英语听力精选进阶版 14276

BBC Learning English

Video Words in the News 

24 July 2013

Snail¹ facial

Transcript²:

It might not be what you imagine when you book a facial.

But in this salon³ in Tokyo, snail slime is the latest trend.

It's claimed the treatment makes skin supple⁴, and can help repair sunburn damage, though it has not yet been clinically tested.

Beauticians here think the treatment will eventually catch on, though at $100 a session, this might happen at a snail's pace.

Vocabulary:

facial

a beauty treatment to keep the skin on the face healthy

slime

sticky liquid substance, often produced by fish and snails⁵

supple

easy to bend, not stiff

beauticians

people trained to improve the appearance of their customers

at a snail's pace

very slowly

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.

facial / slime / supple / beauticians / at a snail's pace

1.  A ________ who won a scholarship to study at a London law school after representing her mother in court has been awarded a first in her degree.

2.  I went in thinking I was going to have a _______ and ended up coming out with a hair cut... I still can't work out how it happened.

3.  The jawless⁶, spineless hagfish is a primitive⁷ creature that lives at the bottom of the ocean and dates back as far as 500 million years - but it exudes⁸ a very special _______, which could provide the clothing of the future.

4.  Then on the weekends you battle your way out of town ________ of about 15-20mph, and of course trying to get back into Seoul on a Sunday afternoon can take four hours for what should be only a 40-minute drive.

5.  Both sunlight and smoking create nasty molecules⁹ called free radicals¹⁰ which damage the skin by attacking the collagen which keeps skin ________ and youthful.

Answers:

1.  A beautician who won a scholarship to study at a London law school after representing her mother in court has been awarded a first in her degree.

2.  I went in thinking I was going to have a facial and ended up coming out with a hair cut... I still can't work out how it happened.

3.  The jawless, spineless hagfish is a primitive creature that lives at the bottom of the ocean and dates back as far as 500 million years - but it exudes a very special slime, which could provide the clothing of the future.

4.  Then on the weekends you battle your way out of town at a snail's pace of about 15-20mph, and of course trying to get back into Seoul on a Sunday afternoon can take four hours for what should be only a 40-minute drive.

5.  Both sunlight and smoking create nasty molecules called free radicals which damage the skin by attacking the collagen which keeps skin supple and youthful.

1 snail   

n.蜗牛

参考例句：

• Snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.蜗牛是一种软体草食动物。
• Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays.放假前的时间过得很慢。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

4 supple   

adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺

参考例句：

• She gets along well with people because of her supple nature.她与大家相处很好，因为她的天性柔和。
• He admired the graceful and supple movements of the dancers.他赞扬了舞蹈演员优雅灵巧的舞姿。

5 snails   

n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think I'll try the snails for lunch—I'm feeling adventurous today. 我想我午餐要尝一下蜗牛——我今天很想冒险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most snails have shells on their backs. 大多数蜗牛背上有壳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 jawless   

参考例句：

7 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

8 exudes   

v.缓慢流出，渗出，分泌出( exude的第三人称单数 )；流露出对（某物）的神态或感情

参考例句：

• The plant exudes a sticky fluid. 这种植物分泌出一种黏液。
• She exudes sexual magnetism. 她洋溢着女性的魅力。

9 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

10 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals. 一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句