很多人都喜欢冬天的雪景。有一个地方，在冬天几乎天天下雪。这些雪给当地居民的生活带来了不便，同时也引来了很多游客。
Life in one of the world's snowiest cities
by Jon Jensen & Junko Ogura
6.4 meters of snow – enough to bury a two-story house. That's how much snow fell last year in Aomori（青森） City, in the northern Tohoku region of Japan. But it was just another winter in this coastal city that's home to nearly 300,000 people.
story /ˈstɔːri/ n. 楼层
Tohoku region （日本）东北地区
coastal /ˈkəʊst(ə)l/ adj. 海岸的、沿海的（由coast加后缀-al变成形容词）
Every year, this northern prefectural capital is pummeled by heavy blizzards and ice storms, making Aomori one of the snowiest major cities on the planet and an intriguing travel choice.
prefectural /ˈpriːfektʃ(ə)r(ə)l/ capital 首府、省会
pummel /ˈpʌm(ə)l/ v. 连续猛击
blizzard /ˈblɪzəd/ n. 暴风雪
ice storm 冰暴、冻雨
snowy /ˈsnəʊi/ adj. 下雪多的、多雪的（由snow加后缀-y变成形容词）
major /ˈmeɪdʒə(r)/ adj. 主要的
intriguing /ɪnˈtriːɡɪŋ/ adj. 引人入胜的
The snow leaves much of Aomori City and its surrounding suburbs blanketed in a thick layer of powder during winter. The ground is almost completely white until April. Roofs are covered. Sidewalks are obstructed. Many of the streets downtown are defined by walls of packed ice that become taller each time snow plows attempt to clear the way.
surrounding /səˈraʊndɪŋ/ adj. 周围的
suburb /ˈsʌbɜːb/ n. 郊区
blanket /ˈblæŋkɪt/ v. 厚厚盖住
layer /ˈleɪə(r)/ n. 一层
powder /ˈpaʊdə(r)/ n. 粉末（这里指雪）
sidewalk /ˈsaɪdwɔːk/ n. 人行道（由side和walk组成）
obstruct /əbˈstrʌkt/ v. 阻挡、妨碍
define /dɪˈfaɪn/ v. 显示轮廓
plow /plaʊ/ n. 犁（snow plow指铲雪车）
Despite the constant blizzards, Aomori City doesn't close down in the wintertime. On the contrary, it transforms into a winter wonderland for skiers and other tourists looking to frolic（嬉戏） in the snow.
constant /ˈkɒnst(ə)nt/ adj. 持续不断的
close down 停止运作
wintertime /ˈwɪntətaɪm/ n. 冬天、冬季
on the contrary /ˈkɒntrəri/ 正相反
transform /trænsˈfɔːm/ v. 转变
wonderland /ˈwʌnd(ə)lænd/ n. 仙境般的地方
skier /ˈskiːə(r)/ n. 滑雪者（由ski加上表示人的后缀-er）
Many visitors come to sample some of Japan's freshest and best seafood. Vendors sell it in bulk or by the piece at Furukawa, the city's central seafood market. The local specialty is nokke don, a rice bowl with a variety of toppings – such as raw tuna, octopus（章鱼） or sea urchin – which you select from different stalls. "The best season for fish in Aomori is wintertime, especially codfish（鳕鱼）, with many coming to these waters for spawning," says Yone Natsume, a fishmonger（鱼贩） at Furukawa.
sample /ˈsɑːmp(ə)l/ v. 品尝
seafood /ˈsiːfuːd/ n. 海鲜（由sea和food组成）
vendor /ˈvendə(r)/ n. 售卖者、小贩
in bulk /bʌlk/ 批量地
specialty /ˈspeʃ(ə)lti/ n. 特产（由special加后缀-ty变成名词）
topping /ˈtɒpɪŋ/ n. 浇头
raw /rɔː/ adj. （食物）生的
tuna /ˈtjuːnə/ n. 金枪鱼
sea urchin /ˈɜːtʃɪn/ 海胆
stall /stɔːl/ n. 售货亭、摊位
water /ˈwɔːtə(r)/ n. 水域、海域
spawn /spɔːn/ v. 产卵
Traveling to Aomori City isn't difficult, even when it's snowing. It's a three-hour ride from Tokyo on Japan's high-speed bullet train. Or you can fly into the city's main international airport, located on a mountain above town. Aomori Airport handles some 20 flights a day.
Tokyo /ˈtəʊkiəʊ/ n. 东京（日本首都）
bullet /ˈbʊlɪt/ n. 子弹（bullet train指子弹头列车）
locate /ləʊˈkeɪt/ v. 定位、位于
handle /ˈhænd(ə)l/ v. 处理
some /sʌm/ adv. 大约（用在数字的前面）
flight /flaɪt/ n. 航班
It's possible to land and take off there even in the winter because of the airport's massive snow removal team, which calls itself White Impulse. The 120-member team operates dozens of heavy snow plows several times a day in order to keep the airport's single landing strip ice-free during the worst winter weather.
land /lænd/ v. 着陆、降落
take off 起飞
massive /ˈmæsɪv/ adj. 庞大的
removal /rɪˈmuːv(ə)l/ n. 清除（由remove加后缀-al变成名词）
operate /ˈɒp(ə)reɪt/ v. 操作、使运转
single /ˈsɪŋɡ(ə)l/ adj. 单一的
strip /strɪp/ n. 长条、狭长地带（landing strip指跑道）
free /friː/ adj. 没有…的、不含…的
In over two decades of operations at Aomori Airport, no flights have ever been delayed or canceled due to snow on the runway, says Daishuke Saito, a snow remover with White Impulse. "When I see airplanes landing and taking off safely because of what we do, it makes me proud. It's a real feeling of accomplishment," he says.
decade /ˈdekeɪd/ n. 十年
operation /ˌɒpəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 运作（由operate加后缀-ion变成名词）
runway /ˈrʌnweɪ/ n. 跑道
snow remover 除雪者
accomplishment /əˈkʌmplɪʃmənt/ n. 成就（由accomplish加后缀-ment变成名词）
Of course, removing snow from the runway and roads around Aomori City only solves part of the problem – it has to go somewhere. To prevent buildup, flatbed trucks haul excess snow to the port along the city's northern Mutsu Bay coastline. There, it's unloaded into the sea. The trucks operate all day, every day.
buildup /ˈbɪldʌp/ n. 累积、堆积（由build和up组成）
flatbed truck 平板卡车
haul /hɔːl/ v. 拖、搬运
excess /ˈekses/ adj. 过多的、额外的
coastline /ˈkəʊstlaɪn/ n. 海岸线（由coast和line组成）
unload /ʌnˈləʊd/ v. 卸载、卸货（由load加上表示否定的前缀un-；这里指倒入海中）
all day 一整天
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