英语听力精选进阶版 14509

BBC Learning English 

Video Words in the News 

23 July 2014 

Many kinds of intelligence 

Transcript: 

We all dread¹ exam results. 

But one English school has decided² to soften³ the blow with a letter. 

Tests don't assess all the things which make people "special and unique", it says. 

A love for music or sports, or just being "kind and thoughtful" is also important, according to the note. 

The letter has gone viral on the internet. 

But the head teacher of Barrowford Primary School has now been accused of plagiarism⁴, after a similar message was discovered on an American blog. 

Vocabulary: 

dread 

to feel very worried about something that might happen 

soften the blow 

to make the bad effects of something seem less serious 

thoughtful 

(here) kind and considerate 

gone viral 

became popular very quickly 

plagiarism 

using another person's work without saying where it came from 

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. 

dread / soften the blow / thoughtful / gone viral / plagiarism 

1. He was a great MP and a kind, _________ and decent man. 

2. The images have now _________ and been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. 

3. I _________ going out to eat now, even though we are really sociable⁵ people and we love doing it, it just doesn't seem worth it anymore. 

4. The chancellor⁶ is expected to try to _________ of cuts by announcing the go-ahead for major capital schemes which could help create jobs and stimulate⁷ the economy. 

5. _________ has become a major issue for universities, with many using software to detect material taken from websites. 

Answers: 

1. He was a great MP and a kind, thoughtful and decent man. 

2. The images have now gone viral and been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. 

3. I dread going out to eat now, even though we are really sociable people and we love doing it, it just doesn't seem worth it anymore. 

4. The chancellor is expected to try to soften the blow of cuts by announcing the go-ahead for major capital schemes which could help create jobs and stimulate the economy. 

5. Plagiarism has become a major issue for universities, with many using software to detect material taken from websites. 

1 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

4 plagiarism   

n.剽窃，抄袭

参考例句：

• Teachers in America fight to control cheating and plagiarism.美国老师们努力对付欺骗和剽窃的问题。
• Now he's in real trouble.He's accused of plagiarism.现在他是真遇到麻烦了。他被指控剽窃。

5 sociable   

adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的

参考例句：

• Roger is a very sociable person.罗杰是个非常好交际的人。
• Some children have more sociable personalities than others.有些孩子比其他孩子更善于交际。

6 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

7 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。