英语听力精选进阶版 6324

Recently a man proposed in front of 20,000 people at London's Olympic Stadium. Charity mascot¹ Wendell Raphael, 40, was shown on the big screen at a test event saying: "Bindi Bhambra, will you marry me?"

She was shown in tears nodding her head to say yes.

The video website YouTube offers an array of elaborate and often very public proposals. Popping the question used to be a private occasion set in a restaurant or a peaceful garden. In 2011, a marriage proposal which featured a hired choir² on a packed London train was viewed by millions online.

While that particular recipient³ of the proposal might be delighted, not everybody likes to be put on the spot. "You would either be thrilled or mortified⁴ by that," says celebrity⁵ wedding planner Siobhan Craven-Robins.

The increased level of expectation that surrounds weddings these days has led to people feeling that their proposal also has to be out of the ordinary, she says.

Glenn Wilson, a consultant⁶ psychologist, thinks public wedding proposals may sometimes be a ploy⁷ on the part of men. The woman may feel rather constrained⁸ in how she can respond.

"It's possible that some men think that this will pile pressure upon her and increase the likelihood of getting a positive response, that she must think that he really loves her if he goes to this extent of trouble and trickery."

"There is tremendous social and public pressure behind the woman to say 'yes'," says Wilson. "If she says 'no' so publicly it's difficult to revise that response later.

Jo Bryant, etiquette⁹ advisor¹⁰, says: "A public proposal that could be particularly loud, intrusive¹¹ or embarrassing for people to watch should be avoided."

One refusal cost a woman who said "no" dearly at a NBA basketball match in the US. She was booed by the crowd, while the distraught man was consoled by a giant cuddly¹² mascot.

Quiz 小测验

1. According to the article, what are the places where people used to propose marriage in a private way?

A restaurant or a peaceful garden.

2. What are the reactions wedding planner Siobhan Craven-Robins expects from out of the ordinary proposals?

That people feel either thrilled or mortified.

3. True, false or not given: People who are not in love with their partner don't say 'yes' to public proposals.

False. According to the article, they might feel they have no choice but accept the proposal.

4. In the article, where did the refused marriage proposal take place?

They were in the US, at a NBA basketball match.

5. Look at the article. Can you find the expression used when referring to putting pressure on people to make a decision?

Put on the spot.

Glossary 词汇表

to propose 求婚

to nod (her/his) head 点头同意

elaborate 夸张的，复杂的

a recipient 接收者

to put on the spot 让人为难，即刻作出决定

thrilled 使人兴奋

mortified 使人羞愧

expectation 期望

out of the ordinary 与众不同的

a ploy 一种策略

constrained 约束

to pile pressure upon (somebody) 给某人施加压力

the likelihood 可能性

a positive response 一个正面的答复

public pressure 公众压力

intrusive 侵扰

embarrassing 尴尬

refusal 拒绝

to be booed 被人嘘

distraught 心烦意乱的，沮丧的

to be consoled 受人安抚，安慰

1 mascot   

n.福神，吉祥的东西

参考例句：

• The football team's mascot is a goat.足球队的吉祥物是山羊。
• We had a panda as our mascot.我们把熊猫作为吉详物。

2 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

3 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

4 mortified   

v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等）

参考例句：

• She was mortified to realize he had heard every word she said. 她意识到自己的每句话都被他听到了，直羞得无地自容。
• The knowledge of future evils mortified the present felicities. 对未来苦难的了解压抑了目前的喜悦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

7 ploy   

n.花招，手段

参考例句：

• I think this is just a government ploy to deceive the public.我认为这只是政府欺骗公众的手段。
• Christmas should be a time of excitement and wonder,not a cynical marketing ploy.圣诞节应该是兴奋和美妙的时刻，而不该是一种肆无忌惮的营销策略。

8 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

9 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

10 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

11 intrusive   

adj.打搅的；侵扰的

参考例句：

• The cameras were not an intrusive presence.那些摄像机的存在并不令人反感。
• Staffs are courteous but never intrusive.员工谦恭有礼却从不让人感到唐突。

12 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。