英语听力精选进阶版 6003

Music downloads have increased dramatically¹ in the UK

Do you like music? Of course you do. Are you still going to the record shop to buy your records? If you are, you may not be for much longer.

According to the British Phonographic Industry – the BPI, the organisation² responsible for music sales in the UK, more than ten million songs have been downloaded legally from the Internet in the UK in 2005.

That figure is more than twice as much as were downloaded in 2004, and experts think it will continue to grow over the coming years.

However, the traditional single has not disappeared. In fact, there was an 87% increase in sales of 7-inch vinyl singles this year. "You cannot write off traditionalformats just yet", said Mr Jamieson, spokesman³ for the BPI.

Since music download services began a year ago, the British music industry has been quick to take advantage and is now beginning to feel the benefits. While the fight against illegal downloading continues, it seems the public have been happy to join the new legal services. You access the web page, choose the songs you want, type in your credit⁴ card details and you can download immediately.

The British public still enjoys buying records, however, and sales have been the best since 1998, according to the BPI. New rock groups such as Babyshambles, Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand have been extremely popular and helped make sales so high.

British music is also incredibly popular in the USA at the moment. Last year 75 UK albums sold over 100 000 units in the US, compared to just 66 in 2003. Coldplay also had number one albums in the UK at the same time as the US, the first time this has happened since 2000.

With music you can buy in the shops and music you can download from the Internet, from Coldplay to Oasis⁵, Gorillaz to Franz Ferdinand, British music is going from strength to strength!

GLOSSARY 词汇表

downloaded 下载 

twice 两倍的 

7-inch vinyl singles 7英寸唱片 

write off 认为…无价值；勾销 

formats 格式 

spokesman 发言人 

illegal 非法的 

albums 专辑 

strength 力量

1 dramatically   

ad.显著地

参考例句：

• His quality of life has improved dramatically since the operation. 手术后他的生活质量大大改善了。
• Our way of life has changed dramatically over the last ten years. 在过去10年里我们的生活方式发生了巨大的变化。

2 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

3 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

4 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

5 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。