英语听力精选进阶版 6335

What's in your basket when you go to the supermarket? This question is food for thought for the British government when trying to calculate the rate of inflation.

Experts have cooked up a hypothetical shopping basket of food and household goods which are popular with the public. The total price of the basket is calculated, and if the overall cost at the till goes up, then so does retail¹ inflation.

This method of calculating inflation began in 1947. Back then, post-war consumers were tucking into foods such as wild rabbit with turnip², and boiled sweets sold like hotcakes. But nowadays, these unfashionable foods are no longer our cup of tea, so they are not included in a typical basket of shopping any more.

Instead, Brits are going bananas for exotic fruits such as pineapple and continental³ soft cheese. Takeaway food is also on the menu, with chicken and chips proving extremely popular.

Nearly 700 different bread and butter items are compared year after year to help work out how much dough⁴ we're spending. Certain staples⁵ such as eggs, tea, bread and milk have remained in the basket since it began, whereas others come and go as our tastes change.

However, it's not only groceries which are included in the shopping-basket. The annual survey also gives us a flavour of popular household goods and services. Recently items such as tablet computers and smart phones have appeared, reflecting the general public's appetite for technology, as well as big-ticket items like cars and furniture.

The contents of a typical British basket change every year to reflect the public's spending habits, and the total bill for the items is calculated. And although tastes may change over time, one thing remains⁶ the same – if the price at the till goes up, it's always hard to stomach!

Quiz 测验

What is the British government trying to calculate?

The government is trying to calculate the rate of inflation.

True, false or not given: Wild rabbit is a popular food with today’s consumers.

False: Foods such as wild rabbit were popular in the past, but have now become unfashionable.

Why are some items removed from the shopping basket?

Items are removed when they are no longer popular.

Which noun in the article is an informal way of saying 'money' or 'cash'?

The word 'dough' is an informal way of referring to money.

Look at the article. Can you find an expression which means 'difficult to accept'?

If something is 'hard to stomach' it means it is difficult to accept.

Glossary 词汇表

food for thought 引人深思的事情

to cook up 虚构

to tuck into 大吃

to sell like hotcakes 热销

my cup of tea 合我的口味

to go bananas for something 对某事发狂

takeaway 外卖的

on the menu 列在菜单上的

bread and butter 基本生活品

dough 钱

staple 主食

taste 口味

flavour 味道

appetite for something 对…有需求的

hard to stomach 难以接受的

1 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

2 turnip   

n.萝卜，芜菁

参考例句：

• The turnip provides nutrition for you.芜菁为你提供营养。
• A turnip is a root vegetable.芜菁是根茎类植物。

3 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

4 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

5 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。