英语听力精选进阶版 14225

BBC Learning English 

Video Words in the News  

10 April 2013 

Thatcher¹'s legacy² 

Transcript: 

Behind the smile, a tough leader. 

With steely determination, Margaret Thatcher sent a task force to re-take the 

Falklands, or the Malvinas, from Argentina in 1982.  

Soviet³ leader Mikhail Gorbachev described her as 'a woman of conviction'. 

Her softer side saw her chatting amicably⁴ with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping 

and, with Ronald Reagan, strengthening the special relationship between Britain 

and the US. 

But her belligerent⁵ attitude to Europe may prove to be the Iron Lady's most 

enduring legacy. 

Vocabulary: 

steely determination 

refusing to stop trying to do something, even though it is very difficult 

conviction 

strong belief or opinion 

amicably 

pleasantly and in a friendly way, without arguments 

belligerent 

always unfriendly and wanting to argue 

enduring 

long-lasting 

Exercise: 

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

news reports.  

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

correctly. 

steely determination / conviction / amicably / belligerent / enduring 

1.  Last week, German Chancellor⁶ Angela Merkel urged Chinese and European 

authorities to resolve the matter _________ by holding talks. But she called 

for more transparency from Beijing about incentives⁷ given to the sector⁸. 

2.  There is undoubtedly⁹ __________ interest in the Titanic¹⁰ story - Belfast and 

Southampton both opened museums dedicated¹¹ to the liner during the 

centenary year. 

3.  Mr Farage has defended UKIP as being different from other parties after 

Prime Minister David Cameron said some of its members were "pretty odd 

people". He said UKIP did have "some eccentrics" but this was healthy and 

he was an unusual party leader in that he was a __________ politician. 

4.  Correspondents say Iran's clerical leadership is showing a __________ to 

keep control amid the controversy¹², and urging people to unify¹³ in the face of 

western enemies. 

5.  The North Korean media are full of images of military preparedness, he adds,   

intended to rally people behind the leadership. Many observers say that 

North Korea's __________ rhetoric¹⁴ appears intended for a domestic 

audience and at shoring up the position of Kim Jong-un, who came to power 

after his father's death in December 2011. 

Answers: 

1.   Last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Chinese and European  

authorities to resolve the matter amicably by holding talks. But she called 

for more transparency from Beijing about incentives given to the sector. 

2.  There is undoubtedly enduring interest in the Titanic story - Belfast and 

Southampton both opened museums dedicated to the liner during the 

centenary year. 

3.   Mr Farage has defended UKIP as being different from other parties after 

Prime Minister David Cameron said some of its members were "pretty odd 

people". He said UKIP did have "some eccentrics" but this was healthy and 

he was an unusual party leader in that he was a conviction politician. 

4.   Correspondents say Iran's clerical leadership is showing a steely 

determination to keep control amid the controversy, and urging people to 

unify in the face of western enemies. 

5.   The North Korean media are full of images of military preparedness, he 

adds, intended to rally people behind the leadership. Many observers say 

that North Korea's belligerent rhetoric appears intended for a domestic 

audience and at shoring up the position of Kim Jong-un, who came to power 

after his father's death in December 2011. 

1 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

2 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

3 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

4 amicably   

adv.友善地

参考例句：

• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The couple parted amicably. 这对夫妻客气地分手了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 belligerent   

adj.好战的，挑起战争的；n.交战国，交战者

参考例句：

• He had a belligerent aspect.他有种好斗的神色。
• Our government has forbidden exporting the petroleum to the belligerent countries.我们政府已经禁止向交战国输出石油。

6 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

7 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

10 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

11 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

12 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

13 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

14 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。