天然“雪馒头”走红 Natural snow pile formation goes viral

The piles of snow(雪堆) are almost the same(同样的) size(大小), and each one sits in the middle(中间) of a paving brick(砖). Because of their shape(形状) and size, some netizens say they resemble steamed buns called "mantou(馒头)," which are popular in northern China. Bian Yun, an expert with China's Climate Bureau, said the effect(效果) was due to the difference(区别) between the ground and air temperatures(温度), and how the water seeps through the cracks into the ground.

词汇 Words:

[duī] 堆 pile
[dà xiǎo] 大小 size
[zhōng jiān] 中间 middle
[xíng zhuàng] 形状 shape
[xiào guǒ] 效果 effect
[qū bié] 区别 difference
[wēn dù] 温度 temperature

重点词汇 Key word:

堆 

• <动词 v.> pile/stack/heap(up)
  E.g. Zhuō shàng duī mǎn le shuǐguǒ hé shūcài。
  桌上堆满了水果和蔬菜。
  The table was piled up high with fruit and vegetables.

• <量词 measure word> pile; stack; heap
  E.g. Fángzi tā le,chéngwéi yīduī fèixū。
  房子塌了,成为一堆废墟。
  The house collapsed in a heap of ruin. 

• <名词 n.> <喻> much; lots of things/people
  E.g. Wǒ yǒu yī dà duī shì yào zuò。
  我有一大堆事要做。
  I have got piles of work to do.

• <名词 n.> pile; mound; mass
  E.g. Tā shuō “zhè dìfāng jiǎnzhí xiàng gè lājī duī”。
  她说“这地方简直像个垃圾堆”。
  She said, 'this place is a dump'.