英语听力精选进阶版 6205

A Song for the Victims 为受难者献上的一首歌

Singers and bands from around the world have been gathering¹ in London to record a charity single in aid of the victims of the Haiti earthquake disaster.

Artists like Mariah Carey, Robbie Williams and Susan Boyle have donated their time and talent in order to record a cover version of REM’s classic track Everybody Hurts.

The project has been organised by music mogul Simon Cowell, the mastermind behind recent TV talent shows such as the X Factor, America’s Got Talent and Pop Idol².

Cowell has assembled talent from his stable of X Factor winners alongside established acts such as Take That to record the song, the proceeds of which will be divided between a UK newspaper’s Haitian fund and the Disasters Emergency Committee, an umbrella organisation³ made up of 13 of the UK’s leading aid agencies.

Music fans who want to see their favourite artists gathered in one place for the recording⁴ of the single will be sadly disappointed however.

That’s because the performers are recording only a line or two of the song which will then be stitched together digitally to complete the track.

It’s all a far cry from the early days of charity singles when singers would huddle⁵ round a microphone, giving a live performance.

Other famous faces have also been doing their bit for the Haitian victims.

The British band Radiohead raised more than $500,000 (3m yuan) for the appeal by performing a special gig in Los Angeles.

Hollywood actor George Clooney’s Hope for Haiti Now telethon has so far raised $61m (414m yuan) thanks to celebrities⁶ like Madonna and Jay Z.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake on 12 January killed as many as 200,000 people and has left an estimated 1.5 million people homeless.

Glossary 词汇表

in aid of 为了帮助（或救济）… 

donated 捐赠 

cover version 翻唱版本 

track 歌曲 

music mogul 音乐界巨头 

mastermind 策划 

stable 马棚，这里指同一机构下的（成员） 

established acts 已经有一定地位的演唱队 

proceeds 收入 

fund 基金 

umbrella organisation 伞式组织 

aid agencies 援助、救援机构 

stitched together 连接在一起 

far cry 差远了 

huddle round 挤作一团 

doing their bit 出一份力 

raised 募集了 

appeal 呼吁，恳求 

gig 演出 

telethon 马拉松式电视节目

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

3 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。

4 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

5 huddle   

vi.挤作一团；蜷缩；vt.聚集；n.挤在一起的人

参考例句：

• They like living in a huddle.他们喜欢杂居在一起。
• The cold wind made the boy huddle inside his coat.寒风使这个男孩卷缩在他的外衣里。

6 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目