Extreme Cold Freezes Much of United States.doc

Extreme Cold Freezes Much of United States 极寒天气入侵美国大部分地区 From VOA Learning English, this is In the News. 这里是美国之音慢速英语新闻报道。 A weather system known as a polar vortex brought dangerously cold weather to large parts of the United States this week. A polar vortex is a cold, thick low pressure system. The air turns counter-clockwise when on the move. 本周，一种被称为极涡的天气系统给美国大部分地区带来了危险的严寒天气。极涡是一种寒冷的深厚低压系统，气流上升时呈逆时针旋转。 The polar vortex started up in Canada. After crossing the border, it moved deep into the southeastern United States. The polar vortex brought the coldest temperatures in more than 20 years to many areas. Anise Jenkins lives in Washington, DC. 这次极涡始于加拿大，它在越过边境后进入美国东南部。这次极涡给美国很多地区带来了20多年以来最冷的气温。安丽思·詹金斯(Anise Jenkins)住在华盛顿特区。 2014年1月7日，纽约人民全副武装对抗严寒 I have a coat on. I have three sweaters. I have two blouses. I have a thermal on and I dont feel like I have anything on. 她说，“我穿了一件大衣，三件毛衣，两件衬衣，一件保暖内衣，但我感觉就跟没穿一样。” Another woman, named Amanda, lives nearby in Maryland. 另一位名为阿曼达(Amanda)的妇女住在附近的马里兰州。 Its DC. Its not supposed to be this cold. 她说，“这里是华盛顿特区，这里不该这么冷啊。” The weather was also a shock to visitors from overseas. Deepak from India was visiting his sister in New York. 这种天气对海外游客来说也是一大震撼。来自印度的迪帕克(Deepak)来拜访纽约的姐姐。 Tears just come out from my eyes and my head inside like a freezer. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. 他说，“哦，天啊。冻得我眼泪直流，我脑子里面就像个冰箱。” The extreme weather started with a low-pressure system near the North Pole. The Arctic air was pushed as far south as Alabama on wind currents known as the jet stream. The bitter cold covered much of the central United States, forcing schools, government offices and businesses to close. 这种极端天气源于北极附近的一种低压系统。这种北极的空气被一种称为高空急流的强风吹到了远至阿拉巴马州以南的地方。严寒覆盖了美国中部大部分地区，迫使学校、政府办公室和企业关门。 Camden Walker is a reporter for the Washington Post. He is part of the newspapers Capital Weather Gang, which limits its reporting to the weather. 卡姆登·沃克(Camden Walker)是一位来自华盛顿邮报的记者。他隶属于该报社的气象部门，该部门仅限于天气报道。 When the jet stream came south, the floodgates opened from the nort