英语听力精选进阶版 14416

BBC Learning English

Video Words in the News

8 January 2014

Bull power

Transcript¹:

Meet the latest recruit in the war against global warming.

This Argentinian bull has a device attached to its back to prevent methane² escaping when it belches⁴.

The gas is collected from the bull's stomach through a small pipe and compressed in a canister. Every day one animal produces enough fuel to drive a car one kilometre.

According to the UN, 18% of greenhouse gas emissions⁵ are produced by livestock⁶.

Vocabulary:

methane gas with no colour or odour which can be used as fuel

belches releases air from the stomach through the mouth noisily

canister metal container in the shape of a cylinder⁷

greenhouse gas gases which trap heat in the earth's atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and methane

livestock farm animals raised for domestic use or for profit

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.

methane / belches / canister / greenhouse gas / livestock

1. The majority of Brazil's __________ emissions, believed to be one of the main causes of global warming, stem from deforestation.

2. The scientists in New South Wales have been conducting experiments in specially⁸ designed pens where they measure how much gas sheep emit by burping. They have found, from tests on 200 sheep so far, that the more they eat, the more they __________.

3. Puntland is a semi-autonomous region within Somalia and a large part of its population relies on __________ herding⁹ and fishing.

4. The blast was one of the worst mining disasters to hit New Zealand. An official investigation¹⁰ last year found that the 19 November 2010 incident on the South Island was caused by a __________ gas explosion.

5. A police spokesman said it was not yet clear what caused the blast but it is believed to have been a boiler¹¹ or gas __________. He said damage was confined to the interior of the house and no other premises¹² were affected¹³.

Answers:

1. The majority of Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions, believed to be one of the main causes of global warming, stem from deforestation.

Source: Brazil says Amazon deforestation rose 28% in a year

2. The scientists in New South Wales have been conducting experiments in specially designed pens where they measure how much gas sheep emit by burping. They have found, from tests on 200 sheep so far, that the more they eat, the more they belch³.

Source: Australian aims to breed 'green' sheep that burp less

3. Puntland is a semi-autonomous region within Somalia and a large part of its population relies on livestock herding and fishing.

Source: Somalia cyclone¹⁴: 140 confirmed dead in Puntland

4. The blast was one of the worst mining disasters to hit New Zealand. An official investigation last year found that the 19 November 2010 incident on the South Island was caused by a methane gas explosion.

Source: New Zealand drops Pike River mine boss charges

5. A police spokesman said it was not yet clear what caused the blast but it is believed to have been a boiler or gas canister. He said damage was confined to the interior of the house and no other premises were affected.

Source: Woman dies after Crawley house explosion

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 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

3 belch   

v.打嗝，喷出

参考例句：

• Cucumber makes me belch.黃瓜吃得我打嗝。
• Plant chimneys belch out dense smoke.工厂的烟囱冒出滚滚浓烟。

4 belches   

n.嗳气( belch的名词复数 )；喷吐；喷出物v.打嗝( belch的第三人称单数 )；喷出，吐出；打（嗝）；嗳（气）

参考例句：

• A volcano belches smoke and ashes. 火山喷出黑烟和灰土。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• A volcano belches forth smoke and ashes. 火山喷出烟和尘埃。 来自互联网

5 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

6 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

7 cylinder   

n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸

参考例句：

• What's the volume of this cylinder?这个圆筒的体积有多少？
• The cylinder is getting too much gas and not enough air.汽缸里汽油太多而空气不足。

8 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

9 herding   

中畜群

参考例句：

• The little boy is herding the cattle. 这个小男孩在放牛。
• They have been herding cattle on the tableland for generations. 他们世世代代在这高原上放牧。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 boiler   

n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等)

参考例句：

• That boiler will not hold up under pressure.那种锅炉受不住压力。
• This new boiler generates more heat than the old one.这个新锅炉产生的热量比旧锅炉多。

12 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

13 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

14 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。