英语听力精选进阶版 6222

London 's Mascots¹ are Revealed 伦敦奥运会吉祥物与公众见面

They have frightened some and enchanted² others. They are Wenlock and Mandeville, mascots of the London Olympic Games.

The one-eyed figures join the large family of mascots that includes the Five Fuwa of Beijing (2008), the bear Misha of Moscow (1980) and many others.

Wenlock is the name of the English village considered by many to be the birthplace of the modern Olympics. People think its local games inspired Baron³ Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the International Olympic Committee.

The other mascot's name is a reference to the village of Stoke Mandeville, where the Paralympic movement began.

The duet of mascots is a central part of London's merchandising strategy and will feature in everything from T-shirts to tea towels. No doubt they will be seen under children's arms as cuddly⁴ toys.

Some adult commentators⁵ think that the mascots are creepy and might scare youngsters.However, children were consulted during their creation.

The 2012 Committee Chairman, Sebastian Coe, said: "We want them to be part of our fan base. We want them to engage with young people. They have in large part been designed and driven by what young people want."

The organisers of the Games are keen to avoid another controversy⁶ like the one that surrounded the unveiling of the puzzle-style Olympic logo in 2007. It was criticised by a sceptical British public. The video used to promote it was even claimed to trigger seizures⁷ in a few people.

Young fans like their mascots to come with a backstory. Children's author Michael Morpurgo came up with the idea that the mascots origin,was from the last drops of molten steel left over from the construction of the Olympic Stadium.

Adults and organisers might argue but the most important audience for Wenlock and Mandeville are children. Ten-year-old Kira, from Essex in England, wrote to the BBC to say: "I think it is wicked! I love the Olympics and so does my sister!"

Glossary 词汇表

enchanted 迷倒 

mascots 吉祥物 

founded 成立 

movement 运动 

duet 一对 

merchandising 销售规划 

tea towels 擦拭杯盘用的抹布 

cuddly toys 可爱的、让人想拥抱的玩具 

creepy 令人害怕的 

fan base 粉丝群 

engage with 建立友好关系 

driven by 由…影响，推动 

sceptical 有疑虑的 

seizures 癫痫发作 

backstory 幕后故事 

come up with 想出 

origin 出身 

molten 熔化的 

left over 剩下的 

wicked 非常好的

1 mascots   

n.吉祥物( mascot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the mascots was the platypus. 吉祥物一是鸭嘴兽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Information on all things Olympic, including logos, mascots, venues,and bid candidates. 所有事情奥林匹克，包括的标识语，吉祥物，地点，和出价候选人的信息。 来自互联网

2 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

3 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

4 cuddly   

adj.抱着很舒服的，可爱的

参考例句：

• The beautiful crib from Mom and Dad is so cuddly.爸爸妈妈送的漂亮婴儿床真舒服。
• You can't call a hedgehog cuddly.你不能说刺猬逗人喜爱。

5 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

7 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句