英国去年有227起"超自然事件"

    近期发表的一份名为《边缘科学怪异报告》称，英国在去年共经历了227起“超自然事件”，是目前为止最高的记录。这份报告是由英国圣公会的一位牧师编写的，在这227起“超自然事件”中，“撞鬼”事件、 不明飞行物、怪声以及公路上的奇幻现象占到多数。此外，报告中还提到鬼怪、麦田怪圈和传说中的幽灵大黑狗等事件。在此前的年度记录中，每年经历的“超自然事件”约为140到180起，不过近年来这个数字在不断攀升。编写报告的牧师指出，在手机与网络普及的科技时代，信息传播的速度更快，此类事件数量上升可能也有这个因素的影响。
    A report revealed that Britain has been witness to a record number of 227 spooky events last year.
    The Fringe Weird² Report compiled by the Rev¹ Lionel Fanthorpe, a Cardiff-based Anglican priest, found that ghosts, UFOs, strange sounds and road phantoms⁴ were the most common spooks experienced.
    Also among the reports are poltergeists, crop circles and shucks - spectres of large black dogs.
    In a normal year there are 140 to 180 reports but the number has been rising steadily⁵.
    "It has to be considered that news spreads faster in our technological⁶ days with mobile phones and the Internet. However, it’s beginning to look as if 2010 will produce a higher-than-average number of reports," the Sun quoted Fanthorpe as saying.
    Some of the paranormal hotspots around the country:
    Prestwick: The most recent event - a man on Saturday reported seeing a ball-shaped red object in the sky close to this Scottish town that changed colour, flew and was joined by other similar shapes.
    Truro: Passers-by reported in February hearing the rattling⁷ of chains at Comprigney Field, where criminals'' bodies were exhibited in an iron cage known as a gibbet.
    Ipswich: A woman was seen in February looking from a window in the Crown Hotel when the room was thought to be unoccupied.
    Trowbridge: Unexplained orbs⁸ of light, a strange phantom³ figure and examples of poltergeist activity were reported in March at the Wiltshire town''s Rose and Crown pub.
    Exeter: St Thomas station is apparently⁹ haunted by a person wearing heels who likes to pat dogs. The animals respond affectionately even though no one can be seen. The latest report was in August.
    York: A girl carrying a child is reported on misty¹⁰ evenings on the A64 Malton Road where a highwayman supposedly murdered her. She was spotted¹¹ in April.
    Culcreach Castle: A phantom harpist plays and in June was heard by boatmen on Loch Lomond.
    Vocabulary:
    poltergeist: troublesome spirit or ghost 鬼怪shuck: the name given to a ghostly black dog which is said to roam the Norfolk, Essex and Suffolk coastline. 指经常游移在诺福克、埃塞克斯以及苏佛克海岸线附近的幽灵大黑狗。在英国，人们经常看到这种动物，并将它们称为黑夏克（Black Shuck，Shuck来自盎格鲁—撒克逊语的scucca，意思是魔鬼），老夏克（Old Shuck）。

1 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

2 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

3 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

4 phantoms   

n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They vanished down the stairs like two phantoms. 他们像两个幽灵似的消失在了楼下。 来自辞典例句
• The horrible night that he had passed had left phantoms behind it. 他刚才度过的恐布之夜留下了种种错觉。 来自辞典例句

5 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

6 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

7 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

8 orbs   

abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• So strange did It'seem that those dark wild orbs were ignorant of the day. 那双狂热的深色眼珠竟然没有见过天日，这似乎太奇怪了。 来自辞典例句
• HELPERKALECGOSORB01.wav-> I will channel my power into the orbs! Be ready! 我会把我的力量引导进宝珠里！准备！ 来自互联网

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 misty   

adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的

参考例句：

• He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿，看看是不是还有雾霭。
• The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。

11 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。