英语听力精选进阶版 6312

It's difficult to find a garment as widely embraced, worn and loved as jeans. The denim¹ trousers are a staple² of wardrobes around the world. But why?

Anthropologist³ Danny Miller⁴ has just written a book on the subject. He says that in every country he's visited, almost half the population wore jeans.

They were designed as work-wear for labourers in America's Western states in the late 19th Century. When a Nevada tailor called Jacob Davis was asked to make a pair of sturdy trousers for a local woodcutter, he had the idea of reinforcing them with rivets⁵. They proved extremely durable⁶ and were soon in high demand.

Jeans represented the American West and when they started to be worn as casual wear, they were a symbol of rebellion. They were banned in schools, which only added to the fervour with which young people embraced them.

Outside America the trend was beginning to catch on too. Many of the GIs stationed abroad during the war were working-class boys from the Western states. While off duty they wore their jeans proudly as a symbol of home. The trousers represented an easier, happier American way of life, which Europeans wanted to buy into.

Miller argues they have become so mainstream⁷ that they are now a symbol of the ordinary - a garment people put on to feel comfortable and to fit in. But according to Paul Trynka, author of Denim: From Cowboys to Catwalks, there is still something in their symbol of youth and casualness, that puts jeans beyond the reach of certain people.

Famously, George W Bush and Tony Blair went out on the street in denim during their first summit meeting. They wanted to show they were 'regular guys' but of course, says Trynka, "they both looked like dorks."

Quiz 小测验

1. For which people were the first jeans made?

Labourers on the farms and mines of America's Western states.

2. Is this statement true, false, or not given? Jeans were not very popular at first.

False: They were soon in high demand.

3. Look at the article. Find a word to describe something that can last a long time.

Durable.

4. Is this statement true, false, or not given? In the 1950s, jeans became less popular because young people were not allowed to wear them at school.

False: when jeans were banned it only added to the fervour with which young people embraced them.

5. What did jeans represent for GIs who were sent abroad during the war?

They were a symbol of home.

Glossary 词汇表

a garment 服装

widely embraced 普遍受欢迎的

denim 斜纹粗棉布

a staple of something 主要的（衣服）

sturdy 结实的

a rivet 一颗铆钉

durable 耐穿的

to be in high demand 需求高

casual wear 便装

fervour 热情

a trend 一种潮流

to catch on 赶上来

to buy into something 看好某物

mainstream 主流

to fit in 融入环境

a dork （着装）不入流的人

1 denim   

n.斜纹棉布；斜纹棉布裤，牛仔裤

参考例句：

• She wore pale blue denim shorts and a white denim work shirt.她穿着一条淡蓝色的斜纹粗棉布短裤，一件白粗布工作服上衣。
• Dennis was dressed in denim jeans.丹尼斯穿了一条牛仔裤。

2 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

3 anthropologist   

n.人类学家，人类学者

参考例句：

• The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
• The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。

4 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

5 rivets   

铆钉( rivet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Straighten the rivets, please. 请把那铆钉铆直。
• Instead of rivets there came an invasion, an infliction, and a visitation. 但是铆钉并没有运来，来的却是骚扰、混乱和视察。

6 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

7 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。