英语听力—环球英语 951 2012: The End of the Earth?

 　　Voice 1

　　Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Ruby² Jones,

　　Voice 2

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

　　Voice 3

　　'The IHC has discovered evidence showing that the terrible events of 2012 are real and unavoidable. We believe that some these events will wreck³ our planet⁴ and many who live on it. We are 94 percent certain that this will happen. We cannot ignore December 21st 2012.'

　　Voice 1

　　This was part of message sent by the IHC - the Institute of Human Continuity⁵. This international organisation⁶ informs people that the world is going to end in 2012. It has a website where people can learn more about the end of the world. People can even win the chance to be one of the lucky survivors⁷.

　　Voice 2

　　Does this sound frightening? Well do not worry. The message is just a joke. The Institute of Human Continuity is not real. It was created to excite people about a new film. The film is called 2012. It centres on a particular idea that the world could end in that year. Today's Spotlight looks at the idea behind this film. Why are some people expecting big things to happen in 2012? Is there any evidence for their claims?

　　Voice 1

　　The film 2012 will be released⁸ worldwide this coming November. The film is based on a theory that a number of serious events will happen in the year 2012 - and these events will destroy the Earth!

　　Voice 2

　　This theory is not new. Many people have been discussing it on the internet for some time now. They believe that there is evidence that the world will end in 2012.

　　Voice 1

　　One of the main reasons for this concerns an ancient kingdom - the Mayan kingdom. The Mayans lived in Central America thousands of years ago. They understood more about the world and sky than most other people at the time. They studied the stars and planets⁹. They also had a highly¹⁰ developed system of mathematics. But it is the Mayan calendar that is causing people to worry. The calendar was their system for measuring the beginning, length and order of years. And the last day in the Mayan calendar is the 21st of December 2012. Some people think this is a sign that the Mayans knew when the world would end.

　　Voice 2

　　So could the Mayans really have known when the world would end? Well, this is not the first time that people have tried to state when the end would come. For thousands of years, many different people have said that the world will end on a particular day. So far, they have all been wrong. Here are just a few of these false ideas.

　　Voice 1

　　In the year 1000 many people thought the world would end. People around Europe worried about this important date. The New Year celebrations for 1001 must have been extra big.

　　Voice 2

　　On the first of February 1524, thousands of people left their homes in London. They feared that a flood would start in the city and then destroy the whole world. In fact, it did not even rain in London on that day.

　　Voice 1

　　In more recent times, some people thought the end could come in July 1999. The French writer Nostradamus wrote about this month hundreds of years ago. But he too was wrong.

　　Voice 2

　　Many ideas about the end of the world are based on the Christian¹¹ Bible¹². Parts of the Bible suggest what will happen soon before the end of the world. Some people claim that these events are already happening.

　　Voice 1

　　The Bible says that the world will end when Jesus returns to Earth. But it does not say when this will be. It also says that no one will know exactly when he will return. So no one can claim that the Bible states when the world will end. But Christians¹³ do look forward to Jesus' return. They do not know when this will be. But they believe it is important to be ready for it.

　　Voice 2

　　A number of people have created their own theories about the end of the world. Some ideas are more believable than others. One idea is that the Earth will pass through a particular area of space - our galaxy¹⁴, the Milky¹⁵ Way. They say this will cause global problems that will destroy the world. Another idea is that the earth will turn upside down. So the North Pole will become the South Pole. Scientists have dismissed¹⁶ both these ideas.

　　Voice 1

　　Other people think the end will come after another world war. However the most popular idea is that an unknown planet will hit the Earth. People call this planet ‘Nibiru' or ‘Planet X'. However, scientists say Planet X does not even exist. If it was going to hit the Earth in 2012, we would be able to see it in the night sky now. But we cannot.

　　Voice 2

　　There seems to be no reason to think that any of these terrible events will happen in 2012. But this has not stopped some people from worrying. David Morrison works¹⁷ for NASA. He says he gets lots of people asking about Nibiru and what could happen in 2012. He says,

　　Voice 4

　　‘Go to the NASA website. You will see many reports that show that the Nibiru/2012 story is a hoax¹⁸ - a lie. Scientists, inside and outside of NASA, see that the Nibiru theory is an attempt to frighten people. However, it takes interest away from the more important science concerns. These include global warming and loss of some kinds of plant and animal life. If you think clearly I am sure you can identify the lies. As we near 2012 it will be easier to see the lies.'

　　Voice 1

　　December 2012 is not very far away. As it gets nearer more and more people will be talking about the possible events of December 21st. But hopefully fewer and fewer people will believe they will happen. However for many, the 22nd of December 2012 may still seem extra special.

　　Voice 2

　　The writer and producer of today's programme was Steve Myersco. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom, the United States. You can hear more Spotlight programmes on our website, at http://www.radio.english.net This .programme is called "2012: The End of the World?".

　　Voice 1

　　Spotlight is also on Facebook. To join our group, just search for Spotlight Radio. Thank you for listening today, 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 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 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

4 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

5 continuity   

n.连贯性，连续性，持续性

参考例句：

• There is no continuity between the three parts of the book.这本书的三个部分之间没有连贯性。
• Unfortunately,no questions from the audience broke the continuity of his harangue.令人遗憾的是，没有听众提出问题来打断他的高谈阔论。

6 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

7 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

8 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

9 planets   

行星( planet的名词复数 )； 地球（尤指环境）

参考例句：

• Does life exist on other planets? 其他行星上有生命吗？
• the planets of our solar system 太阳系的行星

10 highly   

adv.高度地，极，非常；非常赞许地

参考例句：

• It is highly important to provide for the future.预先做好准备非常重要。
• The teacher speaks very highly of the boy's behaviour.老师称赞这个男孩的表现。

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

12 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

13 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

14 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

15 milky   

adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的

参考例句：

• Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
• I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。

16 dismissed   

v.解雇( dismiss的过去式和过去分词 )；（使击球员或球队）退场；使退去；驳回

参考例句：

• Vegetarians are no longer dismissed as cranks. 素食者不再被视为有怪癖的人。
• He was dismissed for incompetence. 他因不称职而被解雇。

17 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。

18 hoax   

v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧

参考例句：

• They were the victims of a cruel hoax.他们是一个残忍恶作剧的受害者。
• They hoax him out of his money.他们骗去他的钱。