UK hit by heavy snow

Learning English - Words in the News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2009/02/090202_uk_snow.shtml

It was the heaviest snowfall in 18 years. Bus services in London carrying 6 million people have been cancelled. 10 of 11 underground lines are completely or partly suspended. The capital's main airport Heathrow has closed both runways for a while and there are still significant delays and cancellations, and there are no flights at all from City airport. Others are suffering long delays and cancellations too.


Several docks to the west have become iced up. And thousands are without piped water in Wales due to the frozen pipes. Hundreds of schools have been closed across the country and children at least are enjoying conditions.

The British like to complain that other countries handle the snow better than they do, that the merest sugaring of snowflakes brings normal life to a standstill amidst transport chaos. So why does it happen? Well truly icy conditions here are rare indeed. So why make a massive investment to combat extreme weather conditions that may not be replayed for another 18 years?

At an individual level the costs of being prepared like some Alpine countries would be high too. The British, for instance, are not required to have winter tyres fitted to cars at the start of the season, nor do they routinely carry snow chains. On the other hand the Brits do like to complain, and secretly they also like being told... sorry you can't get to work.

Rob Broomby, BBC

snow chains
special chains that are fitted to a vehicle's tyres to stop it from sliding on ice or snow
chain (RINGS) Show phonetics noun [C or U] - rantai

routinely
usually, repeatedly
...........Health and safety rules are routinely (= very often) flouted/ignored on the building site.


winter tyres
tyres with a thick pattern that stops a vehicle from sliding on ice or snow (winter tyres are specially designed to be able to bend easily at sub-zero temperatures, without breaking or cracking)


a standstill
when everything stops (here, all means of transportation)

standstill Show phoneticsnoun [S]
a condition in which all movement or activity has stopped:

.........The runaway bus eventually came to a standstill when it rolled into a muddy field - -----------1- terhenti - dia meneka break dan kereta terhenti-
-------------1- menyebabkan sesuatu terhenti [ tergendala] - - percangahan pendapat menyebabkan perbincangan terhenti
............Fighting and shortages have brought normal life to a virtual standstill in the city.

the merest sugaring of snowflakes
even the thinnest covering/layer of snow

merest Show phonetics adjective
the merest used to emphasize the surprising or strong effect of a very small action or event: -----1 - sedikit pun - tidak ada sedikit pun harapan lagi [ yg tinggal]

......The merest mention of seafood makes her feel sick.
............The merest hint of criticism makes him defensive

snowflake Show phoneticsnoun [C]
a small piece of snow -----1 - emping salji--keping [an] salji


handle
tackle, deal with

handle (DEAL WITH) Show phoneticsverb [T]
to deal with, have responsibility for, or be in charge of: -------1- mengendalikan - balak adalah bahan yg sukar dikendalikan - - kami memerlukan org yg tegas utk mengendalikan kes ini- - dia dapat mengendalikan 2 kerja dalam satu masa- - bagaimana kamu mengendalikan keadaan ini - kami mengendalikan semua hal kewanan syarikat-

..........I thought he handled the situation very well.
..........Some people are brilliant with computers, but have no idea how to handle (= behave with) other people.
.........If you can't handle the job I'll get someone else to do it.
..........Who handles the marketing in your company?

condition (STATE)
condition (AGREED LIMITATION)
condition (INFLUENCE)

conditions Show phonetics plural noun
the physical situation that someone or something is in and affected by: - ---------1- keadaan[cuaca] - beberapa penerbangan dibatalkan kerana keadaan cuaca buruk-

........weather conditions
.........working conditions
............The prisoners were kept in the most appalling conditions.
.............Under what conditions do plants grow best?


iced up
frozen, with a coating of ice on the surface


ice up phrasal verb
to become covered in ice and often stop working: -----------1- diliputi ais - cermin hadapan diliputi ais-

........The plane was delayed because the engine had iced up.
........Winter is coming and the lakes will soon start icing over.
............The car's windows had iced up in the freezing cold.


conditions
here, the weather


ice over phrasal verb
If an area of water ices over, it becomes covered with a layer of ice:
.........The lake has iced over. ----------1-menjadi beku - diluputi ais - tasik itu selalu menjadi beku pada pertengahan musim sejuk-


docks
places where ships can moor; wharfs, piers ------------1- limbungan atau galangan untuk tempat kapal yg dibaiki-


1- a specially enclosed area of water in a port that is used for loading and unloading or repairing ships
Compare harbour (WATER).

docks Show phonetics plural noun
..........The strike has led to the cancellation of some ferry services and left hundreds of passengers stranded at the docks.



suspend (STOP) Show phonetics verb
[T] 1 to stop or to cause to be not active, either temporarily or permanently:-------1- mengantung - kami akan mengangtung lampu2 itu------2- menangguh - bank akan menangguhkan bayaran pampasan itu - -------3- gantung - digantung [keahlian] dia digantung keahliannya --------

.........The ferry service has been suspended for the day because of bad weather.
.........The President has suspended the constitution and assumed total power.
...........When you go to the theatre, you have to be willing to suspend disbelief (= to act as if you believe that what you are seeing is real or true, although you know that it is not).