听力文本

Hello and welcome to the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories!

People all over the world love to talk about the weather. Today, we talk about expressions that come from extreme winter weather.

Winters in the northern United States are cold and snowy. Sometimes, the snows come with extremely strong winds. These snowstorms are called blizzards.

It is difficult to see through the fast blowing snow of a blizzard. So, they are often described as blinding.

The dictionary Etymology Online says blizzard came to mean a severe snow storm during the late 1800s. Before then, the word blizzard had nothing to do with snow. It had several other meanings. One was a sharp blow, like hitting a ball with a stick. Another meaning was a gun shot. And blizzard was also defined as a most extreme statement or event.

These days, we do not use blizzard to mean any of those things. Blizzard is only used to mean an extreme snow storm.

The first such use was in 1870. An especially violent and heavy snowstorm struck the state of Iowa. This storm was the worst winter storm in a long time. A newspaper editor in a small Iowa town called the terrible storm a blizzard.

Much like a blizzard, the use of the word blew across the country over the next few years. Just as snow sticks to the ground, the word blizzard stuck as meaning any really bad winter storm.

Snow changes the world around us. When snow is falling, the world seems somehow soft, peaceful and quiet.

But blizzards are different. They can be dangerous.

Blizzards create white-out conditions. A white-out is when snow is falling fast and winds drive the snow so much that is impossible to see. Driving a vehicle in driving snow can be deadly. Cities sometimes declare a temporary state of emergency. This tells people to stay off the roads. This prevents accidents and also lets the snow removal trucks do their work.

Deep, heavy snow is difficult to move. Clearing snow from roads and sidewalks is hard work. During a blizzard, people often get snowed in. They cannot leave their houses because snow drifts block doorways.

To make matters worse, high winds and heavy snow can break limbs off trees. These limbs often hit power lines, cutting power and sometimes heat to homes and businesses.

People who stock up on food and supplies are better prepared to deal with a blizzard. They hunker down -- or remain in their homes for many days. Often before a blizzard, people panic shop. Stores see a run on things like bread, milk, eggs and toilet paper -- all classic blizzard supplies.

Even though blizzards can be dangerous, some people still enjoy the excitement caused by this extreme weather.

But no one likes to be snowed.

Snow as a verb means to tell someone many pleasant but false statements. This action is also called a snow job. If someone tries to snow you, you could say they are being cold, meaning their actions are rough, mean or unfeeling.

Blizzards may be hard to see through. But if you are smart, snow jobs are not. For example, if someone tells you that you can learn English without working hard, they are trying to snow you.

But listening to VOA Learning English is a good way to help your English studies. And that is no snow job. I'm Anna Matteo.

重点解析

1.snow storm 暴风雪
The snow-covered terrain gleams under a bright blue sky as the snow storm passes.
当暴风雪经过时，被白雪覆盖的地面在明亮的蓝天之下散发出光芒。

2.driving snow 暴风雪；大风雪
Picture yourself walking for days in a driving snow.
想象你再暴风雪中走了好几天。

3.snow drifts 积雪
Sculpted by heavy snow drifts, the Shinto shrine Togakushi, sits high in the Japan Alps near the town of Hakuba.
被厚厚的积雪装饰的日本神道教神殿户隐，坐落在哈库巴镇附近阿尔卑斯山高处。

4.snow job 花言巧语的欺骗
They are claiming that he's not guilty but that's just a snow job.
他们声称他无罪，那只不过是骗人的说法而已。

参考译文

欢迎收听VOA学英语《词汇掌故》节目。

世界各地的人们都喜欢谈论天气。今天，我们来谈谈关于冬天极端天气的表达。

美国北部的冬天非常寒冷多雪。有时候，雪花伴随着狂风。这就是所谓的暴风雪（blizzard）。

视线很难穿过暴风雪中快速飘落的雪花。因此它们被称之为致盲。

《词源在线》字典网站表示，19世纪末，blizzard成为严重雪灾的代名词。在此之前，blizzard这个单词和雪花毫无关系。这个单词有过其它几层意思。其一是暴力击打，就像用棍子打球一样。另一层意思是枪击。blizzard还被定义为最极端的声明或事件。

如今，我们不再使用blizzard来指代这些意义中的任何一种。Blizzard只用来表示指代极端暴风雪。

Blizzard第一次这样应用是在1870年。当时一场特别猛烈的暴风雪袭击了艾奥瓦州。这场风暴在很长一段时间里都是最为严重的一次冬季风暴。艾奥瓦州一个小镇上的一位报纸编辑称这场暴风雪为bizzard。

就像是一场暴风雪，这种用法未来几年在整个美国被引爆。正如雪黏在地面上，blizzard这个单词牢牢成为了恶劣冬季风暴的代名词。

雪花改变了我们周边的世界。当雪花飘落时，世界不知怎么看上去变得柔软、和平和宁静。

但是暴风雪不一样。它们可能是危险的。

暴风雪会导致雪盲症（white-out condition）。雪盲（white-out）是指当降雪太大、风强烈吹动着雪花时很难看见东西。在暴风雪（driving snow）中开车可能会致命。城市有时候会宣布进入临时紧急状态。这告诉人们要远离道路。这可以防止发生意外同时让除雪车可以开工。

深厚的积雪难以移动。清除道路和人行道上的积雪是一项艰苦的工作。在暴风雪期间，人们常常会被大雪困住（snowed in）。他们没法离开家因为积雪（snow drifts）堵住了门口。

更糟糕的是，大风大雪会让树枝断裂。这些树枝经常会击中电线造成家庭和企业停电，有时候还会停暖。

囤积（stock up）食品和日用品的人们可以更好地应对暴风雪。他们多日闭门不出（hunker down）。通常在暴风雪之前，人们都会恐慌购物（panic shop）。卖场里面包、牛奶、鸡蛋和卫生纸等所有经典的暴风雪用品都会发生抢购（a run on）。

尽管暴风雪可能是危险的，有些人仍然享受着这种极端天气造成的兴奋。

但是没人喜欢被蒙蔽（snow）。

作为动词，Snow的意思是告诉某人许多愉快但是虚假的言论。这种行为也被称之为欺骗（snow job）。如果有人试图欺骗（to snow）你，你可以说他们不友好（cold），意思是他们的行为是令人不快、刻薄和绝情的。

暴风雪可能很难看透。但是如果你很聪明，不会看不清楚欺骗。例如，如果有人告诉你学习英语不用努力，他们就是在欺骗你。

不过收听VOA学英语是一个帮助你学习英语的好办法。这可不是欺骗。我是安娜·马特奥。