英语听力精选进阶版 14415（在线收听）

BBC Learning English

Video Words in the News

1January 2014

Death of a traditional craft

Transcript:

The ancient Afghan art of silk making.

The craft has been handed down through generations but is now under threat.

Demand for the delicate material has been falling for decades. Undercut by cheap imports, it's too expensive for ordinary Afghans. And the tourists haven't returned since the bloody civil war.

Silk producers want investment and regulations to cut smuggling, which they say is ruining the industry.

Vocabulary:

silk soft cloth produced from the thread of a type of worm

handed down passed from one generation to the next

under threat in danger

undercut negatively affected by a competitor selling the same product at a lower price

smuggling taking a product from one place to another illegally

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.

silk / handed down / under threat / undercut / smuggling

1. Iraq has the world's third largest reserves of crude oil but attacks, corruption and _________ have crippled exports.

2. More than 700 jobs are _________ in three tax offices in north-west England, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has said.

3. Since a Chinese empress supposedly dropped a cocoon into her hot tea and started to tease out the single thread of _________ that came loose, the smoothest of luxury materials has provided a status symbol for the rich and powerful.

4. The book has been _________ through his family over the generations.

5. Companies that think they can _________ competitors by employing illegal workers should be warned that they will face heavy fines and possible prosecution.

Answers:

1. Iraq has the world's third largest reserves of crude oil but attacks, corruption and smuggling have crippled exports. Source: Iraq profile

2. More than 700 jobs are under threat in three tax offices in north-west England, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has said. Source: More than 700 tax jobs in Bootle, Preston and Salford' at risk'

3. Since a Chinese empress supposedly dropped a cocoon into her hot tea and started to tease out the single thread of silk that came loose, the smoothest of luxury materials has provided a status symbol for the rich and powerful. Source: How a northern town became a silk powerhouse 

4. The book has been handed down through his family over the generations.

Source: Book of soldiers' stories from World Wae One uncovered

5. Companies that think they can undercut competitors by employing illegal workers should be warned that they will face heavy fines and possible prosecution. Source: Belfast New Century Takeaway employed four illegal workers