英语听力精选进阶版 14290

BBC Learning English

Video Words in the News 

14 August 2013

Secret taxi driver

Transcript¹:

Taxi!

Behind the sunglasses and uniform is no ordinary cabbie…

It's actually Norway's Prime Minster Jens Stoltenberg, working incognito² in Oslo.

He said taxis were the best place to hear the views of ordinary Norwegians.

Passengers were astonished when they discovered who was driving. 

But, he is unlikely to moonlight again; Stoltenberg hasn't driven for eight years, so his skills are a little rusty³.

Vocabulary:

cabbie

informal word for 'taxi driver'

incognito

avoiding being recognised by changing appearance; in disguise⁴

astonished

shocked and surprised

to moonlight

to work at an extra job, without telling your main employer

rusty

(of a skill) needing practice; not as good as it was in the past

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.

cabbie / incognito / astonished / to moonlight / rusty

1.  Mr Hughes said he had been _________ by the reaction to the film, which received 110,000 hits on YouTube in the first week after it was posted.

2.  First broadcast in 2004, Veronica Mars⁵ told of a high-school student who moves on to college while _________ as a private investigator⁶.

3.  As Londoners will know some of the capital's _________ are not shy about sharing their views on everything from politics to the latest fashions.

Now one driver, Michael Dennis, has started reciting his own poetry to passengers.

4.  Jean Moulin was the former prefect who, in January 1942, was sent by General de Gaulle to organise⁷ the anti-German underground. For a yearand-a-half, he travelled _________ around occupied France, using the pseudonyms⁸ Rex then Max.

5.  Question: Do you get nervous playing your new singles for the first time and why?

Robbie Williams: Yes because I haven't done anything for three years. You just feel a bit _________. 

Answers:

1.  Mr Hughes said he had been astonished by the reaction to the film, which received 110,000 hits on You Tube in the first week after it was posted.

Source: Teachers reward pupils with Gangnam Style performance

2.  First broadcast in 2004, Veronica Mars told of a high-school student who moves on to college while moonlighting as a private investigator.

Source: Veronica Mars fans make film dream a reality 

3.  As Londoners will know some of the capital's cabbies are not shy about sharing their views on everything from politics to the latest fashions. 

Now one driver, Michael Dennis, has started reciting his own poetry to passengers.

Source: All the world's a poem for London cabbie       

4.  Jean Moulin was the former prefect who, in January 1942, was sent by General de Gaulle to organise the anti-German underground. For a year-and-a-half, he travelled incognito around occupied France, using the pseudonyms Rex then Max.

Source: Raymond Aubrac: How I tricked the Gestapo    

5.  Question: Do you get nervous playing your new singles for the first time and why?

Robbie Williams: Yes because I haven't done anything for three years. You just feel a bit rusty.

Source: Robbie kicks off Electric Proms

1 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。

2 incognito   

adv.匿名地；n.隐姓埋名；adj.化装的，用假名的，隐匿姓名身份的

参考例句：

• He preferred to remain incognito.他更喜欢继续隐姓埋名下去。
• He didn't want to be recognized,so he travelled incognito.他不想被人认出，所以出行时隐瞒身分。

3 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

4 disguise   

vt.把...假扮起来；n.伪装物，假装，伪装

参考例句：

• He went about in the disguise of a sailor.他伪装成海员到处流窜。
• It is impossible to disguise the fact that business is bad.生意不好这件事无法隐瞒。

5 Mars   

n.火星，战争

参考例句：

• As of now we don't know much about Mars.目前我们对火星还知之甚少。
• He contended that there must be life on Mars.他坚信火星上面一定有生物。

6 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

7 organise   

vt.组织，安排，筹办

参考例句：

• He has the ability to organise.他很有组织才能。
• It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events.由我来组织所有的仪式。

8 pseudonyms   

n.假名，化名，（尤指）笔名( pseudonym的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• But on newspaper websites, pseudonyms are allowed and are widely used. 但在报纸的网站上，读者可用假名评论且普遍会这么做。 来自互联网
• All materials should bear the writer's name, address and phone number andbe published under pseudonyms. 文章可用笔名发表，惟投稿者须附真实姓名、地址及联络电话。 来自互联网