英语听力精选进阶版 6253

Will the Rabbit Year Bring Wealth and Happiness?兔年能带给你财运和幸福吗？

Articulate, ambitious and affectionate - maybe a little timid - but overall very lucky. These are some of the characteristics usually associated with people born in the Year of the Rabbit.

And as we wave goodbye to the Year of the Tiger, it's luck that feng shui experts are hoping rabbits will bring to 2011. Newspapers and websites in China and around the world are full of predictions about what's in store for the rabbit year.

So what can we expect? First up is Hong Kong astrologer Anthony Cheng's forecast for our love lives:

"The Year of the Rabbit is an auspicious¹ time for marriages, so I would expect to see a lot of people taking the plunge², including famous people," he told AFP.

A girl in a pink rabbit costume

What will the rabbit bring for you?

But he also warned that "The Year of the Rabbit will see a lot of unusual romantic relationships, including extra-marital affairs and relationships with huge age differences".

Moving on to money matters, the Financial Times has analysed what the rabbit year will mean for people investing in China. It expects the first part of 2011 to be a "scared rabbit", meaning a "bumpy³, grumpy market". But summer should see a "strong rally" from Chinese stocks with the tiger long gone.

Hong Kong-based brokerage CLSA publishes a light-hearted 'Feng Shui Index' which says the coming year brings many "hopportunities" for investors⁴.

And while most of the predictions focus on how the Year of the Rabbit will affect our financial and romantic lives, what about the rabbits themselves?

Reports in the UK say that we'll be seeing a lot more of our long-eared friends in the coming year – on the dinner table.

Sales of rabbit are up over 300% on January last year, with TV celebrity⁵ chefs such as Nigella Lawson popularising dishes like baked rabbit and even one with a name as dry as the meat itself: "cute stew⁶".

Glossary 词汇表 

articulate

口齿伶俐、表达力强的

affectionate

可爱的

timid

胆小的，害羞的

characteristics

性格

wave goodbye to

告别、挥手告别

feng shui experts

风水大师

what's in store

将会发生的事情

first up

首先

astrologer

占星家

forecast

预测

auspicious

吉祥的

taking the plunge

冒这个险、赶这个大流

extra-marital affairs

婚外情

bumpy

颠簸的、困难重重的

grumpy

坏脾气的、这里指市场不好

strong rally

强劲反弹

brokerage

经纪公司

light-hearted

令人轻松愉快的

popularising

推广、普及

dry

干笑话的、挖苦的

1 auspicious   

adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的

参考例句：

• The publication of my first book was an auspicious beginning of my career.我的第一本书的出版是我事业吉祥的开始。
• With favorable weather conditions it was an auspicious moment to set sail.风和日丽，正是扬帆出海的黄道吉日。

2 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

3 bumpy   

adj.颠簸不平的，崎岖的

参考例句：

• I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
• The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

6 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。