托福听力荟萃 56

So, uh . . . as Jim said, James Polk was the eleventh President, and . . . uh . . . well, my report's about the next President—Zachary Taylor. Taylor was elected in 1849. It's surprising because . . . well, he was the first President that didn't have any previous political experience. The main reason he was chosen as a candidate was because he was a war hero. In the army, his men called him "______". I guess because of his . . . "______." He was kind of______and he didn't really look like a military hero. He liked to do things like wear______clothes instead of a______, even in battle. And he was so short and______he had to be lifted up onto his horse. But he did win a lot of battles and he became more and more popular. So, the Whig party decided¹ to______him for the______, even though no one knew anything about where he stood on the issues. I couldn't find much about his______, probably because he was only in office about a year and a half before he died. But one thing, he pushed for the development of the______railroad because he thought it was important to form a link with the West Coast. There was a lot of wealth in California and______from commerce and minerals and stuff. Also, he established an agricultural______in the Department of the Interior and promoted more government aid to agriculture. Well, that's about all I found. Like I said, he died in office in 1850, so his Vice² President took over, and that's the next report, so . . . thank you.

 

 

【填空答案】

roughandready: crude but effective for the purpose at hand马虎的（粗犷而有能力的，大致不差的）

rough: adj. having an uneven³ surface（表面）粗糙的，不平的

edge: n. ［C］the part of an object that is furthest from its center 边，边缘

blunt: adj. speaking in an honest way even if this upsets people（说话）不客气的，直言不讳的

civilian⁴: n. anyone who is not a member of the army, navy, airforce, or police 非军人，文职人员；平民，百姓

uniform: n. a particular type of clothing worn by all the members of a group or organization such as the police, the army etc（警察、军人等穿的）制服

plump: adj. a word meaning pleasantly fat, often used when you want to avoid saying the word fat 丰满的，胖乎乎的

nominate: v. to officially suggest someone for an important position, duty, or prize 提名，推荐

presidency⁵: n. ［C］the job of president 总统（主席，校长等）的职位

accomplishment⁶: n. ［C］something successful or impressive that is achieved after a lot of effort and hard work; achievement 成就，成绩

transcontinental: adj. crossing a continent 横贯大陆的

Oregon: 俄勒冈

bureau: n. especially AmE a government department or a part of a government department 【尤美】（政府部门的）司；局；处；署

【听力原文】

So, uh... as Jim said, James Polk was the eleventh President, and... uh... well, my report's about the next President --- Zachary Taylor.

Taylor was elected in 1849. It's surprising because... well, he was the first President that didn't have any previous political experience. The main reason he was chosen as a candidates was because he was a war hero.

In the army, his men called him "Old Rough and Ready"... I guess because of his... "rough edges." He was kind of blunt and he didn't really look like a military hero. He liked to do things like wear civilian clothes instead of a uniform --- even in battle. And he was so short and plump he had to be lifted up onto his horse. But he did win a lot of battles and he became more and more popular. So, the Whig party decided to nominate him for the presidency, even though no one knew anything about where he stood on the issues.

I couldn't find much about his accomplishments⁷ --- probably because he was only in office about a year and a half before he died. But one thing --- he pushed for the development of the transcontinental railroad because he though it was important to form a link with the West Coast --- there was a lot of wealth in California and Oregon from commerce and minerals and stuff. Also, he established an agricultural bureau in the Department of the Interior and promoted more government aid to agriculture.

Well, that's about all I found. Like I said, he died in office --- in 1850 --- so his Vice President took over... and that's the next report, so... thank you.

【参考译文】

所以，呃...吉姆说，詹姆斯·波尔克是第十一届总统，...呃...好，我的报告是关于下届总统---泰勒。泰勒在1849年当选。这是令人惊讶，因为...不错，他是第一任总统，没有以往任何政治经验。他作为候选人的选择的主要原因是因为他是一位战争英雄。在军队中，他的人叫他“老粗糙和准备”...我猜是因为他......“粗糙的边缘。”他是那种钝，他看上去真的不像一个军事英雄。他喜欢做这样的事情，即使在战场上穿平民的衣服，而不是一个统一的---。他是这么短，丰满，他不得不被抱上了马。但他却赢得了很多的战斗，他变得越来越流行。因此，辉格党决定提名他为总统，即使没有人知道他在哪里上的问题，站在什么。我找不到他的成就---可能是因为他是在大约一年半的任期只有在他去世前。但有一件事---他推横贯大陆铁路的发展，因为他认为重要的是要形成一个链接到西海岸---有一个大量的财富，在加利福尼亚州和俄勒冈州从电子商务和矿物质和东西。此外，他还建立了农业局，在内政部和推动更多的政府对农业的援助。嗯，这是所有我发现。就像我说的，于1850年去世，他在办公室------所以他的副总统接任...那是未来的报告，因此...谢谢。

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

4 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

5 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

6 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

7 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》