英语听力精选进阶版 6333（在线收听）

Is your spelling accurate? That's the question being asked by a British charity this week.

Mencap claim that a new generation of people cannot spell, as they rely on their computer's auto-correct function far too much.

In a survey, the charity found that 65% of people could not spell the word 'necessary' without making a mistake. Three quarters of respondents also believed they were very good at spelling.

According to the charity, computers often provide imperfect results and lead to grammatical errors. They highlighted the word 'manifest', which is sometimes verified by a computer's spell-check, and then replaced by the word 'manipulate'. The spelling may be exact, but the computer is trying to guess the correct meaning of the sentence. Imprecise spelling can also lead to disadvantage in the workplace. Misspelt words on a CV can reflect badly on a person's attitude and character.

The charity is now holding a 'Spellathon' championship in which competitors are asked to carefully spell words out loud. The hope is that if people recite the spelling of words from memory, it will encourage others to check their own spelling.

Critics have warned that simply blaming technology for bad spelling is unfair and does not address the real educational reasons for the decline in spelling standards. So how meticulous are you with your spelling? Can you spell words such as 'definitely' or 'accidentally' with ease?

Quiz 小测验

1. According to the charity Mencap, what do many people rely on?

The auto-correct function on their computer.

2. Which words can we use to describe something spelt wrong? Give three examples used in the text.

imprecise, a mistake, an error, misspelt, imperfect

3. What is another name for a computer's auto-correct function?

spell-check

4. Is this statement true, false or not given? To recite means to write down your answer.

False. To recite is to read out loud.

5. What is another word for 'standards'?

guidelines, principles

Glossary 词汇表

accurate 准确

rely on 依靠

auto-correct 自动纠正

a mistake 一个错误

imperfect 不完美的

errors 错误

verified 验证

exact 准确的

guess 猜想

correct 正确

imprecise 不精确的

misspelt 拼错

carefully 小心的，仔细的

to recite 背诵

to check 检查

standards 标准

meticulous 细致周密的