VOA常速英语:弗吉尼亚冰雕节吸引了全美的雕刻者

Fantastic beasts, aliens, Star Wars, characters and frightening looking predators these ice carvings amazed and impressed,

but residents of the town of Leesburg Virginia are used to such sights during the annual ice sculpture festival.

Hundreds of tourists come every winter to see the sculptures

with that we have live-action ice carving competition going on and fun little festival pieces,

such as interactive ice games,

and that is why the community loves it,

and it’s a really great opportunity for them to see something

that they might not see on a normal day

come out and watch blocks of ice be transformed into these amazing sculptures.

Ice is impossible to handle with bare hands,

so all carvers wear gloves and use special tools

that include small access electric drills, chisels, power Sanders and even regular ironsthat practically cool pieces of ice together.

Everybodys favorite tool is to chainsaw for some reason.

I pick it up.

Every day I wants to do it.

Glenn Hughes is from Atlanta Georgia for him ice carving is not just a fun hobby,

but the serious business and the main way to make a living.

I’m a full-time ice Carver.

I own one of the largest warehouses and ice companies in the southeast,

so this is a full time jobs.

For those some came to his book from North Carolina,

he has been in the ice carving business for over two decades.

He says he enjoys the impermanence of ice couch,

and it’s like I’ve done a wood carving before that a few have

and I see every problem.

and I see everything.

I did it, I see it.

In everyday life Rich Daly from New York is a shell,

but his true passion is ice carving.

His intricate ice work helped him make his way into the Guinness Book of Records.

In just two hours and 52 minutes he managed to create 60 sculptures out of 8165 kilograms of ice.

Today I’m creating a extra-large alien, kind of bug kind of like a praying mantis

but its a little bit bigger and well low meaner.

I left my original design on my dining room table on in New York

so I’m doing this all freehand out of my minds.

Carlos works on their masterpieces all day from 9:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the evening.

In a few days they award will help wait

but their creators won’t notice they will be busy creating something new.