英语听力—环球英语 587 Superheroes

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I'm Ruby² Jones. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
Don't get me angry. You would not like me when I am angry!
Voice 4
With great power comes great responsibility.
Voice 3
My spider sense is tingling³!
Voice 4
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's Superman!
Voice 1
These are sayings from some of the world's favourite superheroes. They are the Incredible⁴ Hulk, Spider-Man and the original superhero, Superman! In today's Spotlight, we look at some of the most famous superheroes. But first, we look at some of the common qualities of superheroes.
Voice 2
Superheroes are fictitious⁵ characters - that is they are not real people. They exist only in stories. But they are the products of human imagination. Most superheroes can travel great distances very quickly. Many of them do this by flying! They travel through the air like a bullet⁶ from a gun! Many of them need to learn how to fly. And some wear a cape⁷ to help them. It is like a large coat with no arms. A cape helps them catch the wind and fly quicker!
Voice 1
Superheroes use their special powers to rescue people in danger or difficult situations. They must have a strong desire to help.
Voice 2
Technology is very important to superheroes. They must know how to use many complex machines - and be prepared to create their own if necessary!
Voice 1
Saving⁸ the world is a huge responsibility! It is good if a superhero knows how to enjoy life and can laugh sometimes!
Voice 2
Superheroes do not usually like to tell many people about their special powers. So, they must be good at keeping a secret. This may mean that they do not have many close friends. So superheroes must be prepared to be lonely at times.
Voice 1
Superheroes work very hard. So, they must keep their bodies in top physical condition. This usually involves lots of exercise and eating healthy food. Superheroes must be very self-controlled.
Voice 2
Most superheroes began their existence in stories in comic books. A comic book is a magazine that uses pictures to tell stories. There are two main American Comics - DC Comics and Marvel⁹ Comics. In the world of superheroes, these are called ‘universes'. Many of the most common superheroes come from either the DC Universe or the Marvel Universe. The DC Universe includes Superman, Batman, and WonderWoman. The Marvel Universe includes Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine and many more! In recent years, another company has taken some of the most popular superheroes to India. That company is the Gotham Entertainment group - or Gotham.
Voice 1
Gotham is one of the leading providers of international comic magazines in India. DC Comics and Marvel Comics have given Gotham the rights to publish their superheroes in India. And so, meet Pavitr Prabhakar. Outside India, you may know him as Peter Parker - the original Spider-Man!
Voice 2
Pavitr Prabhakar is a poor Indian boy. He moves from his village to the city of Mumbai. Here, he lives with his relations - Auntie Maya and Uncle Bhim. Pavitr is not popular at school. He only has only one friend, Meera. One day, Pavitr meets an old religious man with spiritual powers - a yogi. The yogi gives him the power of a spider to fight the evil¹⁰ that threatens the world. Through different events, Pavitr learns that with great power comes great responsibility.
Voice 1
Indian Pavitr and American Peter are similar characters. But they are part of two different cultures. Pavitr wears a dhoti, the long traditional clothes of a poor Indian man. Peter Parker wears western clothes. Pavitr gets his power from a Hindu religious man. Peter Parker gets his powers after a nuclear spider bites him. . But both Peter and Pavitr learn the same hard truth: ‘With great power comes great responsibility.'
Voice 2
Other countries have their own national Spider-Man too. There is a Japanese Spider-Man and a Dutch Spider-Man.
Voice 1
DC and Marvel Comics have made billions of dollars from their superheroes. Adults and children enjoy watching their favourite superhero destroy evil, fight for justice - and save the day! But where did the idea of a superman come from?
Voice 2
Some people say that the idea of a superhero first came from a German thinker, Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzche lived in the nineteenth century. He is famous for saying, ‘God is dead and we killed him.' He said the idea of ‘God' and religion was no longer able to provide moral¹¹ guidance for people. Nietzche wrote about the idea of ‘Ubermensch'. This is German for ‘over man', a kind of ‘superman.' Nietzche painted the Ubermensch as the ideal¹² human being. The Ubermensch was better, stronger and more intelligent. He was able to control his own future. The Ubermensch was able to overcome difficulties alone. He did not need help from God or anyone else.
Voice 1
There are not many imaginary¹³ characters that have created as much debate as Nietzche's Ubermensch. Adolf Hitler used the term Ubermensch to describe the master race he hoped to create. And so the Ubermensch got a bad name. People connected the Ubermensch with the idea of a master race - that involved the killings¹⁴ of less important beings. Such ideas may have been far from Nietzche's original character.
But Hitler's dream of a master race showed the weakness in the Ubermensch idea. It showed that any social group without a moral system risks moral failure. And so removing God and his laws from society seems to come at a high price.
Voice 2
Some people say that the Superman we see today in the DC Universe was originally based on Nietzche's idea. However, the comic's Superman is not concerned just about himself and his strengths. He is there to help people in trouble. His aim is to fight evil in the world and to free people from danger. He works¹⁵ for the good of the whole society, not just for himself. And maybe that is what being a hero is truly about. We finish today's programme with a thought from a man famous as a champion in sport and in social work, Arthur Ashe:
Voice 4
"Being a true hero is not very exciting. It is not very eventful. It is not the desire to be better than others, no matter what the cost. It is the desire to serve others, no matter what the cost."
Voice 1
What do you think it means to be a hero? Does your country have any special superheroes? Write and tell us! Our address is radio @ english . net.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 tingling   

v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• My ears are tingling [humming; ringing; singing]. 我耳鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My tongue is tingling. 舌头发麻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 incredible   

adj.难以置信的，不可信的，极好的，大量的

参考例句：

• Some planets run at incredible speed.某些星球以难以置信的速度运行着。
• Her answer showed the most incredible stupidity.她的回答显示出不可思议的愚蠢。

5 fictitious   

adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的

参考例句：

• She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
• The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。

6 bullet   

n.枪弹，子弹

参考例句：

• The bullet wound in his shoulder was opened up for treatment.切开他肩上的枪伤进行治疗。
• The bullet missed me by a hair's s breadth.那颗子弹差一点就打中了我。

7 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

8 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。

9 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

10 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。

11 moral   

adj.道德(上)的，有道德的；n.品行，寓意，道德

参考例句：

• Moral beauty ought to be ranked above all other beauty.品德之美应列于其他美之上。
• He deceived us into believing that he could give us moral support.他骗得我们相信他能给我们道义上的支持。

12 ideal   

adj.理想的，完美的；空想的，观念的；n.理想

参考例句：

• The weather at the seaside was ideal—bright and breezy.海边的天气最宜人，风和日丽的。
• They promised to be faithful to their ideal for ever. 他们保证永远忠于自己的理想。

13 imaginary   

adj.想象中的，假想的，虚构的，幻想的；虚数的

参考例句：

• All the characters in this book are imaginary.此书中的所有人物都是虚构的。
• The boy's fears were only imaginary.这小孩的恐惧只是一种想象。

14 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

15 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。