英语听力精选进阶版 6164

Jane Austen Revised 简?奥斯汀改写本

What do you associate with Jane Austen? Genteel romance? Wry¹ social comment? Blood-splattered bodices?

If that seems inconsistent, you may need to flick² through Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a new version of Austen's classic romance into which US writer Seth Grahame-Smith has inserted a series of zombie horror interludes.

The text of the new edition is roughly 85% Austen and 15% Grahame-Smith.

Hanging a horror story on the structure of Pride and Prejudice is apparently³ an easy thing to do.

"If you read through the original book it's startling how many opportunities Jane Austen left in her original work for ultra-violent zombie mayhem," Mr Grahame-Smith says.

In the new version, feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet still needs to come to terms with her complex feelings for the aloof⁴ and reserved Mr Darcy, but she also needs to combat the zombie menace plaguing her village of Meryton.

Just as well then, that she is now a Kung Fu master.

To Mr Grahame-Smith that makes perfect sense:

"You have this sharp-tongued character in Elizabeth Bennet - it's not that big a leap to put a sword in her hand and say she's now a slayer⁵ of the undead."

The book is the latest in a trend of 'mash-ups' – interesting mixes of two incongruous elements. Mash-up albums and videos have been a huge hit on the internet.

Mr Grahame-Smith hopes that his new book will attract some new readers to Jane Austen, a writer for whom he has great respect.

But what would she make of it all if she knew? Would she approve? Or would she be rolling in her grave?

"I don't think she'd be rolling in her grave - or trying to claw her way out of it," he says.

"I think she would smile. And then she'd sue me for a billion dollars."

GLOSSARY 词汇表

poking 戳（在社交网站上常用的和朋友问侯的一个方式）

twittering 一个用户可以经由手机短信，电子邮件，即时通讯，或 Twitter 网站来更新的微型社交网络

blogging 博客

social networking 社交网络

online communities 线上社团

profile 概况，简介（用户注册时填写的信息）

connect 连接

evolving 进化，演变

bolt-on 附加的

applications 程序 

not to be outdone 不想被超过

carving a niche 开辟一席之地

online marketplace 网上市场

parental controls 家长的控制 

stunt 引人注意的举动，绝招

social commentary 社会评论

anxious 忧虑的

face-to-face 面对面

long-term effects 长期效应

rest assured 放心

1 wry   

adj.讽刺的；扭曲的

参考例句：

• He made a wry face and attempted to wash the taste away with coffee.他做了个鬼脸，打算用咖啡把那怪味地冲下去。
• Bethune released Tung's horse and made a wry mouth.白求恩放开了董的马，噘了噘嘴。

2 flick   

n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动

参考例句：

• He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
• By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下，将马头上的苍蝇驱走。

3 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

4 aloof   

adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的

参考例句：

• Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。
• On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。

5 slayer   

n. 杀人者，凶手

参考例句：

• The young man was Oedipus, who thus unknowingly became the slayer of his own father. 这位青年就是俄狄浦斯。他在不明真相的情况下杀死了自己的父亲。
• May I depend on you to stand by me and my daughters, then, deer-slayer? 如此说来，我可以指望你照料我和女儿了，杀鹿人？