大雾缭绕南北的城市

Right now in China, buzz on the street has been about the strange weather and it's raising a lot of concerns. A heavy haze has blanketed many cities in the northern and southern parts of the country in part of an unusual weather system that’s descended on the nation.
现在的中国，最热门的话题是关于这种奇怪天气，而且它引起了很大的担忧。一场大雾笼罩着中国北方和南方地区的许多城市，这种罕见的天气系统袭击着这个国家。

The haze stretches over a vast area, from Hebei and Shan-dong Provinces in the north all the way to Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan and Fujian provinces in the south.
烟雾蔓延到广阔地区，从北方的河北省、山东省一直到南方的浙江省、安徽省、江苏省、湖南省和福建省。

At its worst, the smog is reducing visibility to less than 200 meters and disrupting traffic, both on the ground and in the air. The weather front has also led many to worry about the possible health implications.
最糟糕的是，烟雾使地面和空中的能见度降到少于200米，交通陷入混乱。锋面还使很多人担心可能的健康影响。

Many cities are waking up to another day shrouded by a dense haze.
许多城市第二天醒来时都被浓雾笼罩着。

In Beijing, drivers have to keep their lights on even though it’s already past eight o’clock in the morning.
在北京，虽然现在已经过了早上八点钟，但是司机不得不开着车灯。

In some places, lights aren’t even enough to get the job done. The rumble of the engine and the honk of horns is often the only way to tell there’s another vehicle ahead.
在一些地方，有灯甚至还不够。引擎的轰鸣声和喇叭声常常是告诉别人前面还有车的唯一方法。

Even driving at very slow speeds, the roads can still be very dangerous.
即使车速非常慢，道路仍然非常危险。

In some of the worst hit areas, drivers can’t even tell the colors of traffic signals.
在一些受害最严重地区，司机甚至不能分辨交通信号灯的颜色。

Authorities have stepped in to close off many highways across the troubled region.
有关部门已经介入，关闭了混乱地区的许多条公路。

In Shandong Province, the highways that are open are backed up for miles. And traffic police have stepped up their patrols.
在山东省，开放的公路阻塞了几米。交警加紧巡逻。

In the region’s airports, flights information boards have gone red. A huge number of flights have been delayed or cancelled, nearly three hundred in Beijing alone, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
在这个地区的机场，航班信息公告板变成红色的。许多航班已经被延迟或取消，单单在北京就有近300班，数千名乘客滞留。

Some are more frustrated than impatient.
一些人沮丧多过于急躁心。

Passenger from Jinan airport, Shangdong province, said: “I’ve been waiting for more than five hours. It’s Mother Nature, so there’s really nothing we can do.”
山东省济南机场的乘客表示：“我已经等了5个多钟头了。这是大自然的原因，所以我们实在做不了什么。”

The airport is urging passengers to confirm with their carrier whether their flight will still take off as scheduled.
机场敦促乘客向航空公司确认，他们的航班是否仍将按时起飞。

Back on the city streets, people are wearing breathing masks to ward off any ill effects.
回到城市的道路上，人们都戴着口罩来避开任何不良后果。

Fog has cleared a little in Shanghai. But damage has already been done.
上海的雾气已经消退了一些。但是伤害已经造成了。

Shanghai resident said: “I’ve been wearing the mask, but still, my throat feels sour and itchy. I think it’s because of the weather.”
上海市民表示：“我已经戴了口罩了，但是我的喉咙还是感觉又酸又痒。我觉得这是天气的原因。”

The weather forecast predicts a cold front is about sweep across central and eastern China tomorrow. Many are hoping that this will clear away the depressive haze as well as the harm it brings.
天气预报预计，冷锋明天将席卷中国中东部地区。很多人希望这将驱走这郁闷的烟雾以及它带来的伤害。