英语听力精选进阶版 9666

Hi there, I'm Ricky from the BBC World News for Schools. It's Wednesday the 27th of July. 

Coming up: 

South Korea is hit by floods. 

It's 1 year to the 2012 Olympics. 

And the mountain lion who walked half-way across the U.S. 

First to South Korea where at least 18 people have been killed by landslides¹ in the north of the country. The disaster was triggered by extremely heavy rain which has sparked foods, destroyed buildings and forced dozens of roads to close. In the capital Seoul the flooding was so bad that water submerged the subway stations. To make matters worse forecasters say more heavy rain is expected. 

Next - 

CLIP: "The Games of the 30th Olympiad in 2012 are awarded to the city of London!" 

That was over four years ago and as of today there's just one year to go until the start of the Olympic Games in London! To mark the occasion British diver Tom Daley will take the plunge² in the brand new wave shape aquatics³ centre. There's also going to be a big event in Trafalgar Square, where the head of the games will formally invite all the athletes to take part in the games - and David Beckham is just one famous sportsman who hopes to take him up on the offer... 

CLIP: "I will be an ambassador for the Games and for our country. But I want to be involved, I want to play." 

Next up, an art dealer⁴ has been arrested and accused of smuggling⁵ a tonne of African elephant tusks⁶ into the U.S. It's thought the man paid someone to buy raw ivory in Africa and then send it back to the America. Official, Edward Grace says it shows how dangerous things still are for elephants... 

CLIP: "This Ivory represents one of the largest ivory seizures⁷ in the United States. It also clearly highlights the plight⁸ of the African elephant." 

And finally, a mountain lion who embarked⁹ on an epic¹⁰ journey, walking half way across the United States, has died. Scientists say the animal was killed on a road in the eastern state of Connecticut . DNA¹¹ tests showed the creature -- also known as a cougar¹² or puma¹³ -- was native to the Black Hills of South Dakota, almost three-thousand kilometres from where its body was found. Experts reckon the creature may have made the longest-ever recorded journey by a land mammal. 

And for today's question we want to know how many states there are in the United States? Yesterday we asked you who Turkey's neighbours are? And the answer is...Syria, Iraq, Iran, Georgia, Armenia, Greece, Bulgaria and finally Azerbaijan! 

OK, that's all from us. We're back tomorrow. As you may know by now, Friday will be our last bulletin. So before we go we want to say a big shout out to all the pupils at Wizard school in Brazil - cool name for a schools eh! We also want to say hi to Georgia who turned four yesterday - happy birthday to you. And a big hello to Jane who got in touch from China. And if you want to e-mail us the address is [email protected]!

1 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

2 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

3 aquatics   

n.水生植物，水生动物( aquatic的名词复数 )；水上运动

参考例句：

• Pasturage breed aquatics basically has pig, ox, sheep and fowl. 畜牧养殖主要有猪、牛、羊和家禽。 来自互联网
• So in English they are National Stadium and National Aquatics Center. 这两处场馆的正式名字叫做”国家体育场”和”国家游泳中心“。 来自互联网

4 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

5 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

6 tusks   

n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头

参考例句：

• The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
• Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

7 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

8 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

9 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

10 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

11 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

12 cougar   

n.美洲狮；美洲豹

参考例句：

• I saw a cougar slinking toward its prey.我看到一只美洲狮正在潜随猎物。
• I have never seen a cougar.我从未见过美洲豹。

13 puma   

美洲豹

参考例句：

• The police and the volunteers combed the forest for the lost puma from the zoo.警察和志愿者们在森林里到处寻找动物园迷失的美洲狮。
• A businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree.一位商人去钓鱼，看见那只美洲狮在树上。