英语听力精选进阶版 7143

Background: 丰田公司在收到对其产品的投诉后宣布召回40多万辆最新款式的普锐斯环保车和其他类型的混合动力汽车。近日来一些司机提出投诉抱怨上述新款汽车的刹车启动缓慢。 此事对丰田公司的产品质量信誉带来了的极大的打击。前段时间，丰田公司因为油门踏板问题已经在全球范围内召回了8百多万辆汽车。

Announcing the recall, the president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, who's the grandson of its founder¹, said the firm would do everything in its power to regain² the confidence of its customers.

He said more than 400,000 Prius cars and other hybrids³ were being recalled worldwide.

Dozens of Prius drivers in Japan and the United States have complained of a short delay in braking taking effect during cold weather or on bumpy⁴ roads.

Mr Toyoda apologised and added drivers should be assured if the brakes were pressed hard the car would stop.

The problem, which the company says can be fixed⁵ by reprogramming software, affects the newest model of the Prius, which is Japan's best-selling car.

It also affects the Lexus, the HS250H and another Toyota model available only in Japan.

The company is already in the midst of two much bigger recalls, one to do with a mechanical problem in accelerators, another the pedals potentially getting snagged in floor mats.

Concerns over safety have done deep damage to Toyota's reputation for quality and reliability⁶ which have helped it to become the largest car maker⁷ in the world.

Glossary⁸ 词汇表

resorts 旅游胜地 

braving 勇敢面对，不怕 

lost his bearings 迷失了方向 

flashing 用光发出信号 

in distress⁹ 遇险，在困境中 

alerted 通知 

marooned¹⁰ 处于孤立无援的境地

Questions and Answers

1. Is Sankt Peter-Ording a resort in the mountains? 

No, it is on the coast.

2. Why do people go there in winter? 

They go there to see the beautiful scenery.

3. How did the lost man try to get attention? 

He flashed his torch on and off.

4. Where was the woman who saw him? 

She was hundreds of kilometres away looking at a website.

1 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

2 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

3 hybrids   

n.杂交生成的生物体( hybrid的名词复数 )；杂交植物（或动物）；杂种；（不同事物的）混合物

参考例句：

• All these brightly coloured hybrids are so lovely in the garden. 花园里所有这些色彩鲜艳的杂交花真美丽。 来自辞典例句
• The notion that interspecific hybrids are rare is ill-founded. 有一种看法认为种间杂种是罕见的，这种看法是无根据的。 来自辞典例句

4 bumpy   

adj.颠簸不平的，崎岖的

参考例句：

• I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
• The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。

5 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

6 reliability   

n.可靠性，确实性

参考例句：

• We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
• I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。

7 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

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。

9 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

10 marooned   

adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的

参考例句：

• During the storm we were marooned in a cabin miles from town. 在风暴中我们被围困在离城数英里的小屋内。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks. 埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。 来自辞典例句