英语听力精选进阶版 13839

BBC Learning English 

Video Words in the News  

28 March 2012 

Mexican movers 

Transcript: 

6000 Mexicans preparing to dance their way into the record books. 

A crowd of mostly women flocked to the capital city's Zocalo Square for the 

world's largest aerobics¹ class. 

Having cemented their place in history, organisers hope the participants will 

continue an active lifestyle. 

Local authorities are looking to get people out of their houses to enjoy the great 

outdoors in the sprawling² metropolis³. 

Vocabulary: 

the record books 

official documents of information 

flocked 

came in great numbers 

aerobics 

exercise regime 

cemented 

made firm 

sprawling metropolis 

large city 

Exercise: 

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from 

BBC news reports.  

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence 

correctly. 

the record books / flocked / aerobics / cemented / sprawling metropolis 

1. The sisters work twice per week with a personal trainer and have been taking 

________________ classes since their release from prison. 

2. It is a remnant from another golden age of cycling, 1950s Britain, when fans 

on their own bikes ________________ to the stands at velodromes. 

3. "This is another incredible achievement to cap a year of incredible 

achievements," said Martin Talbot from the Official Charts Company. "By 

overtaking Michael Jackson’s Bad, 21 has officially ________________ Adele's 

place among the all-time greats." 

4. Most violence was reported from the eastern and central parts of the city, 

police say. Hundreds of people have been killed in ethnic⁴ violence in this 

________________ in recent months. 

5. The reason Tokyo gets into ________________ is that the surrounding region 

- which includes the country's second city Yokohama, as well as 86 other towns 

and cities - has become so built up that it is now one huge continuous urbanised 

area. 

Answers: 

1. The sisters work twice per week with a personal trainer and have been taking 

aerobics classes since their release from prison. 

Source: US 'kidney sisters' must lose weight before transplant 

2. It is a remnant from another golden age of cycling, 1950s Britain, when fans 

on their own bikes flocked to the stands at velodromes. 

Source: London 2012: Chain reaction - how cycling went mainstream 

3. "This is another incredible achievement to cap a year of incredible 

achievements," said Martin Talbot from the Official Charts Company. By 

overtaking Bad, 21 has officially cemented Adele's place among the all-time 

greats." 

Source: Adele's 21 overtakes Michael Jackson's Bad in UK sales 

4. Most violence was reported from the eastern and central parts of the city, 

police say. Hundreds of people have been killed in ethnic violence in this 

sprawling metropolis in recent months. 

Source: Pakistan city of Karachi hit by factional 'bloodbath' 

5. The reason Tokyo gets into the record books is that the surrounding region - 

which includes the country's second city Yokohama, as well as 86 other towns 

and cities - has become so built up that it is now one huge continuous urbanised 

area. 

Source: The world's biggest cities: How do you measure them? 

1 aerobics   

n.健身操，健美操，韵律操

参考例句：

• Doing aerobics is a good way to improve one's health.做有氧健身操是改善健康状况的一个好方法。
• Aren't you going to the aerobics class this morning?今天上午你不是去上有氧运动课吗？

2 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

3 metropolis   

n.首府；大城市

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
• He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。