英语听力精选进阶版 6267

Edinburgh has been remembering one of the world's greatest magicians.

The Great Lafayette was the stage name of the German illusionist Sigmund Neuberger. At the time of his death a century ago he was the world's highest-paid performer and 250,000 people went to his funeral.

Lafayette's grand finale was a famous stunt¹ called The Lion's Bride. A female assistant would walk into a cage containing a real lion. When the lion was about to kill her, its skin would be pulled off to reveal… The Great Lafayette.

Of course it was all done with smoke and mirrors, as well as Lafayette's great sleight² of hand. But on 9 May 1911 something went horribly wrong.

Halfway³ through his routine, a gas lamp was knocked over and the stage scenery caught fire. The audience all thought it was part of the act and refused to leave the theatre until the band played the national anthem⁴.

Lafayette died along with 10 other people, a horse and the famous lion. But he continued to play tricks on people even after his death.

Three days after the fire, another body was discovered in the theatre wearing Lafayette's clothes. This, it emerged, was the magician himself; the first body had been that of an assistant.

One hundred years on, the great magician continues to work his magic. Last weekend, the Edinburgh Festival Theatre hosted a series of special events in honour of the magician, including a séance.

Quiz

When did The Great Lafayette die? 

A century ago - 100 years ago.

Is this statement true, false or not given? Neuberger called himself Lafayette when he was performing his act. 

True - it was his stage name.

Is this statement true, false or not given? Lafayette had remarkable⁵ hands. 

Not given - Lafayette had 'sleight of hand' which is a phrase meaning he could use his hands well, but doesn't describe the hands themselves.

When was Lafayette's body found? 

Three days after the fire.

Look at the article. Can you find a synonym⁶ for the noun 'act'? 

Routine

Glossary⁷ 词汇表

magician 魔术师 

stage name 艺名 

illusionist 幻术师、魔术师 

grand finale 终曲、结局 

stunt 特技、绝活 

It’s all done with smoke and mirrors. 这只是烟雾和镜子。（喻） 都是假象而已。 

sleight of hand 手法、技法 

routine 常规节目 

act 节目表演 

to play a trick on someone 开某人的玩笑 

to work one’s magic 有魔力、有影响 

séance 迎神会

1 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

2 sleight   

n.技巧，花招

参考例句：

• With a little statistical sleight of hand they could make things look all right.只要在统计上耍些小小的花招，他们就能瞒天过海。
• In the theater of the media there is an economic sleight of hand.传播媒介在经济上耍了一个大花招。

3 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

4 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

5 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

6 synonym   

n.同义词，换喻词

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• The term 'industrial democracy' is often used as a synonym for worker participation. “工业民主”这个词常被用作“工人参与”的同义词。

7 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。