英语听力精选进阶版 6406

English writer Enid Blyton is one of the most popular authors in the world. More than 400 million copies of her children's books have been sold worldwide and generations of British children have grown up hooked on her stories of adventure and magic.

But not everyone likes Enid Blyton.

Some people are objecting to plans to put up a plaque¹ where her house once stood in the town of Beaconsfield, as part of a festival to celebrate her life and work. They complain that her books are racist², sexist and snobbish³.

One of the problems is that Blyton wrote between the 1920s and 1960s. Since that time British society has changed enormously, especially with regards to how we should speak about race, gender⁴, class and how to bring up children.

Many of her stories are enthusiastic about physical punishment, like smacking⁵, which is now considered wrong by many in the UK. Girls also tend to play a very passive role in her popular detective series, like The Famous Five and the Five Find-Outers.

Working class characters don't do well either. They are often mocked for the way they speak or portrayed⁶ as lacking intelligence and social graces.

Blyton is also notorious for her attitudes to race. The baddies are often foreign or gypsies and she wrote about toys called golliwogs. Golliwogs are caricatured images of black people, which are still seen in shops today. But many companies now refuse to sell golliwogs because they are felt to be racist.

Generations of children have been willing to overlook the punishments and prejudice and have avidly⁷ read her 5,000 short stories and 150 novels. Children's writer Michael Rosen says this is because she knew what children wanted in a story.

Adults are usually absent in Blyton books, allowing children to be powerful: travelling and cooking for themselves, visiting magic lands or solving mysteries. But in modern British life, children are more than ever being constantly watched and controlled, as people become more security conscious.

Blyton's books are now published with changes, to make them more acceptable to modern sensibilities, and sales are increasing. Regardless of criticisms, Enid Blyton stories are as much a part of childhood for this generation of British children, as they were for their parents and grandparents.

Quiz 测验

1. Where is the planned Enid Blyton festival?

In the town of Beaconsfield.

2. According to the article, is the following statement true, false or not given? Attitudes in Britain haven't changed since the 1920s.

False. The article says attitudes have changed.

3. According to the article, who is mocked for the way they speak, in Enid Blyton books?

Working class characters.

4. In Enid Blyton books, are children watched closely by adults?

No, adults are usually absent.

5. Are Enid Blyton books still sold?

Yes, and sales are increasing.

Glossary 词汇表

hooked on 被吸引

objecting to 去干涉

plaque 牌匾

snobbish 势利的

race 种族

gender 性别

class 阶级

passive role 被动角色

detective 侦探

working class characters 工人阶级的角色

mocked 嘲笑挖苦

portrayed 被描绘

social graces社交礼仪

notorious 臭名昭著的

baddies 坏人

gypsies 吉普赛人

caricatured 漫画讽刺手法

willing to overlook 愿意忽略

security conscious 安全意识强

sensibilities 感性

1 plaque   

n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板

参考例句：

• There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
• Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。

2 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

3 snobbish   

adj.势利的，谄上欺下的

参考例句：

• She's much too snobbish to stay at that plain hotel.她很势利，不愿住在那个普通旅馆。
• I'd expected her to be snobbish but she was warm and friendly.我原以为她会非常势利，但她却非常热情和友好。

4 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

5 smacking   

活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的

参考例句：

• He gave both of the children a good smacking. 他把两个孩子都狠揍了一顿。
• She inclined her cheek,and John gave it a smacking kiss. 她把头低下，约翰在她的脸上响亮的一吻。

6 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 avidly   

adv.渴望地，热心地

参考例句：

• She read avidly from an early age—books, magazines, anything. 她从小就酷爱阅读——书籍、杂志，无不涉猎。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her melancholy eyes avidly scanned his smiling face. 她说话时两只忧郁的眼睛呆呆地望着他的带笑的脸。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）