英语听力精选进阶版 14276（在线收听）

BBC Learning English

Video Words in the News 

24 July 2013

Snail facial

Transcript:

It might not be what you imagine when you book a facial.

But in this salon in Tokyo, snail slime is the latest trend.

It's claimed the treatment makes skin supple, and can help repair sunburn damage, though it has not yet been clinically tested.

Beauticians here think the treatment will eventually catch on, though at $100 a session, this might happen at a snail's pace.

Vocabulary:

facial

a beauty treatment to keep the skin on the face healthy

slime

sticky liquid substance, often produced by fish and snails

supple

easy to bend, not stiff

beauticians

people trained to improve the appearance of their customers

at a snail's pace

very slowly

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.

facial / slime / supple / beauticians / at a snail's pace

1.  A ________ who won a scholarship to study at a London law school after representing her mother in court has been awarded a first in her degree.

2.  I went in thinking I was going to have a _______ and ended up coming out with a hair cut... I still can't work out how it happened.

3.  The jawless, spineless hagfish is a primitive creature that lives at the bottom of the ocean and dates back as far as 500 million years - but it exudes a very special _______, which could provide the clothing of the future.

4.  Then on the weekends you battle your way out of town ________ of about 15-20mph, and of course trying to get back into Seoul on a Sunday afternoon can take four hours for what should be only a 40-minute drive.

5.  Both sunlight and smoking create nasty molecules called free radicals which damage the skin by attacking the collagen which keeps skin ________ and youthful.

Answers:

1.  A beautician who won a scholarship to study at a London law school after representing her mother in court has been awarded a first in her degree.

2.  I went in thinking I was going to have a facial and ended up coming out with a hair cut... I still can't work out how it happened.

3.  The jawless, spineless hagfish is a primitive creature that lives at the bottom of the ocean and dates back as far as 500 million years - but it exudes a very special slime, which could provide the clothing of the future.

4.  Then on the weekends you battle your way out of town at a snail's pace of about 15-20mph, and of course trying to get back into Seoul on a Sunday afternoon can take four hours for what should be only a 40-minute drive.

5.  Both sunlight and smoking create nasty molecules called free radicals which damage the skin by attacking the collagen which keeps skin supple and youthful.