英语听力—环球英语 950 Turkish Delight

 　　Voice 1

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Ryan Geertsma.

　　Voice 2

　　And I'm Robin² Basselin. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

　　Voice 1

　　Do you have a favorite kind of candy? Is there a kind of sweet food that you enjoy eating after a meal? Do you enjoy your favorite sweet candy with a cup of coffee? Or do you eat it alone as a snack?

　　Voice 2

　　Many cultures have their own special sweet candies or desserts. For example, wagashi is a natural sweet from Japan. Wagashi is usually served with tea. Brigadeiro is a small, round chocolate candy from Brazil. There, people often serve this candy at parties. Cannoli is a fried⁴ dough⁵ filled with sweet crème. It is a special dessert from Sicily, in Italy.

　　Voice 1

　　In Turkey, one of these special sweets is Lokum. Lokum is a soft, chewy, sweet candy. It is made with many different tastes, or flavors⁶. Today's Spotlight is on Lokum. Or, as it is known around the world, Turkish Delight.

　　Voice 2

　　You may remember this candy if you have read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, a book by C. S. Lewis. In this story, four children travel to a new world. They meet new creatures. But one of the children gets separated from the rest. His name is Edmund. Edmund meets the White Witch, an evil⁷ woman who wants to rule this new world. She gives Edmund Turkish Delight. The candy tastes so good that Edmund wants more. But the White Witch will not give him more unless he helps her. So Edmund tells her the information she needs for her evil plan.

　　Voice 1

　　In C. S. Lewis's book, Turkish Delight is a rare and special food for Edmund. But in Turkey, the candy is common. Anissa Helou is a food writer and chef. She cooks and writes about Mediterranean⁸ and Middle Eastern food. She talked to the BBC Radio Woman's Hour program about Turkish Delight. She said that it is a natural part of welcoming visitors in Turkey.

　　Voice 3

　　"Often people come to visit and you offer them coffee. And you say, 'Have the rahat lokum to sweeten your mouth.'"

　　Voice 2

　　Turkish Delight is made in the shape of small squares. The main parts of Turkish Delight are sugar, water, and corn flour or corn starch⁹. Different kinds of Turkish Delight are made by adding other foods. Some of the most common kinds include foods like pistachio nuts and oranges, or spices like mint¹⁰, rosewater, or cinnamon. Finally, the small squares are covered with sugar, corn flour, coconut¹¹ fruit, or nuts.

　　Voice 1

　　In the same interview, Ms. Helou described the process of making Turkish Delight.

　　Voice 3

　　"It is not the way you make Turkish Delight that is difficult. It is the time it takes to make. You put sugar, water, and corn flour in a pan³. You put it over the heat. And you bring it to a boil. You always continue to stir¹² and mix it. You stir and stir and stir until it forms a soft ball. I can imagine that this will take about an hour or more. This is because it takes a very long time to get the mixture to become a soft, sticky¹³ substance. So if you have the patience and if you have strong arms, cook it yourself. But I do not think it is worth making. I think the Turkish shops have good enough Turkish Delight for you to try."

　　Voice 2

　　Many other people agree that the best place to get Turkish Delight is in special shops in Turkey. Liesl Schillinger is a writer for Slate¹⁴ online magazine in New York. For Christmas one year, she received Turkish Delight as a gift. She was very excited to try it. But once she tasted it, she was very sad. She thought it tasted like soap for washing instead of sweet, satisfying candy.

　　Voice 1

　　But later, she went to the country of Turkey. One night, while on a bus, the driver stopped at a store along the road. He motioned¹⁵ for her and the other people to get off the bus and go into the store. There, Liesl saw people making fresh Turkish Delight. This time when she tried it, she loved it! This Turkish Delight was very good.

　　Voice 2

　　Turkish Delight has been a popular Turkish candy since about the 16th century. This was during the Ottoman Empire. This makes it one of the oldest known candies in the world. There are many stories about how this sweet candy began. Some say the Sultan or king did not want to eat more hard candies. So he demanded a soft candy. Other stories say the Sultan wanted a new candy to please his many wives. So one of his cooks developed Turkish Delight.

　　Voice 1

　　No one knows the exact origins of Turkish Delight. But we do know that the first Turkish Delight was much different than the candies we eat today. It was made with sweet, thick liquids, such as honey or molasses. Then, in the 18th century, a man named Bekir Effendi created the modern version¹⁶ of Turkish Delight. He later became known as Haci Bekir.

　　Voice 2

　　In 1777, Haci Bekir moved from a town on the coast of the Black Sea to the city of Istanbul. There, he opened his first sweets store. His candies became very popular, especially his Turkish Delight. Bekir made Turkish Delight using sugar instead of honey. He added many different foods to create new tastes or flavors of the candy. It is said that the Sultan of Istanbul enjoyed Bekir's candies so much that he made Bekir the chief candy maker¹⁷ of the whole Ottoman Court.

　　Voice 1

　　Bekir's son and grandson also served the Sultan as chief candy makers¹⁸. And his family still owns that first store in Istanbul. Five generations of his family have continued to make fresh Turkish Delight in the store. The store is one of the oldest original candy stores in Turkey.

　　Voice 2

　　Until the 19th century, Turkish Delight was still called lokum. Stories say that changed when an English traveller visited Haci Bekir's candy store in Istanbul. This traveller liked the candy very much. So he brought a large amount back to Europe. And he called the candy Turkish Delight.

　　Voice 1

　　Today, you can find Turkish Delight in many places around the world. It is traditional in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries – not just in Turkey. And it is known by many different names. What is Turkish Delight called where you live? Have you ever eaten it? What did you think? Share your thoughts with us on the script¹⁹ page of this program. Visit us on our website at http://www.radio.english.net Ther.e, you can also find links with a guide to making Turkish Delight.

　　Voice 2

　　The writer of this program was Courtney Schutt. The producer was Ryan Geertsma. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. This program is called "Turkish Delight."

　　Voice 1

　　You can also find Spotlight on Facebook. Just search for 'Spotlight Radio.' We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!

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 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

3 pan   

n.平底锅；v.严厉批评

参考例句：

• The water had all boiled away and the pan was burned.水煮干了，锅也烧坏了。
• The eggs were frying in the pan.鸡蛋正在锅里煎。

4 fried   

adj.油煎的；油炒的

参考例句：

• I ate everything fried.所有油炸的我都吃。
• I prefer fried peanuts.我选择炸花生。

5 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

6 flavors   

n.味( flavor的名词复数 )；韵味；特点；香料v.给…调味( flavor的第三人称单数 )；给…增添风趣

参考例句：

• He goes for its full,delicious flavors. I go for its economy. 他欣赏它的浓郁和可口的味道。我则欣赏它的便宜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The different kinds of quarks or leptons are known technically as flavors. 夸克和轻子的这些个同种类，从技术上看是有特色的。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

9 starch   

n.淀粉；vt.给...上浆

参考例句：

• Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews.玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。
• I think there's too much starch in their diet.我看是他们的饮食里淀粉太多了。

10 mint   

n.薄荷，铸币厂；vt.铸造（硬币），创造（词）等

参考例句：

• The mint makes coins.铸币厂制造硬币。
• This candy tastes of mint.这糖果有薄荷味。

11 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

12 stir   

n.感动(激动，愤怒或震动)，搅拌，骚乱；vt.激起，惹起，搅和；vi.挪动，活动，离开，搅拌，激动

参考例句：

• Give the soup a stir.把汤搅拌一下。
• Don't stir up trouble between them.不要在他们之间惹麻烦。

13 sticky   

adj.粘的，闷热的，困难的，令人不满意的

参考例句：

• This paste is not sticky enough.这糨糊不黏。
• Here is a sticky business!这事真难办！

14 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

15 motioned   

vt.打手势（motion的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• When the doorman motioned them away, they took no notice. 当门卫示意让他们离开时，他们没注意。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He motioned me to a seat. 他示意我坐下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？

17 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

18 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 script   

n.剧本，广播稿；文字体系；笔迹，手迹

参考例句：

• It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
• The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。