英语听力精选进阶版 9638

Hi there, I'm Ore from BBC World News for Schools. It's Friday the 10th of June. 

Coming up: 

?Bahrain Grand Prix race gets cancelled, 

?Charity says more needs to be done to help kids fight off diseases 

?And a record-breaking mountain climber pops in for a chat. 

So have you ever dreamt of climbing Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world? Or perhaps staying a bit closer to home and reaching the top of the highest mountain on your continent? Well George from the UK has done ALL of that - and all before he was 17-years-old! His latest mission, to reach the summit of Mount Everest, has made him the youngest person ever to have climbed to the highest peaks of each of the seven continents. Fresh from the Himalayas, he popped in for a chat with us: 

CLIP:"It really does feel amazing to complete my goal of doing the seven summits, you know. I've been working at this such a long time and in some ways, I am sad that it's over because, you know, it was a really amazing time of my life." 

But climbing to the world's highest points is scary business! 

CLIP: "There's this blind corner there, which means I couldn't see where I was trying to hold on to, which, you know, you're kind of reaching in the dark, you know, for holds which is a very scary experience. And it's on that blind corner as well that I almost fell." 

Next a children's charity is saying it wants world leaders to do more to help stop kids dying from diseases around the world. They say almost 2 million children die every year because they don't have the right injections which would protect them from deadly diseases. Now they're asking world governments to help raise the money needed to vaccinate¹ more than 240 million children across the world. 

Racing² over to sports news now and Formula One fans - there WON'T be a Grand Prix in Bahrain this season. The race was first postponed³ in March because of political protests in the Middle Eastern country. Organisers tried rearranging it for October, but now won't be going ahead with it as lots of F1 teams complained. 

But big congrats to triple Olympic champ Usain Bolt who won in his first 200m race in thirteen months, clocking the fastest time this year as he blew his rivals off the track. 

Yesterday we asked you, which country Usain Bolt runs for? 

And the answer is... 

CLIP: MUSIC 

Jamaica. 

And let's finish off with a bit of royal news - Prince William and his new wife Kate have been on their first public event since their big royal wedding in April. They were supporting a children's charity at a dinner and in a speech Prince William said he, his new wife and his brother want to help make kids' lives better: 

CLIP: "I know that I am very fortunate. I've had a good education, a secure home and a loving and supportive family. So many young people, however, do not have these advantages. My brother, Catherine and I hope to use our philanthropy as a long-term catalyst⁴ for meaningful change." 

And happy birthday to William's granddad, Prince Philip. He's the Queen's husband and turned ninety today. Congrats! 

OK, that's all from the World News for Schools team for this week. We're back on Monday!

1 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

2 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

3 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

4 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。