2016年CRI Torrential rain hits Beijing, disrupts traffic

 

Heavy rainfall rarely seen in past years started in China's capital early on Wednesday complicating¹ commuting² especially during rush hour.

"I got totally wet when I went to work in the morning. I had to change my clothes."

The municipal meteorological authority raised its storm alert to orange in the afternoon.

It's the second-highest in the nation’s four-tier warning system.

The average precipitation in the city neared 176 mm, with the maximum of close to 420 mm recorded in the suburban³ district of Fangshan.

The city's railway bureau said at least 60 trains from the city have been canceled, while at least 13 more trains have had to return to their point of departure.

The air travel service has also been disrupted. By 8:00 p.m., close to 240 flights had been canceled at Beijing Capital International Airport due to the rain.

"We came to Beijing on holiday. Flights were cancelled due to the bad weather today, so we came to the airport earlier to wait for the flight status. So far I haven't received any information."

On Wednesday afternoon, 13 waterlogged road sections in downtown Beijing had been temporarily closed to traffic. More than 3,000 workers were dispatched to clear away the water.

More than 160 bus routes were affected⁴, with services suspended on 14 of them.

The municipal flood control office issued a statement, urging residents to limit travel, take public transport, and stagger commutes⁵ after work.

No casualties were reported in the capital during the constant downpours.

Some locals spoke⁶ positively⁷ of the improved urban infrastructure⁸.

"The government took the flood control project seriously. It did improve. Although there was some traffic congestion⁹ today, it was good in general."

In Tianjin, heavy rain also hampered¹⁰ transportation with close to 190 flights cancelled on Wednesday.

Average precipitation in the downtown area of Tianjin exceeded 218 mm over the past two days.

The governments of Shenyang City and Dalian City in northeast Liaoning Province have ordered all schools and kindergartens to stay closed on Thursday due to the storms.

The National Meteorological Center on Wednesday also maintained its orange alert for rainstorms across the country.

Torrential rain has also been forecast for large parts of northern and central China from Wednesday to Thursday.

The latest round of rainfall this week has claimed three lives in Shanxi, two in Henan and another in neighboring Hebei, where 34 others are still unaccounted for.

The National Meteorological Center advised people living in the affected areas to prepare for possible floods, landslides¹¹ and mud and rock flows, and those that live in mountainous areas to move to safety.

For CRI, this is Liu Yuanhui.

1 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

2 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。

3 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

4 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。

5 commutes   

上下班路程( commute的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She commutes from Oxford to London every day. 她每天上下班往返于牛津与伦敦之间。
• Barbara lives in Oxford and commutes. 芭芭拉住在牛津，通勤往来。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

9 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

10 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

11 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。