英语听力精选进阶版 7107

Background: 尼尔·阿姆斯特郎 (Neil Armstrong) 是 1969 年第一位登上月球的宇航员。当时有无数人听到了他从月球上发回的的广播讲话录音。其中就包括了下面这句话 It’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind. 这句话成为了名言，不过有些人说，句子有语法错误。现在一项新的研究对此进行了重新考证。

Neil Armstrong:

"It's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind."

Or should that have been, "One small step for a man"?

Neil Armstrong has always said that he thought that that's what he said and maybe the vital 'a' got lost in a crackle of static.

Now researchers analysing recently released digitally-enhanced recordings¹ of the entire Apollo 11 mission have confirmed that he did not say the word 'a'.

But a linguistic² analysis of the way in which he spoke³ suggested that he intended to say 'a' and that the first words spoken on the moon were spontaneous and not memorised from a written script.

The researchers also argue that although the expression was not strictly⁴ correct its rhythm and symmetry poetically⁵ capture the sense and mood of one of humanity's most epic⁶ moments.

GLOSSARY⁷ 词汇表

leap 飞跃

mankind 人类

vital 关键的

crackle （无线电干扰）噼啪声

static 静电的

analysing 分析

digitally-enhanced 经过数码化处理的

Apollo 11 mission 阿波罗11号登月使命

linguistic 语言的

spontaneous 即兴的

memorised 记在脑子里了

rhythm 韵律

symmetry 对称的

capture 抓住

humanity's 人类的

epic 壮丽的/史诗般的

Questions and Answers

1. What was Neil Armstrong’s grammatical error?

Many people think he should have said, "One small step for a man…"

2. Does Neil Armstrong think that he made an error?

No, Neil Armstrong thought he said 'a' and that it got lost in static.

3. According to the new research, did Neil Armstrong really make an error?

Yes, researchers have confirmed that he did not say 'a'.

4. Did Neil Armstrong’s error ruin his speech from the moon?

No. Although it was not strictly correct, what Neil Armstrong said has greater rhythm and symmetry.

1 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

2 linguistic   

adj.语言的，语言学的

参考例句：

• She is pursuing her linguistic researches.她在从事语言学的研究。
• The ability to write is a supreme test of linguistic competence.写作能力是对语言能力的最高形式的测试。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

5 poetically   

adv.有诗意地，用韵文

参考例句：

• Life is poetically compared to the morning dew. 在诗歌中，人生被比喻为朝露。 来自辞典例句
• Poetically, Midsummer's Eve begins in flowers and ends in fire. 仲夏节是富有诗意的节日，它以鲜花领航，在篝火旁完美落幕。 来自互联网

6 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

7 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。