英语听力精选进阶版 14447

BBC Learning English 

Video Words in the News  

28 May 2014 

Driving change in the West Bank

Transcript¹:

Checking a bus engine is an unusual start to the day for a woman in the West Bank.

But there's nothing Najlaa Asia would rather do. She's the first woman licensedto drive public buses in the Palestinian city of Tulkarm. 

Being a pioneer isn't easy. She had to pass 12 driving tests. But Najlaa encourages other Palestinian women to break with taboo³, and compete on an equal footing with men in all professions. 

Vocabulary:

engine

mechanical part of a vehicle which makes it move

licensed²

with official permission to do something

pioneer

person who does something others are not yet doing

taboo

something that is avoided for religious or social reasons

on an equal footing

having the same rights and conditions as others

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.

engine / licensed / pioneer / taboo / on an equal footing

1. "I didn't know anyone else who was building a little house at the time, anywhere," Williams recalls. A warm, energetic woman, Williams is a __________ in the tiny-house movement and was the keynote speaker at the Tiny House Conference.

2. "Summer schools will ensure pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds can start secondary school ___________ with their peers, setting them up to succeed."

3. Whereas once it was greatly frowned upon for a Jew of any stream to marry a non-Jew, today, among unaffiliated (no synagogue), non-denominational (those who don't identify with any movement), conservative or reform Jews, it is not the __________ it once was. The intermarriage rates of nondenominational Jews approach 80%, he says. 

4. A New Forest taxi driver says too many cabs trying to use the rank at Brockenhurst railway station is making it dangerous for pedestrians⁴.

South West Trains says 17 taxis are __________ to use it, but it has not had any complaints about safety.

5. The fact that car manufacturers are achieving these targets suggests the internal combustion⁵ __________ is far from dead yet, despite the push towards electric vehicles.

Answers:

1. "I didn't know anyone else who was building a little house at the time, anywhere," Williams recalls. A warm, energetic woman, Williams is a pioneer in the tiny-house movement and was the keynote speaker at the Tiny House Conference.

2. "Summer schools will ensure pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds can start secondary school on an equal footing with their peers, setting them up to succeed."

3. Whereas once it was greatly frowned upon for a Jew of any stream to marry a non-Jew, today, among unaffiliated (no synagogue), non-denominational (those who don't identify with any movement), conservative or reform Jews, it is not the taboo it once was. The intermarriage rates of nondenominational Jews approach 80%, he says.

4. A New Forest taxi driver says too many cabs trying to use the rank at Brockenhurst railway station is making it dangerous for pedestrians.

South West Trains says 17 taxis are licensed to use it, but it has not had any complaints about safety.

5. The fact that car manufacturers are achieving these targets suggests the internal combustion engine is far from dead yet, despite the push towards electric vehicles.

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 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

3 taboo   

n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止

参考例句：

• The rude words are taboo in ordinary conversation.这些粗野的字眼在日常谈话中是禁忌的。
• Is there a taboo against sex before marriage in your society?在你们的社会里，婚前的性行为犯禁吗？

4 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 combustion   

n.燃烧；氧化；骚动

参考例句：

• We might be tempted to think of combustion.我们也许会联想到氧化。
• The smoke formed by their combustion is negligible.由它燃烧所生成的烟是可忽略的。