美国有线新闻 CNN 2014-01-13

 Welcome to your Janurary Ninth edition of CNN Students News, I'm Carl Azuz. In less than a month, the 22nd Winter Olympic Games were taken off in Sochi, Russia. Opening ceremony is Friday, February 7th. Here's the by the numbers look at what's ahead: 6000 athletes competing, the best in best in Winter sports from 85  countries worldwide. The Olympics will round 17 days in the resort city, they'll include 1650 Paralympians and they'll be traveling to Sochi from 45 countries. Total number of events, 89, some of them will take place near Sochi's coast, others in the mountains overlooking the city. This could be the most expensive Winter Games ever. Russia's spending at least 50 billion dollars on things like roads, railways, stadiums, ski jumps and security. Russia says this will be the most secure Olympics ever, 25000 police officers, 8000 additional security officers. The country is confident in Olympic safety, and that's the despite reason terrorists bombings in another Russian city. And this could be the warmest games ever. Sochi's average temperature in February, 47 degrees Fahrenheit¹.  It's colder than in Vail, Colorado, one of America's largest ski resorts. It has  some of the best skiing in the US. In Vail's back country, a way from the mountain itself, the terrain² is only for the most experienced skiers and snowboarders. There is an avalanche⁴ control here and two skiers and two snowboarders got caught in a sudden slide of snow Tuesday. Three of them were temporarily trapped. The fourth person, the grandson of one of the Vail's co-founders was killed. Officials believe the avalanche was caused by the skiers and snowboarders. Conditions might have been right for one. 

 

What we've been seeing over the last, say, ten days or so,  is just a general increase in the size of the valances in the back country. 

Why is that?

 

Well, we have some very weak snow near the ground that formed early in the season, and we've been getting kind of consistent snowfalls, so the slab⁵ over it and starting to get fickler⁶ and larger. 

 

Skier³ Davis Lamer⁷ recently rescued his brother from an avalance in the same area. Clearly shows you how quick and dangerous these events can be.

1 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

2 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

3 skier   

n.滑雪运动员

参考例句：

• She is a skier who is unafraid of danger.她是一名敢于冒险的滑雪者。
• The skier skimmed across the snow.滑雪者飞快地滑过雪地。

4 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

5 slab   

n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上

参考例句：

• This heavy slab of oak now stood between the bomb and Hitler.这时笨重的橡木厚板就横在炸弹和希特勒之间了。
• The monument consists of two vertical pillars supporting a horizontal slab.这座纪念碑由两根垂直的柱体构成，它们共同支撑着一块平板。

6 fickler   

fickle（（爱情、友谊等）易变的，无常的）的比较级形式

参考例句：

7 lamer   

瘸的( lame的比较级 )； 站不住脚的； 差劲的； 蹩脚的

参考例句：