最新版雅思听力指南 Listening Test2-section2

[00:06.92]At the Student Centre,Annie watches an educational program on television.
[00:14.21]Fill in the gaps in the summary of the news item
[00:19.62]with the correct word or phrase,according to what you hear.
[00:25.70]Write your answers to Questions 15 to 23
[00:32.00]in the column on the right of the page.
[00:36.78]The first one has been done for you as an example.
[00:42.40]You now have some time to look at the summary.
[00:47.28]Now listen to the program about Britain's climate,and answer Questions 15 to 23.
[00:57.68]Host of program:Northern Ireland generally has a sparse¹ and scattered² population,
[01:03.16]and is a largely rural country with good agricultural land.
[01:08.96]The relative smallness of the country
[01:12.67]and the widespread influences of a warm sea and westerly winds
[01:18.97]mean that there are no extreme contrasts in temperature throughout Britain.
[01:24.66]The climate is mainly temperate³,
[01:28.37]with variations between coolness and mildness.
[01:33.96]Altitude modifies temperatures,
[01:37.57]so that higher ground is colder than low-lying land.
[01:42.66]Much of Scotland and the upland areas of Wales and England
[01:47.78]are therefore cool in summer
[01:51.18]and cold in winter compared with most of England
[01:55.57]The main factors affecting the amount of British rainfall are (I)
[02:01.47]the depressions,or low-pressure areas,
[02:05.88]which travel eastward⁴ across the Atlantic Ocean;
[02:10.56](2) the prevailing⁵ south-westerly winds throughout much of the year;
[02:16.54](3) the exposure of the western coasts to the Atlantic 0cean;
[02:22.65]and (4) the fact that most of the highest ground lies in the west.
[02:29.66]As a result,the heaviest annual rainfall is in the west and north,
[02:35.35]over 1,600 mm,with an autumn or winter maximum.
[02:42.04]The high ground in the west protects the lowlands of the south and east,
[02:48.02]so that annual rainfall here is quite moderate at about 800 mm,
[02:54.73]with a slight summer maximum.
[02:58.42]The total national rainfall average is over 1,100 mm annually⁶.
[03:05.70]March to June tend to be the driest months,
[03:10.59]while September to January are the wettest.
[03:15.27]Although drought conditions are infrequent,
[03:19.34]they do occur and can cause problems for farmers,the water companies and consumers.
[03:26.42]Low-pressure systems may produce very variable weather.
[03:31.44]They normally pass over the northern British Isles⁸,
[03:35.72]and south-westerly winds have a strong influence for much of the year.
[03:41.91]The result can be windy,wet and unstable⁹ conditions.
[03:48.00]But high-pressure systems,which also happen throughout the year,
[03:53.69]are relatively¹⁰ stable and move more slowly,
[03:58.18]producing light winds and generally settled weather.
[04:03.17]This pattern can result in fine and dry effects,both in winter and summer.
[04:09.99]The amount of sunshine in Britain varies between regions.
[04:14.88]It decreases from south to north,inland from the coastal¹¹ belts,and with altitude,
[04:22.97]In summer,the daily average sunshine varies from five hours in northern Scotland
[04:30.39]to eight hours on the Isle⁷ of Wight.
[04:34.08]In winter,sunlight averages one hour in northern Scotland
[04:40.19]and two hours on the English south coast.
[04:44.47]These average statistics indicate that Britain is not a particularly sunny country,
[04:51.55]although there are periods of relief from the general guernseys.
[04:56.65]The frequent cloud-cover over the BritishIsles
[05:01.04]is a complicating¹² factor,so that even on a hot summer'sday
[05:07.33]there may be little sunshine breaking through the clouds.
[05:12.03]This can give humid,sticky conditions.
[05:16.53]The unpredictability of Britain's weather
[05:20.81]is virtually a national institution a topic of daily conversation,
[05:27.71]and for some a conditioning factor in the national character.
[05:33.82]The British tend to think that they live in a more temperate climate
[05:38.91]than is actually the case.
[05:42.13]But many escape abroad in both winter and summer.
 

1 sparse   

adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的

参考例句：

• The teacher's house is in the suburb where the houses are sparse.老师的家在郊区，那里稀稀拉拉有几处房子。
• The sparse vegetation will only feed a small population of animals.稀疏的植物只够喂养少量的动物。

2 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

3 temperate   

adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的

参考例句：

• Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
• Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。

4 eastward   

adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部

参考例句：

• The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。
• The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。

5 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

6 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

7 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

8 isles   

岛( isle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the geology of the British Isles 不列颠群岛的地质
• The boat left for the isles. 小船驶向那些小岛。

9 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

10 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

11 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

12 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。