

adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的

参考例句：

• We spent a cosy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
• It was so warm and cosy in bed that Simon didn't want to get out.床上温暖而又舒适，西蒙简直不想下床了。

7 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

8 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

9 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

10 consonants   

n.辅音，子音( consonant的名词复数 )；辅音字母

参考例句：

• Consonants are frequently assimilated to neighboring consonants. 辅音往往被其邻近的辅音同化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants. 元音比辅音响亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 buffets   

（火车站的）饮食柜台( buffet的名词复数 )； （火车的）餐车； 自助餐

参考例句：

• All life's buffets should be met with dignity and good sense. 所有人生之打击都应以尊严和理智对付之。
• In addition to buffets, American families enjoy picnics and barbeques. 除自助餐外，美国家庭还喜欢野餐和户外烧烤餐。