春天里的第一場沙塵暴

編輯點評：沙塵暴也算是北方的常客了吧，幾乎年年都來拜訪一次，每次都提醒我們，環(huán)境已經(jīng)惡化到不容忽視的地步，如果不想以后都要戴防毒面具出門，那就得趕緊行動！

The dust works its way through keyholes and window frames, and smells like a filthy brew of dirt, smoke and metallic particles. The sky turns magenta and whole buildings disappear. Eyes tear up and throats get sore from coughing.
 

灰塵從鑰匙孔和窗欞中穿過，氣味有如散發(fā)惡臭的泥土、煙霧以及金屬顆粒的混合體。天空呈現(xiàn)一片紫紅，建筑物全都隱匿不見。眼睛因刺激而淚流不止，不?？人砸彩沟萌松ぷ犹弁?。

 

Northern China's spring sandstorms blew in with particular ferocity over the weekend, bringing misery to people working outdoors Monday in Beijing and across a wide swath of the country.
 

北方這場春日里的沙塵暴有著奇快的風速，讓戶外工作的人苦不堪言，并且殃及大片其他區(qū)域。

 

"It gets in your throat, under your clothes, in your bed," said Beijing street sweeper Xue Yuan. "I hate it, but there's really nothing you can do."
 

北京一位環(huán)衛(wèi)工人薛媛（音）說：“沙子鉆進喉嚨、衣服，甚至落到床上，這太討厭了，但是我們也沒辦法。”

 

The storms are a product of worsening desertification in Inner Mongolia and other Gobi Desert regions hundreds of miles (kilometers) to the north and west of Beijing caused by overgrazing, deforestation, drought and urban sprawl. Strong winds pick up the loose dust and dirt, mixing them with industrial pollution.
 

沙塵暴是內蒙古以及北京西北部的其他戈壁區(qū)日益惡化的沙漠化引起的，過度放牧、砍伐森林、干旱和城市的侵襲是沙漠化的主要原因。大風卷起了松散的塵沙，并混進了工業(yè)污染物。

 

Beijing's air quality index was set at Level 4, one grade better than the most serious Level 5 that was reached Saturday as the mixture of sand, dust and pollution blasted the capital. City meteorologists said conditions would improve, but warned the sand would linger through midweek.
 

上周六由于沙塵暴來襲，北京的空氣質量一度跌至最低的第五級，現(xiàn)在是第四級，勉強好一點。氣象專家說情況會好轉，但警告說沙塵暴也許會滯留半個星期左右的時間。