酷兔英语

    2011年2月10日,北京终于迎来了一场大雪。这是北京从去年冬天到今年春天以来第一场全市范围的降雪。自去年入冬以来,北京市区已经连续107天没有有效降水,这也创下了60年来冬季降雪最晚的记录。借助这场雪带来的天气条件,北京在随后的两天里又进行了多次人工增雪。      俗话说,"瑞雪兆丰年"。经过了100多天终于迎来了一场降雪,人们当然非常高兴。但是实际上,这场雪并没有给人们带来特别多的喜悦。因为在这三个月以来,中国北方大部分地区降水量极少。这些地区是中国小麦的主要生产区,干旱严重影响了小麦的生长。而实际上这场雪对缓解旱情的作用是非常有限的。与天气情况紧密相关的,是粮食价格的上涨。这两年以来,国内和国外都经常有极端天气出现。我们知道,因为天气等原因,已经造成了澳大利亚农业大规模的减产和损失。就中国来说,截至2月9日,北方八省冬小麦的受旱面积已经达到了1亿多亩。有一份报告指出,到今年1月份,全球食品价格指数已经连续7个月上升,超过了2008年"粮食危机"时期的最高值,是1990年以来最高的。该报告还指出,中国干旱可能会对粮食价格产生很大的影响。北京一家饭馆的顾客说:"前几天吃鲜肉水饺还15元一份,过了一个年就涨到18元一份,半个月里一下涨了两成,个头儿还缩水了。涨得太快了!"饭馆的老板娘说:"我们也没有办法啊,面、菜、油这些原材料都涨价,饺子的价钱自然也水涨船高了。"     10 Feb 2011, Beijing welcomes a long awaited snowfall with snow blanketing much of the entire city. Since winter last year and up to spring this year, the Beijing region has not experiencedeffective precipitation for 107 consecutive days, breaking a 60 year record. Taking full advantage of the weather conditions brought about by this snowfall, the next two days saw authorities carrying out cloud seeding efforts to induce precipitation.

A saying goes, "Timely snow is an omen of a bountiful year ahead." Following more than 100 days of winter without snow, people are naturally delighted. In actuality, there is little to be so joyful about. In the past three months, north China has seen little precipitation. This is where the key wheat producing regions lie and the snow brings limitedrelief to the ravages already brought about by the severe drought. Closely linked with these weather conditions are rising food prices. The past two years have seen extreme weather at home and abroad. It is widely known that in Australia, falling crop production and subsequent losses have been brought about by weather related conditions. In north China, the drought-stricken area affects eight provinces producing winter wheat and as of February 9, stands at over 6.67 million hectares. According to one report, up until January this year the global food price index has escalated consecutively for 7 months, surpassing the peak of the "food crisis" in 2008, the highest since 1990. The same report also highlighted on the eventuality of the tremendousimpact brought about by China's drought on the prices of foodstuff. One customer at a restaurant in Beijing groused, "A few days ago, fresh meat dumplings were still 15 yuan apiece, after the new year, the price was 18 yuan apiece. The price increased by 20% in just half a month. And what's more, the portion is also smaller. This increase is just too steep!" The lady proprietor who runs the restaurant quipped, "We don't have any choice; the prices of ingredients such as flour, vegetables, and oil have risen, so naturally the price of dumplings will also rise. As it is said, when the river rises, the boat rises along with it."

-- atchooo@

Lesson Summary:
In northern China, it is rare to pass winter without seeing snowflakes. This year however, precious snowflakes were nowhere in sight in Beijing, up until spring arrived. Lesson Content: 10 Feb 2011, Beijing welcomes a long awaited snowfall with snow blanketing much of the entire city. Since winter last year and up to spring this year, the Beijing region has not experiencedeffective precipitation for 107 consecutive days, breaking a 60 year record. Taking full advantage of the weather conditions brought about by this snowfall, the next two days saw authorities carrying out cloud seeding efforts to induce precipitation.

A saying goes, "Timely snow is an omen of a bountiful year ahead." Following more than 100 days of winter without snow, people are naturally delighted. In actuality, there is little to be so joyful about. In the past three months, north China has seen little precipitation. This is where the key wheat producing regions lie and the snow brings limitedrelief to the ravages already brought about by the severe drought. Closely linked with these weather conditions are rising food prices. The past two years have seen extreme weather at home and abroad. It is widely known that in Australia, falling crop production and subsequent losses have been brought about by weather related conditions. In north China, the drought-stricken area affects eight provinces producing winter wheat and as of February 9, stands at over 6.67 million hectares. According to one report, up until January this year the global food price index has escalated consecutively for 7 months, surpassing the peak of the "food crisis" in 2008, the highest since 1990. The same report also highlighted on the eventuality of the tremendousimpact brought about by China's drought on the prices of foodstuff. One customer at a restaurant in Beijing groused, "A few days ago, fresh meat dumplings were still 15 yuan apiece, after the new year, the price was 18 yuan apiece. The price increased by 20% in just half a month. And what's more, the portion is also smaller. This increase is just too steep!" The lady proprietor who runs the restaurant quipped, "We don't have any choice; the prices of ingredients such as flour, vegetables, and oil have risen, so naturally the price of dumplings will also rise. As it is said, when the river rises, the boat rises along with it."