英语听力精选进阶版 14515

BBC Learning English

Video Words in the News

10 September 2014

Snail¹ farming

Transcript²:

Slimy and squishy, they might not be to everyone's taste.

But snails³ are growing in popularity as a delicacy⁴, according to British snail farmer Helen Howard.

She started breeding them in her spare room seven years ago, and feeds them a special meal of cereals, powdered chalk and dried milk.

Global travel has made people more adventurous⁵ in what they eat, says Helen.

Though it might be some time before these slow creatures become fast food.

Vocabulary:

squishy

soft and easy to crush

delicacy

food that is rare or expensive

breeding

keeping animals for the purpose of mating and producing more animals

powdered

made into powder (a soft substance like sand)

adventurous

keen to try new things

Exercise:

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from BBC stories.

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.

squishy / delicacy / breeding / powdered / adventurous

1. A 90-year-old grandmother from Alabama showed it is never too late to be __________ by celebrating her birthday with a skydive.

2. Dr Chalker-Scott says that research she carried out in Seattle with newly transplanted trees showed that wood chip mulching was just as effective as adding __________ materials and gels to the soil. And it was significantly cheaper.

3. "This leads us to believe that our animal was probably eating soft, __________ things like calamari. It was probably eating squid or its relatives that were swimming in the ocean at the time."

4. It may not be as famous as an oyster⁶, but across Asia, and especially in China, the humble⁷ abalone is a popular __________ - with a hefty price tag to match.

5. Now he is not only __________ and training ponies⁸ for profit, he is also winning trophies⁹.

Answers:

1. A 90-year-old grandmother from Alabama showed it is never too late to be adventurous by celebrating her birthday with a skydive.

2. Dr Chalker-Scott says that research she carried out in Seattle with newly transplanted trees showed that wood chip mulching was just as effective as adding powdered materials and gels to the soil. And it was significantly cheaper.

3. "This leads us to believe that our animal was probably eating soft, squishy things like calamari. It was probably eating squid or its relatives that were swimming in the ocean at the time." 

4. It may not be as famous as an oyster, but across Asia, and especially in China, the humble abalone is a popular delicacy - with a hefty price tag to match.

5. Now he is not only breeding and training ponies for profit, he is also winning trophies.

1 snail   

n.蜗牛

参考例句：

• Snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.蜗牛是一种软体草食动物。
• Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays.放假前的时间过得很慢。

2 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。

3 snails   

n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think I'll try the snails for lunch—I'm feeling adventurous today. 我想我午餐要尝一下蜗牛——我今天很想冒险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most snails have shells on their backs. 大多数蜗牛背上有壳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

5 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。

6 oyster   

n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人

参考例句：

• I enjoy eating oyster; it's really delicious.我喜欢吃牡蛎，它味道真美。
• I find I fairly like eating when he finally persuades me to taste the oyster.当他最后说服我尝尝牡蛎时，我发现我相当喜欢吃。

7 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

8 ponies   

矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑

参考例句：

• They drove the ponies into a corral. 他们把矮种马赶进了畜栏。
• She has a mania for ponies. 她特别喜欢小马。

9 trophies   

n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖

参考例句：

• His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. 他的足球奖杯陈列在厨房里显眼的位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hunter kept the lion's skin and head as trophies. 这猎人保存狮子的皮和头作为纪念品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》