英语听力精选进阶版 6335（在线收听）

What's in your basket when you go to the supermarket? This question is food for thought for the British government when trying to calculate the rate of inflation.

Experts have cooked up a hypothetical shopping basket of food and household goods which are popular with the public. The total price of the basket is calculated, and if the overall cost at the till goes up, then so does retail inflation.

This method of calculating inflation began in 1947. Back then, post-war consumers were tucking into foods such as wild rabbit with turnip, and boiled sweets sold like hotcakes. But nowadays, these unfashionable foods are no longer our cup of tea, so they are not included in a typical basket of shopping any more.

Instead, Brits are going bananas for exotic fruits such as pineapple and continental soft cheese. Takeaway food is also on the menu, with chicken and chips proving extremely popular.

Nearly 700 different bread and butter items are compared year after year to help work out how much dough we're spending. Certain staples such as eggs, tea, bread and milk have remained in the basket since it began, whereas others come and go as our tastes change.

However, it's not only groceries which are included in the shopping-basket. The annual survey also gives us a flavour of popular household goods and services. Recently items such as tablet computers and smart phones have appeared, reflecting the general public's appetite for technology, as well as big-ticket items like cars and furniture.

The contents of a typical British basket change every year to reflect the public's spending habits, and the total bill for the items is calculated. And although tastes may change over time, one thing remains the same – if the price at the till goes up, it's always hard to stomach!

Quiz 测验

What is the British government trying to calculate?

The government is trying to calculate the rate of inflation.

True, false or not given: Wild rabbit is a popular food with today’s consumers.

False: Foods such as wild rabbit were popular in the past, but have now become unfashionable.

Why are some items removed from the shopping basket?

Items are removed when they are no longer popular.

Which noun in the article is an informal way of saying 'money' or 'cash'?

The word 'dough' is an informal way of referring to money.

Look at the article. Can you find an expression which means 'difficult to accept'?

If something is 'hard to stomach' it means it is difficult to accept.

Glossary 词汇表

food for thought 引人深思的事情

to cook up 虚构

to tuck into 大吃

to sell like hotcakes 热销

my cup of tea 合我的口味

to go bananas for something 对某事发狂

takeaway 外卖的

on the menu 列在菜单上的

bread and butter 基本生活品

dough 钱

staple 主食

taste 口味

flavour 味道

appetite for something 对…有需求的

hard to stomach 难以接受的