英语听力精选进阶版 6337

An American town called Boring has voted in favour of pairing with a village by the name of Dull in Scotland.

This means the two of them will participate in joint¹ activities, such as the promotion² of tourism and cultural exchange. Boring decided³ in favour of the move after being approached by the residents of Dull.

But what's in a name? Is Boring really tiresome⁴ and is Dull tedious? Are these places in themselves humdrum⁵ and insipid⁶ or is it just their names which suggest they are drab?

The village of Dull consists of just one row of houses on the north side of a river valley, which means that it must be very peaceful but probably rather stale and monotonous⁷ for young people looking for exciting nightlife. It should also be said that the origin of the name Dull is from the Gaelic language, which was spoken in Scotland before the arrival of the English. Therefore it probably means 'meadow' rather than mundane⁸.

Boring, on the other hand, was named after an early resident of the town, William H. Boring, though whether he was a wearisome fellow himself is not known. The town lies in the state of Oregon, about 30 kilometres from the city of Portland. Is it flat? Not in a literal sense. Oregon is a mountainous state. And Boring's residents insist that the town is "The most exciting place to live". However, in comparison to Seattle, the biggest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, Boring must be at least a little lifeless.

However exciting the communities may or may not be, they are both planning events to celebrate their pairing. The Dull and Weem Community Council intends to mark the partnership⁹ with a new road sign and street party.

Quiz 测验

1. Is there a town in Scotland called Boring?

No, it's in America.

2. What word describes when two communities in different countries make a formal arrangement to have a cultural exchange?

Pairing.

3. Is Dull a big village?

No, it's just a row of houses.

4. Does Dull get its name from English?

No, it's from Gaelic.

5. Was William H. Boring a boring man?

It's not known.

Glossary 词汇表

boring 无聊的

dull 乏味的

tiresome 烦人的

tedious 沉闷的

humdrum 无聊的

insipid 清淡无趣的

drab 无生气的

stale 陈腐的

monotonous 单调的

mundane 平凡的

wearisome 使厌倦的

flat 平坦的

lifeless死气沉沉的

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 tiresome   

adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的

参考例句：

• His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。

5 humdrum   

adj.单调的，乏味的

参考例句：

• Their lives consist of the humdrum activities of everyday existence.他们的生活由日常生存的平凡活动所构成。
• The accountant said it was the most humdrum day that she had ever passed.会计师说这是她所度过的最无聊的一天。

6 insipid   

adj.无味的，枯燥乏味的，单调的

参考例句：

• The food was rather insipid and needed gingering up.这食物缺少味道，需要加点作料。
• She said she was a good cook,but the food she cooked is insipid.她说她是个好厨师，但她做的食物却是无味道的。

7 monotonous   

adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的

参考例句：

• She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
• His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

8 mundane   

adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的

参考例句：

• I hope I can get an interesting job and not something mundane.我希望我可以得到的是一份有趣的工作，而不是一份平凡无奇的。
• I find it humorous sometimes that even the most mundane occurrences can have an impact on our awareness.我发现生活有时挺诙谐的，即使是最平凡的事情也能影响我们的感知。

9 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。