英语听力精选进阶版 6447

Mr Fluffy¹ has a special place in my life. He's been with me for longer than I can remember through tears and laughter. Mr Fluffy is my teddy bear, one of the first toys I ever played with and a powerful reminder² of the carefree days of my childhood.

Actually my teddy bear never had much competition as I didn't have many toys. My neighbour lived in a bigger house and had the latest action figures and electronic toys, but he never seemed very happy.

Psychologist Oliver James, author of the parenting book Love Bombing, believes children don't need a great number of toys.

"Most children need a transition object," said James, "their first teddy bear that they take everywhere. But everything else is a socially-created want."

It seems our society is keen to create our children's wants. The Toy Retailers³ Association says that the British spend ￡3bn each year on toys. A lot is merchandising from movies and music, which came into fashion with Star Wars figures in the 1970s.

James believes that the best toys don't have a predetermined role. Simpler toys can offer more possibilities for fun. So while spin-off merchandise like Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear doll can only ever be an astronaut, a more generic⁴ toy could become a hungry baby, a tea party guest - or an astronaut - depending on the child's desires.

The secret of children's play is make-believe. James says it's important for children to "colonise objects". Baking trays can double as drums; towels and pegs⁵ can make up a cave. I loved to do that as a child. Mr Fluffy lived in a cardboard box decorated with my drawings and it guaranteed me hours of fun. Soon he was joined by other cuddly⁶ toys.

Nowadays I feel sorry every time I see a child throwing a tantrum in a shop because they want another new and expensive toy. We were content with so little, and our imagination did the rest.

What about you? What was your favourite toy? Do you still have it?

Quiz 测验

1. How does the author describe the time she was a child?

Carefree.

2. Who had many toys?

The author's childhood neighbour.

3. Which movie made spin-off merchandise popular?

Star Wars, in the 1970s.

4. Where did Mr Fluffy live?

In a cardboard box decorated with drawings.

5. Which expression means to scream uncontrollably when your desires are not satisfied?

To throw a tantrum.

Glossary 词汇表

a teddy bear 玩具熊

a carefree day 无忧无虑的一天

childhood 童年

an action figure 动作片中的一个人物

transition 过渡

a want 想要的东西，向往的东西

merchandising (与影片、音乐等相关的) 附带商品，文化衍生品

predetermined 预先决定的

spin-off merchandise 衍生商品

generic 一般的，普通的

make-believe 假装，假扮

to double as 兼扮双重角色

a cuddly toy 毛绒玩具

to throw a tantrum 发脾气

imagination 想象力

1 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

2 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

3 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。

4 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

5 pegs   

n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平

参考例句：

• She hung up the shirt with two (clothes) pegs. 她用两只衣夹挂上衬衫。 来自辞典例句
• The vice-presidents were all square pegs in round holes. 各位副总裁也都安排得不得其所。 来自辞典例句

6 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。