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.

灰尘从钥匙孔和窗棂中穿过，气味有如散发恶臭的泥土、烟雾以及金属颗粒的混合体。天空呈现一片紫红，建筑物全都隐匿不见。眼睛因刺激而泪流不止，不停咳嗽也使得人嗓子疼痛。


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.

北方这场春日里的沙尘暴有着奇快的风速，让户外工作的人苦不堪言，并且殃及大片其他区域。


"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."

北京一位环卫工人薛媛（音）说：“沙子钻进喉咙、衣服，甚至落到床上，这太讨厌了，但是我们也没办法。”


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.

沙尘暴是内蒙古以及北京西北部的其他戈壁区日益恶化的沙漠化引起的，过度放牧、砍伐森林、干旱和城市的侵袭是沙漠化的主要原因。大风卷起了松散的尘沙，并混进了工业污染物。


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.

上周六由于沙尘暴来袭，北京的空气质量一度跌至最低的第五级，现在是第四级，勉强好一点。气象专家说情况会好转，但警告说沙尘暴也许会滞留半个星期左右的时间。

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