原版英文小故事 40. Perfect Weather

It was a perfect day in Los Angeles. Even Shakespeare might not have words for a day like this. You had to “be there” to appreciate it. The sun was shining, and soft white clouds were parked in the deep blue sky. The temperature was perfect for shorts. Not chilly¹, not hot. A breeze occasionally stirred the leaves.

Most days in LA are hot. December and January are usually rainy and, for some reason, June is usually cool and overcast². Although many locals find June weather to be refreshingly³ cool, the local TV weather people complain daily. “When is the ‘June gloom’ going to end?” they ask.

Eventually, of course, the gray June sky changes to a blue sky with very high temperatures. For the next five months, the local TV weather people complain about how hot it is, and get excited when the temperature drops five degrees.

Winter in LA means rain. Rain excites the local TV weather people. They get to remind viewers to remember their umbrellas, watch out for traffic, and drive extra carefully! They get to say “storm warning!” More than half the time, no storm follows the storm warning.

When a big storm hits LA, the local TV weather people show close-ups of big puddles⁴ in the streets, close-ups of windshield wipers wiping away raindrops, and close-ups of wet people waiting at bus stops. Sometimes they show close-ups of TV reporters standing⁵ ankle-deep in raging streams.

For some reason, the local TV weather people never have much to say about a perfect day like today.

 

1 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

2 overcast   

adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天

参考例句：

• The overcast and rainy weather found out his arthritis.阴雨天使他的关节炎发作了。
• The sky is overcast with dark clouds.乌云满天。

3 refreshingly   

adv.清爽地，有精神地

参考例句：

• Hers is less workmanlike than the other books and refreshingly unideological. 她的书不像其它书那般精巧，并且不涉及意识形态也让人耳目一新。 来自互联网
• Skin is left refreshingly clean with no pore-clogging residue. 皮肤留下清爽干净，没有孔隙堵塞残留。 来自互联网

4 puddles   

n.水坑， （尤指道路上的）雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The puddles had coalesced into a small stream. 地面上水洼子里的水汇流成了一条小溪。
• The road was filled with puddles from the rain. 雨后路面到处是一坑坑的积水。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。