英语听力精选进阶版 6411

The economy might be depressed¹, but the British are still splashing out on wellies. One shoe company has reported sales of the boots are up 673% this year - they're selling 15 pairs a minute. They thank the snow for our enthusiastic welly-buying. It's true we have had a few cold winters in recent years, but our love of wellingtons probably has more to do with fashion sense than common sense.

Ten years ago, wellies came in black or dull green. Farmers wore them. But now shops are selling wellingtons of every colour, decorated with stripes, spots, flowers, animals and even fake diamonds.

That's because the Wellington boot has been fashionable since around 2004, when fashionistas in New York were spotted² wearing them. British model Kate Moss³ made a splash in 2005 when she wore wellies to the Glastonbury Festival.

But the welly has been fashion-forward before. It began in 1817 when the Duke of Wellington started wearing a narrower, simpler boot. Being a famous war hero, men were quick to copy his style and the Wellington boot was soon all the rage. It went out of fashion at the end of the 19th century, but farmers, workers, dog walkers carried on wearing them.

So why have they become fashionable again? It's part of a general trend for big boots: biker boots, cowboy boots and Doc Martens are all popular. Wellies also benefit from music festival chic⁴, with models and music stars being photographed in them at muddy outdoor events. But surely it's a class thing too. The British upper classes have an outdoorsy image – often seen with waterproof⁵ coats, dogs and wellington boots. This aristocratic connection gives wellies a certain social cachet which trainers will never have.

But retailers⁶ should enjoy the welly craze while they can. Wellington boots are probably at their peak now, and will soon start to lose favour. The last big boot fad⁷ was Ugg boots. Worn by the stars, they were soon so desirable that everyone had a pair – or a cheaper copycat version. And that was their downfall. Now everyone has them, they're not special anymore and sales have fallen by a third.

Quiz 测验

1. What is welly short for?

Wellington boot.

2. According to the article, are British shoppers buying fewer wellies?

No, they're buying more.

3. Who invented the Wellington boot in 1817?

The Duke of Wellington.

4. According to the article, who has an outdoorsy image?

The British upper classes.

5. Is the following true, false or not given? Wellies are only available in black and dull green.

False. They're available in many colours.

Glossary 词汇表

splashing out on 在某物上花很多钱

wellies (Wellington boots) 长筒雨靴

common sense 常识

came in 上市可供选择

fake diamonds 假钻石

fashionistas 时尚达人

spotted 被看见

made a splash 引起轰动

fashion-forward 前卫的

all the rage 风靡一时的东西

music festival chic 音乐节时尚

it's a class thing 这和阶级地位有关

outdoorsy 户外的，爱好户外活动的

aristocratic 贵族的

social cachet 社会声望

craze （一时的）风行

at their peak在鼎盛时期

lose favour 失宠

fad 一时的流行

copycat version 山寨版

that was their downfall 那就是它们失败的原因

1 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

2 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

3 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

4 chic   

n./adj.别致(的)，时髦(的)，讲究的

参考例句：

• She bought a chic little hat.她买了一顶别致的小帽子。
• The chic restaurant is patronized by many celebrities.这家时髦的饭店常有名人光顾。

5 waterproof   

n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水

参考例句：

• My mother bought me a waterproof watch.我妈妈给我买了一块防水手表。
• All the electronics are housed in a waterproof box.所有电子设备都储放在一个防水盒中。

6 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

7 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。