英语听力精选进阶版 14224

BBC Learning English 

Video Words in the News  

22 May 2013 

A delicate job for hard men 

Transcript: 

An unusual sight in a tough environment. 

Inmates¹ in a Brazilian prison have been learning how to knit. 

The scheme, which sees prisoners working on intricate woollen designs, 

is a collaboration² between prison authorities and a fashion designer. 

Prisoners are paid 75 percent of the local minimum wage and also earn 

days off their sentence. 

Vocabulary: 

tough 

strong and difficult 

inmates 

people in prison 

to knit 

to make woollen clothes by creating knots with needles 

intricate 

complex 

minimum wage 

the least amount of money to be legally paid for work done 

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. 

tough / inmates / to knit / intricate / minimum wage 

1.  Each doll takes at least a month to make because of the __________detail 

and design, and thousands of brush strokes are used to create and layer the 

colour of each doll to make them as life-like as possible.  

2.  The 136-year-old jail was one of seven prisons shut by the Ministry³ of 

Justice (MoJ) to cut costs. The last __________were transferred to other 

prisons at the end of February. 

3.  Bangladesh's __________ for garment workers is currently $38 (￡25) a 

month, the lowest in the world. 

4.  The parrot had plucked out most of its feathers was said to resemble an 

oven-ready chicken.  A vet⁴ said it should be put down but Rebecca Blagg, 

the charity's coordinator⁵, __________ jumpers to keep it warm.  

5.  The cave environment is a __________ place in which to make a living, 

limited in food and essential nutrients⁶, forcing microorganisms to fight over 

limited resources.  

Answers: 

1.  Each doll takes at least a month to make because of the intricate detail and 

design, and thousands of brush strokes are used to create and layer the 

colour of each doll to make them as life-like as possible.  

2.  The 136-year-old jail was one of seven prisons shut by the Ministry of Justice 

(MoJ) to cut costs. The last inmates were transferred to other prisons at the 

end of February.  

Source: Shrewsbury Prison closure 'was poorly planned' 

http://bbc.in/12IACjc 

3.  Bangladesh's minimum wage for garment workers is currently $38 (￡25) a 

month, the lowest in the world. 

4.  The parrot had plucked out most of its feathers was said to resemble an 

oven-ready chicken.    A vet said it should be put down but Rebecca Blagg, 

the charity's coordinator, knitted jumpers to keep it warm. 

5.  The cave environment is a tough place in which to make a living, limited in 

food and essential nutrients, forcing microorganisms to fight over limited 

resources. 

1 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

5 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

6 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》