英语听力精选进阶版 6174

Yet Another Millionaire 又是一个百万富翁

The latest winners of the UK National Lottery¹ Euromillions jackpot are Joan and Brian Caswell.

The retired² and now very wealthy couple from Bolton claim they won’t let the ￡25 million (around 275 million yuan) win change them. However, they have said they will be buying a flash car and taking an extravagant³ holiday to Rio.

The Caswells are the latest in a long line of UK lottery winners. Over ￡32 billion (around 350 billion yuan) has been paid out to winners since the first UK national lottery draw in 1994.

With such huge sums of money at stake it is perhaps no surprise that something like 70 percent of UK adults play the lottery on a regular basis. They can even choose to play daily as the company which runs the UK National Lottery, Camelot, operates multiple games.

Of course, there is a more serious side to the lottery. The UK government collects around 12 percent tax on lottery revenues and ensures a further slice of the money goes to good causes. These include projects in health, education, the environment, the arts, sport and national heritage.

With all these positive applications for lottery revenue, it might be hard to imagine a downside to the lottery. But there are some very vocal⁴ opponents to the national game. Some feel that any form of gambling⁵ is wrong whilst others choose to criticise⁶ the way the lottery revenue is spent.

Another area of concern is over the level of support and advice given to new lottery winners. Just how are people meant to manage the huge sums of money that the lottery jackpots now offer?

Well, with over 2,100 newly-created millionaires, some manage better than others. For every story of successful investment and charitable giving there is a more sensational⁷ story of frivolous⁸ spending.

We shouldn’t forget the story of John McGuinness, who invested a large part of his ￡10 million (around 110 million yuan) win in a fledgling football team and who is now facing bankruptcy⁹ and financial ruin.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

lottery 六合彩

jackpot 头奖

wealthy 富有的

flash 名贵的

extravagant 奢侈的

the latest in a long line of 一连串（中奖者）中最近的一个

draw 抽奖

at stake 利害攸关

something like 大约/差不多有

revenues 收入

slice （整体中分出的）一块

good causes 慈善事业

national heritage 国家遗产

downside 负面/不利的一面

vocal opponents 敢于发表言论的反对者

millionaires 百万富翁

charitable giving 慈善的施与

frivolous 肤浅的

fledgling 成熟的/羽毛丰满的

bankruptcy 破产

1 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。

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 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。

4 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

5 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

6 criticise   

v.批评，评论；非难

参考例句：

• Right and left have much cause to criticise government.左翼和右翼有很多理由批评政府。
• It is not your place to criticise or suggest improvements!提出批评或给予改进建议并不是你的责任！

7 sensational   

adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的

参考例句：

• Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
• Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

8 frivolous   

adj.轻薄的；轻率的

参考例句：

• This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。
• He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。

9 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。