英语听力精选进阶版 13858

BBC Learning English 

Words in the News  

30 May 2012 

Hotel in the air 

Transcript: 

It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. 

But these hanging pods are in fact a temporary hotel. Staff lead guests through 

bizarre rituals designed to put them in tune¹ with nature. 

They receive just the bare essentials but spend the night in comfort.  

This interactive² theatre performance was dreamt up by the Belgian group Time 

Circus and is taking part in a festival in Norfolk, England. 

Vocabulary: 

sci-fi or science fiction  

a literary or movie genre³ that creates fantasies based on scientific discoveries 

hanging  

suspended from a height 

bizarre 

strange and unusual 

in tune with 

connected to or in harmony with something 

bare essentials  

items that people think they can't live without 

Watch the video online: Hotel in the air    

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. 

sci-fi / hanging / bizarre / in tune with / bare essentials 

1. The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says the overall casualty figures for Friday, 

though they may be revised upwards⁴, were very much lower than many had 

feared. That is ________ the overall state of the ceasefire itself, our 

correspondent says. 

2. We sat together on his bright, fluffy⁵ pink, red and white rug and an orange-flowered garland framed a ________ portrait of the revolutionary Islamic leader 

of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, who watched over us. 

3. A decade on, is Smith confident audiences will be receptive to another helping 

of fantastical ______ comedy, this time presented in the divisive 3D format⁶? 

4. According to the report, absolute poverty is measured by the number of 

people who can afford only the ____________ of shelter, food and clothing. 

5. "They hear voices or they have delusions⁷. They have ________ ideas which 

are not supported by the facts and they stick to these beliefs," he says. 

Answers: 

1. The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says the overall casualty figures for Friday, 

though they may be revised upwards, were very much lower than many had 

feared. That is in tune with the overall state of the ceasefire itself, our 

correspondent says. 

Source:  Syria ceasefire: Security forces 'fire at protesters' 

2. We sat together on his bright, fluffy pink, red and white rug and an orange-flowered garland framed a hanging portrait of the revolutionary Islamic leader 

of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, who watched over us. 

Source:  Sheikh Zakzaky: Why Nigeria could fear an attack on Iran 

3. A decade on, is Smith confident audiences will be receptive to another helping 

of fantastical sci-fi comedy, this time presented in the divisive 3D format? 

Source:  Will Smith returns with a blast in the past                   

4. According to the report, absolute poverty is measured by the number of 

people who can afford only the bare essentials of shelter, food and clothing. 

Source:  Nigerians living in poverty rise to nearly 61% 

5. "They hear voices or they have delusions. They have bizarre ideas which are 

not supported by the facts and they stick to these beliefs," he says. 

Source:  The brain is the 'most complex thing in the universe'  

1 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

2 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

3 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

4 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

5 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

6 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

7 delusions   

n.欺骗( delusion的名词复数 )；谬见；错觉；妄想

参考例句：

• the delusions of the mentally ill 精神病患者的妄想
• She wants to travel first-class: she must have delusions of grandeur. 她想坐头等舱旅行，她一定自以为很了不起。 来自辞典例句