英语听力精选进阶版 13846

BBC Learning English 

Words in the News  

2 May 2012 

Koalas at risk 

Transcript: 

A beloved symbol of Australia. 

Koalas have been listed as a threatened species in some parts of the country 

after a plunge¹ in the wild population. 

Habitat loss, urban expansion, vehicle strikes, dog attacks and disease have 

contributed to their dwindling² numbers. 

Estimates on koala numbers vary but some studies suggest there are fewer than 

80,000 koalas left in the wild.  

Vocabulary: 

beloved  

that people like a lot  

threatened 

likely to become endangered 

plunge 

sudden fall in number 

strikes  

collisions with vehicles 

dwindling  

falling 

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. 

beloved / threatened / plunge / strikes / dwindling 

1.  But only weeks later, the cheers and smiles turned to tears as the decision 

accelerated Argentina's ________ into the worst economic crisis of its history. 

2.  Conservationists hailed the move as a way to protect Equatorial Africa's 

endangered animals and ________ forests. 

3.  A husband is auctioning³ off his late wife's ________ collection of designer 

handbags for charity. 

4.  There are no globally-collated figures for iceberg⁴ ________, but they happen 

every year. 

5.  Polar bears are listed as ________ under the US Endangered Species Act. 

Answers: 

1. But only weeks later, the cheers and smiles turned to tears as the decision 

accelerated Argentina's plunge into the worst economic crisis of its history. 

Source:  Is Argentina playing with fire? 

2.  Conservationists hailed the move as a way to protect Equatorial Africa's 

endangered animals and dwindling forests. 

Source:  Gabon: Surfing hippos, lacking tourists 

3.  A husband is auctioning off his late wife's beloved collection of designer 

handbags for charity. 

Source:  Rare Hermes bag among wife's collection being auctioned⁵ for charity 

4. There are no globally-collated figures for iceberg strikes, but they happen 

every year. 

Source:  Titanic threat: Why do ships still hit icebergs⁶? 

5. Polar bears are listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. 

Source:  DNA reveals polar bear's ancient origins 

1 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。

2 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

3 auctioning   

v.拍卖( auction的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The Army is auctioning off a lot of old equipment. 军队正在把大量旧装备拍卖掉。 来自辞典例句
• So she's auctioning off a chance to go to an awards dinner? 那么她在拍卖与她共赴晚宴的机会了？ 来自电影对白

4 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

5 auctioned   

v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉，心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 icebergs   

n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The drift of the icebergs in the sea endangers the ships. 海上冰山的漂流危及船只的安全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The icebergs towered above them. 冰山高耸于他们上方。 来自辞典例句