英语听力精选进阶版 14300

BBC Learning English

Video Words in the News 

23 October 2013

UK nuclear station

Transcript¹:

The site of Britain's first new nuclear power plant in a generation.

Hinkley Point C will be developed by the French firm EDF and backed by Chinese investors².

Ministers say the deal will help Britain produce cheaper energy and become less reliant on fossil fuels.

But critics say it will be more expensive for consumers, while others worry about safety and the environment.

Vocabulary:

plant

a factory that produces power or chemicals

backed

supported

deal

business agreement

fossil fuels

energy sources like coal, gas and oil made from plant and animal remains³ from

millions of years ago

consumers

people who buy and use goods and services 

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.

plant / backed / deal / fossil fuels / consumers

1.  Environmentalists in Norway are angry that Statoil is trying to retrieve⁴ more ________ when experts say we can safely burn just a third of what we have already found.

2.  The cost of cocoa beans has soared since the start of the year, signalling a rise in the price of chocolate for _________.

3.  A section of the roof at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear ________ has collapsed⁶ - but there has been no increase in radiation at the site, authorities say.

4.  The rights to explore Brazil's biggest oilfield have been won at an auction⁷ by a consortium led by Brazil's state-run Petrobras, ________ by Total, Shell and Chinese firms.

5.  Microsoft agreed to buy the business for 5.4bn euros ($7.4bn; ￡4.6bn) in a ________ which the companies have said should be finalised by early 2014.

Answers:

1.  Environmentalists in Norway are angry that Statoil is trying to retrieve more fossil fuels when experts say we can safely burn just a third of what we have already found.

Source: Giant gas platform sinks below waves  

2.  The cost of cocoa beans has soared since the start of the year, signalling a rise in the price of chocolate for consumers.

Source: Chocolate prices could increase as cocoa costs soar

3.  A section of the roof at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant has collapsed - but there has been no increase in radiation at the site, authorities say.

Source: Ukraine: Chernobyl nuclear roof collapse⁵ 'no danger'

4.  The rights to explore Brazil's biggest oilfield have been won at an auction by a consortium led by Brazil's state-run Petrobras, backed by Total, Shell and Chinese firms.

Source: Brazil oil auction: Lone⁸ bid wins exploration rights 

5.  Microsoft agreed to buy the business for 5.4bn euros ($7.4bn; ￡4.6bn) in a deal which the companies have said should be finalised by early 2014.

Source: Nokia World reveals phablets and tablets in Abu Dhabi  

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 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

5 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

6 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

7 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

8 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。