听播客学英语 263 神秘博士

 　　One of the best bits of news in the past week has been that BBC TV is to show a new series of Dr Who.

　　Let me explain. Dr Who was a classic science-fiction programme on children’s television in the 1970s. Dr Who and his companions traveled the universe in time and in space, battling the forces of evil. The most frightening of these were the Daleks, who were killer¹ robots that floated along as if they had little wheels underneath². Most of the time they shouted “Exterminate!” Someone once said that the Daleks would take over the whole universe as soon as they discovered how to climb stairs. A generation of British schoolchildren grew up watching Dr Who, fascinated and terrified, often hiding behind the sofa in the really frightening parts.

　　Last year the BBC screened a new series of Dr Who. It was brilliant. And, yes, in one episode there was a Dalek – the last Dalek in the universe – and, yes, it still shouted “Exterminate!” And this was the really scary bit – it had learned how to float up stairs. Our blood ran cold. We hid behind the sofa.

　　The new 2006 series starts next month. We can hardly wait. You can read all about it, and see video clips, at the BBC website. Click the link on the podcast website (http://www.listen-to-english.com).

　　Thank you all for listening to these podcasts, and for your e-mails and the comments on the website. I am so pleased that over 2000 of you download each episode. I am now going to take a short break until after Easter. I shall post the next episode on Monday 24 April. In the meantime, I shall borrow Dr Who’s time-travel machine, the Tardis, and go on holiday to a distant galaxy³.

1 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

2 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

3 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。