英语听力精选进阶版 7309

23万名献身于第一次世界大战的士兵的遗嘱将被放到网站上供亲属查阅。遗嘱中记录了阵亡士兵最后的愿望和思虑。

The wills and letters that accompanied them give a picture of the lives and loves of the some of the millions of soldiers who served in the First World War.

They tell of the family and friends that the men at the front had left behind.

The following are extracts from those written by Privates Harry¹ Lewis Lincoln and Joseph Witchburn:

Private Harry Lewis Lincoln:

My dearest Clara, I have been expecting a letter from you. I expect you thought I might not get it. But you can always write to the last address. It will always find me, dear Clara.

Private Joseph Witchburn:

If I get killed in active service there will be a medal for me somewhere, and I hope you will try to get it and keep it for the boy to wear when he grows up.

Historian Peter Simkins described his emotion on locating, through the archive, the will of his great-uncle Frank Hill, who went missing on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey in 1918.

Peter Simkins:

I was staggered that this, not only at the speed at which it was located and sent to me but also by the fact that here was something I thought I'd never see.

The British troops kept their wills tucked in their uniforms inside their pocket service books.

Once the men died the wills were collected by the military authorities.

Now, the first batch² of some 230,000 of the surviving documents have been digitised and put online.

Among other wills that have been made available are those of a professional footballer and the grandfather of the musician Mick Fleetwood.

The wills, which belong to the British state, are being digitised in time for next year's centenary of the start of World War I.

Quiz 听力测验

1. True or false? The wills in the story are only from soldiers who died in the war.

True.

2. What did Private Joseph Witchburn hope his son would do when he grew up?

He hoped he would wear his father's medal.

3. What happened to Peter Simkins’ uncle?

He went missing in Turkey in 1918.

4. When is the centenary of the beginning of the First World War?

Next year.

Glossary 词汇表

wills 遗嘱

the front 前线

extracts 选段，引文

in active service 服役，在役

locating 寻找

peninsula 半岛

staggered 感到吃惊的

tucked 把…塞入、藏入

batch 一批

digitised （把资料）数字化

centenary 一百周年

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。