英语听力精选进阶版 8178

Pregnancy¹ significantly increases a woman driver's chances of having a serious car crash. That's according to a study by Canadian journalists for the Medical Association Journal.

Pregnant women are usually more concerned about the risks of flying, riding on roller coasters or going scuba² diving. But now new research by scientists of University of Toronto has found that risks of being involved in a series of car crash increased by 42% during the second trimester. Half a million women were surveyed and 8000 of those who have been involved in a serious car accident. The crash rate rose from around 177 a month before pregnancy to 252 per month during pregnancy. What's the reason behind this?

The most likely explanation is that it's a combination of the fatigue³, nausea⁴, distraction⁵, anxiety and insomnia⁶ that are a normal part of pregnancy, but could all contribute to driver error. And yet road safety is almost never talked about as part of prenatal care.

Pregnant women shouldn't necessarily rush to get their partners' drive instead as statistically⁷, men of the same age are even worse drivers and have a higher risk of having a serious crash. It's not that pregnant women should stop driving but that they should drive more carefully.

In exactly one-month time, the World Cup finals kick off in Brazil. 64 matches, 12 cities and a month of football. Brazilians so far have been quite gloomy about the competition battered⁸ by the constant news of unfinished stadiums and infrastructure⁹ problems. But the enthusiasm for football in Brazil is still huge.

The Maracana is a big overall concrete stadium. Palm trees just remind you that you are somewhere tropical. Those are people outside taking selfies in front of this. It's a big Flamingo¹⁰ game going on here. From a look of this, we are gonna have one seriously excited country.

Yeah, yeah. Of course. Because we love so much football. People doing the game they are really passionate¹¹.

Someone said to me: " Don't get sick. Your doctors are gonna be watching a match. Don't get in trouble with the police, your lawyer will be watching the match. Don't get hungry, the supermarkets are gonna be closed." Everything stops.

Well, I think you are gonna be crazy.

All these stadiums have been renovated¹². We've had two new stadiums completely from scratch.

1 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

2 scuba   

n.水中呼吸器

参考例句：

• I first got hooked on scuba diving when I was twelve.12岁时我开始迷上了带水中呼吸器潜水。
• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。

3 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

4 nausea   

n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶)

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕期常有恶心的现象。
• He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。

5 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

6 insomnia   

n.失眠，失眠症

参考例句：

• Worries and tenseness can lead to insomnia.忧虑和紧张会导致失眠。
• He is suffering from insomnia.他患失眠症。

7 statistically   

ad.根据统计数据来看，从统计学的观点来看

参考例句：

• The sample of building permits is larger and therefore, statistically satisfying. 建筑许可数的样本比较大，所以统计数据更令人满意。
• The results of each test would have to be statistically independent. 每次试验的结果在统计上必须是独立的。

8 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

9 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

10 flamingo   

n.红鹳，火烈鸟

参考例句：

• This is the only species of flamingo in the region,easily recognized by its pink plumage.这是那个地区唯一一种火烈鸟，很容易凭粉红色的羽毛辨认出来。
• In my family,I am flamingo in the flock of pigeons.在家里，我就像一只被困在鸽笼里的火烈鸟。

11 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

12 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。