英语听力精选进阶版 7126

前不久数百万美国人的目光都被电视机里播放的新闻吸引住了，一只热气球失控被吹走了。人们都以为这个热气球里还载着一个小男孩。结果后来被发现小男孩原来一直都躲在家里没有任何危险。现在小男孩的父母将面临刑事起诉。

Millions of Americans were transfixed by the live TV coverage¹ of a helium balloon shaped like a flying saucer, hurtling through the air in Colorado. The Heene family said their six-year-old son was trapped in the balloon.

But when it was discovered that the boy had been hiding at home and the family had a track record of appearing on reality TV, people became suspicious.

At one point the boy blurted² out on television that they'd done it for a show. Now, after interviewing the family members individually, the police say it was a hoax³, and the sheriff Ernie Hudson explained:

"It was in fact a public relations setup. These people wanted to get some national attention and with the ultimate hope that they would end up with some form of a TV deal or a reality show deal so there's no doubt in our mind that this took place."

The police said the boy’s parents were in fact actors and they'd put on a very good show, fooling everyone.

The authorities have said their investigation⁴ is still ongoing⁵ and that other parties, including some elements of the media, may have had knowledge of the stunt⁶.

The parents now face criminal charges, including conspiracy⁷ and filing a false police report. If eventually found guilty, they could get a large fine and several years in jail.

GLOSSARY⁸ 词汇表

transfixed 目不转睛 

live TV coverage 电视现场直播 

helium balloon 热气球 

flying saucer 外星船 

hurtling 扔出去，抛出 

track record 以往纪录 

reality TV 电视真人秀 

blurted out 脱口而出 

hoax 恶作剧 

sheriff（美国的）县司法长官 

public relations setup 故意安排的公关计划 

TV deal 电视台合约 

fooling 欺骗 

ongoing 持续的 

parties 其他参与人士 

face 面临

Questions and Answers

1. Where did the balloon incident take place? 

Colorado.

2. Did the parents know their son was hiding? 

Yes. The police think the family staged the event as a hoax.

3. Why do the police think the Heenes fooled the public? 

They hoped they would get a TV deal.

4. True or False? Other people or organisations may have known about the hoax. 

True: "other parties... may have had knowledge of the stunt".

1 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

2 blurted   

v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止，她已脱口而出。
• He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相，说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 hoax   

v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧

参考例句：

• They were the victims of a cruel hoax.他们是一个残忍恶作剧的受害者。
• They hoax him out of his money.他们骗去他的钱。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

7 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

8 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。