英语 英语 日语 日语 韩语 韩语 法语 法语 德语 德语 西班牙语 西班牙语 意大利语 意大利语 阿拉伯语 阿拉伯语 葡萄牙语 葡萄牙语 越南语 越南语 俄语 俄语 芬兰语 芬兰语 泰语 泰语 泰语 丹麦语 泰语 对外汉语

英语听力—环球英语 1188 The Lottery: Big Money, Big Problems

时间:2012-11-02 05:19来源:互联网 提供网友:jpstudy   字体: [ ]
特别声明:本栏目内容均从网络收集或者网友提供,供仅参考试用,我们无法保证内容完整和正确。如果资料损害了您的权益,请与站长联系,我们将及时删除并致以歉意。
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

   Voice 1

 
  Welcome to Spotlight1. I'm Robin2 Basselin.
 
  Voice 2
 
  And I'm Adam Navis. 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
 
  William Post did not have an easy life. His mother died when he was young. After that, his father sent him away. When he grew up, he worked any job he could find. One day, William had only forty dollars. He decided3 to spend all forty dollars on a chance to win a lot of money in the lottery4.
 
  Voice 2
 
  William Post's life changed that day. He won 16 million dollars! He thought his life would now be perfect. But later he described his win this way,
 
  Voice 3
 
  "Every person dreams of winning money. But no one understands the problems. They come from places you cannot even see."
 
  Voice 1
 
  William's life did change after winning, but in a bad way. He spent a lot of money on things he did not need. He bought houses, cars, and televisions. Everyone began to ask him for money. People even took him to court to get it. William lost all his money. Today, he lives alone. He says that the money did not make his life better or easier.
 
  Voice 3
 
  "I was much happier when I did not have any money."
 
  Voice 2
 
  Today's Spotlight is on the lottery. Lotteries5 are a popular kind of gaming. There are different ways to decide the winner of a lottery, but the basic rules are the same. People buy a ticket or piece of paper with numbers on it. Then the winning numbers are chosen by chance. If your numbers are the same as the winning numbers, you receive the prize money.
 
  Voice 1
 
  There are lotteries all around the world. Many lotteries are managed by the government. Most of these lotteries give some of the money raised by ticket sales for education, roads, or other government programs. In large lotteries, this can be millions of dollars.
 
  Voice 2
 
  However, some people argue that these lotteries do not actually help a country. These people admit that lotteries provide money for social programs. But a government may not give as much tax money to social programs because of the lottery money. Then, if the lottery stops, or if people play less, the programs will not survive.
 
  Voice 1
 
  But government lotteries are not the only kind of lottery. There are also illegal lotteries. People print pieces of paper that look like real lottery tickets. But they never declare a winner. They keep the money. Other illegal lotteries may declare a winner, but only award a small amount of the money collected. Because illegal lotteries are not managed by the government, the people running them can do whatever they want.
 
  Voice 2
 
  More and more, illegal lotteries are using the internet. A person may get an e-mail inviting6 them into a world-wide lottery. Some times the e-mail says that the person has already won! They only need to go to a website and buy a chance to win. But like the lottery with false tickets, this illegal lottery will not give anyone prize money.
 
  Voice 1
 
  Imagine you had an extra ten dollars each week. You are thinking about playing a lottery. The idea of winning millions of dollars is tempting7. You could do a lot of things if you won. You could help a lot of people. And it would be nice not to have to worry about earning money. So, is it a good idea for you to play that lottery?
 
  Voice 2
 
  It is important to understand the chances of winning. The reason that most lotteries can offer so much money is because the chance of winning is so small. One of the largest lotteries in the world is called Mega Millions. It only costs one dollar to play. And it offers very large prizes. However, the chance of winning the highest prize is one in 175 million. To win a smaller prize, like 150 dollars, the chances are a little better: one in 14,000.
 
  Voice 1
 
  Here is a comparison8. A person is more likely to be hit by lightening9, or killed by a dog than to win the lottery. For every kilometre a person drives in a car, they are six times more likely to be killed than to win a lottery like Mega Millions.
 
  Voice 2
 
  If there is so little chance of winning, why do people continue to play? One reason is that many lottery games have additional10 prizes of one or two dollars. When people play the lottery these small wins make them feel good. They remember the wins and forget the losses.
 
  Voice 1
 
  Also, studies show that poor people buy more lottery tickets than rich people. Many poor people do not understand how unlikely11 it is they will win. Even if they do, they may play the lottery anyway. It may be that poor people do not have the resources to help themselves. They may play the lottery for an emotional12 reason. They may see the lottery as their only hope for a better future.
 
  Voice 2
 
  But the lottery is not the only thing people can do with money. Over a long time, saving13 money can add up. If a person took the ten dollars they spend on lottery tickets and saved it, after twenty years they would have over 10,000 dollars. If that 10,000 dollars was invested14 wisely, it could increase to 30,000 dollars. This is not millions of dollars, but it is real money! And it could help pay for a home or an education.
 
  Voice 1
 
  Everyone wonders what will happen in the future. We think that by winning the lottery, we will know that our future will be great. But money cannot prevent accidents from happening. It cannot stop people from getting sick. The story of William Post shows that money can solve some problems, but it causes other problems. What can we do when we worry about the future?
 
  Voice 2
 
  Money does have a place in our life. But it should not be the centre. Many Christians15 believe that their future is in the hands of God. Bad things will still happen. But God will walk with us in our struggles. This offers more than winning any lottery.
 
  Voice 1
 
  The writer and producer of this program was Adam Navis. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users16 can hear our programs, read our scripts17, and see our word list on our website at http://www.Radio.English.net This .program is called "The Lottery: Big Money or Big Problem?"
 
  Voice 2
 
  If you have a comment or question for Spotlight you can email us. Our email address is radio @ english . net. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Thank you for listening. Goodbye!

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 spotlight 6hBzmk     
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 Oj7zme     
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 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
4 lottery 43MyV     
n.抽彩;碰运气的事,难于算计的事
参考例句:
  • He won no less than £5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
  • They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。
5 lotteries a7a529c8b5d8419ef8053e4d99771f98     
n.抽彩给奖法( lottery的名词复数 );碰运气的事;彩票;彩券
参考例句:
  • Next to bullfights and soccer, lotteries are Spain's biggest sport. 除了斗牛和足球以外,彩票是西班牙最热门的玩意儿。 来自辞典例句
  • Next to bullfight and soccer, lotteries are Spain's biggest sport. 发行彩票在西班牙是仅次于斗牛和足球的最大娱乐活动。 来自辞典例句
6 inviting CqIzNp     
adj.诱人的,引人注目的
参考例句:
  • An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
  • The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人,使人感到亲切温馨。
7 tempting wgAzd4     
a.诱人的, 吸引人的
参考例句:
  • It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
  • It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。
8 comparison TqEzY     
n.比较,对照;比拟,比喻
参考例句:
  • They make a comparison of New York to a beehive.他们把纽约比作一个蜂巢。
  • This dress is really cheaper by comparison.比较起来,这件衣服确实便宜。
9 lightening i1zxU     
n.发光v.使(某物)更明亮( lighten的现在分词 );变得更光明
参考例句:
  • The lightening splintered a tree. 闪电把一棵树劈开了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • I saw the lightening split the clouds and heard the thunders following. 我看到闪电撕开云层,听到随之而来的雷声。 来自英语晨读30分(高二)
10 additional rJTyM     
adj.添加的,额外的,另外的
参考例句:
  • It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
  • I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。
11 unlikely MjGwy     
adj.未必的,多半不可能的;不大可能发生的
参考例句:
  • It was very unlikely that he would do that.他不见得会做那种事。
  • It is unlikely that she will come. 她不大可能来了。
12 emotional 3pDxl     
adj.令人动情的;易动感情的;感情(上)的
参考例句:
  • Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
  • This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。
13 saving XjYzGK     
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。
14 invested 9a25ac4ea8d8a9b7bac3a3ed96702a06     
v.投资,花费( invest的过去式和过去分词 );授予;(把资金)投入;投入(时间、精力等)
参考例句:
  • The money will be invested in managed funds. 这笔钱将投资于管理基金。
  • He invested his lawyer with complete power to act for him. 他让律师全权代办。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 Christians 28e6e30f94480962cc721493f76ca6c6     
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。
16 users 9bc65c2abec141778ffaa729489f3e87     
用户,使用者( user的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
  • Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。
17 scripts d6c5855a62cf32a4dadbc2831f0f295f     
剧本( script的名词复数 ); 文字; 笔迹; (一种语言的)字母系统
参考例句:
  • Many felt he was prostituting his talents by writing Hollywood scripts. 许多人觉得他给好莱坞写剧本是滥用自己的才华。
  • The scripts had a rather tired plot. 这部陈旧的剧本的情节是非常俗套的。
本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎点击提交分享给大家。
------分隔线----------------------------
顶一下
(0)
0%
踩一下
(0)
0%
最新评论 查看所有评论
发表评论 查看所有评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:
听力搜索
推荐频道
论坛新贴