英语听力精选进阶版 6147

Fun for the Workers 打工仔的乐趣

Workplaces all over the UK are gearing up for the festive¹ period and all the traditions and customs that come with it. But will this Christmas be a cause for happiness and celebration or disappointment and embarrassment²?

One way that colleagues in Britain show their appreciation³ of each other at this time of year is by doing a 'Secret Santa' present giving. Secret Santa is when people who work together buy each other gifts without saying who they are from.

Co-workers all write their name on a piece of paper and then stage a lottery⁴ in which each workmate takes another colleague’s name at random⁵. Each person then has to buy a present for the colleague whose name they have picked, usually with an agreed budget set at a small amount of money such as five or ten pounds (50 or 100 yuan).

As the gifts are given anonymously⁶, the quality of presents can vary greatly; in an internet survey of Secret Santa presents, gifts that people received ranged from tickets to the opera to an air-freshener hanger⁷ for a car.

Another common seasonal⁸ workplace tradition is the office Christmas party, when workmates put on their most glamorous⁹ outfits¹⁰ and take advantage of a plentiful¹¹ supply of free booze.

While most parties go off without a hitch¹², sometimes the effects of alcohol cause party-goers to regret their drunken antics.

The BBC invited people to share their most embarrassing Christmas office party stories, and received hundreds of funny stories, such as the man who split his trousers back to front with his extravagant¹³ dance moves or the tipsy lady who spent the entire night with back of her dress tucked into her pants and saw the photos that proved it later at work.

But the worst story must surely come from Stuart Vaines, who got so drunk he dunked his boss’s head down the toilet. Unsurprisingly, he was fired the very next day.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

gearing up 张罗着

festive period 节庆时期

embarrassment 尴尬

colleagues 同事

co-workers 工友们

lottery 六合彩

workmate 工友；同事

random 随意的

budget 预算

anonymously 匿名的

opera 歌剧

air-freshener hanger 吊挂空气清新香水的钩子

glamorous outfits 华丽的套装

booze 酒水

go off without a hitch 顺利无误

drunken antics 醉酒后的胡闹行为

tipsy 稍有醉意

tucked into 塞进

dunked 浸入液体（此文意思是把一个人的头按倒马桶的水里）

fired 解雇

1 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

2 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

3 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

4 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

5 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

6 anonymously   

ad.用匿名的方式

参考例句：

• The manuscripts were submitted anonymously. 原稿是匿名送交的。
• Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 536 teachers anonymously. 方法采用自编“中小学教师职业压力问卷”对536名中小学教师进行无记名调查。

7 hanger   

n.吊架，吊轴承；挂钩

参考例句：

• I hung my coat up on a hanger.我把外衣挂在挂钩上。
• The ship is fitted with a large helicopter hanger and flight deck.这艘船配备有一个较大的直升飞机悬挂装置和飞行甲板。

8 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

9 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

10 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

11 plentiful   

adj.富裕的，丰富的

参考例句：

• Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
• Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。

12 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

13 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。