英语博客(A cup of English):093 Windy Ellensburg.

　　Beginners.
Ellensburg is a town that is about an hour and a half's drive from Wenatchee. If you take the main road towards Seattle, you will find it on the way. The town is situated¹ in a very wide valley that is pretty and green, especially at the moment because of spring rains and snow melt. We spent this last weekend there because my second son,Cass, took place in the All Stars Championship tournament. It was all very exciting. There were quite a few other teams from different towns, all sporting their different colors. They all looked very smart. All the parents and other family members turned up in the seating areas with baseball hats, fold-out chairs, blankets, snacks, and lots of energy to cheer the teams on. The matches took place at a facility called the Rotary² Park. Rotary had raised many funds to pay for this large area of fields to be converted into a sports ground for baseball and soccer. It was all very nicely done, neat, clean, and organized. Well, the matches took place, and our Wenatchee team got into the final. The boys were so excited! Oh, but the emotions were up and down. Sometimes the ball was hit well, and other times it wasn't. Sometimes the opponents' balls were caught out, and other times they were dropped. We parents cheered and moaned, moaned and cheered. Finally, the last inning came and went, and our team took second place. But well done to them! They had worked hard all weekend.
Grammar notes.
Preterite practice: to spend time, to take place, to turn up.
Exs:
We spent a lot of time with our cousins this vacation.
The concert took place out in the open, near a forest.
The guests turned up an hour early; the party wasn't ready at all.
Advanced.
One sight that you may be lucky enough to see near Ellensburg, in Kittitas county, is that of wind turbines. They have become a familiar feature in that area, and are giving the town the reputation of green and forward thinking. On visiting Ellensburg recently, I realised just why wind turbines are a good idea on the surrounding hills. The wind, out on the plains of the sports facility, was unyielding. It literally³ didn't stop. Spring, I know, in many towns, is windy. But the wind around Ellensburg is a power to be reckoned with. That is exactly why state incentives⁴ have pushed for the setting up of these giant, white wind machines. There has, of course, been some resistance to the project. Some locals believe that some views are ruined because of these great whirling towers. But, the question is, are they worth it? How much clean energy do they actually produce? Bearing in mind that the average U.S. household uses 10,000 kWh of electricity per year, a 5-MW turbine can produce more than 15 million kWH of electricity per year. That is enough to power about 1,400 houses. Excess electricity can be sold back to the national power grid⁵ (which is the national supply). Apparently⁶, if the wind speed is 12 miles per hour or more, it is worth installing a wind turbine. It is certainly a growing trend here in the U.S. There is a lot a land on which turbines can be placed, and a lot of windy areas, like the West coast and Texas, where this energy can be produced. With the need for alternative sources of energy, these large, spinning statues are quickly becoming a welcome source of power.
Grammar notes.
Useful vocabulary: a trend, a feature, unyielding, a force (power) to be reckoned with, to bear in mind.
Exs:
Jeans with a very low waist-line are still the trend in jeans.
Her eyes are her best feature.
The army was unyielding; it continued to press forward all day, inspite of casualties.
That boxer⁷ is a force to be reckoned with; he will be a challenge to anyone.
He will help you fix your car, but please bear in mind that he has a bad back.

1 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

2 rotary   

adj.(运动等)旋转的；轮转的；转动的

参考例句：

• The central unit is a rotary drum.核心设备是一个旋转的滚筒。
• A rotary table helps to optimize the beam incidence angle.一张旋转的桌子有助于将光线影响之方式角最佳化。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

6 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

7 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。