英语听力—环球英语 1410 Niagara Falls

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.

 

　　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 3

 

　　“It was a terrible day, cold and wet. Within a few minutes, I saw two great white clouds rising up slowly from deep in the earth. For the first time, I heard the mighty² rush of water. I felt the ground shake under my feet.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　These are the words of the great English writer Charles Dickens. He wrote them in 1842. He was visiting Niagara Falls. This waterfall is on the border of the United³ States and Canada. It is one of the largest in the world. Each year, more than 12 million people visit it. Today’s Spotlight is on Niagara Falls.

 

　　Dickens wrote,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I could see a huge flow of water, coming down fast from very high. I had no idea of shape, or situation, or anything. It was just so big.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　This is what many people experience at Niagara Falls. People describe the waterfall as “great”, “mighty”, and “huge”! The sound is incredible⁴. The Falls are on the Niagara River. The river divides just before the waterfall, and then each part drops over a rocky⁵ edge⁶. Because of this split⁷, there are actually two waterfalls, separated⁸ by a small island. On the American side is ‘American Falls’. It is over 300 metres across. On the Canadian side is ‘Horseshoe Falls’. The name comes from its shape - like a horseshoe, in a half circle. Horseshoe Falls is nearly 700 metres across!

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Niagara Falls is not the tallest waterfall in the world. However, the Falls are one of the widest in the world. Over two million litres⁹ of water fall over Niagara every second!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　People have been visiting Niagara Falls for thousands of years. Native people knew the waterfall well. More than three hundred years ago, European explorers¹⁰ told the rest of the world about them. One of these explorers was Louis Hennepin. Hennepin was from Belgium. He was both amazed¹¹ and afraid of what he saw there. He wrote a book about his adventures. In the book, he described his first time seeing the great waterfall. He wrote that it was one of the most wonderful things he had seen. He described the water hurrying over the edge, like a group of wild animals. He said that the noise was louder, and more terrible, than thunder in a storm.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　For many years, Hennepin was the only person to write about the waterfall. Many people in Europe read what he wrote. The waterfall was one of the many amazing things about America. But it was a long time before many other people could see the waterfall. It was a long, difficult trip to visit it.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　As more people moved to the Americas, some people did make the trip. But it was not until the 1840s that Niagara Falls became a popular place. Trains made travel much easier. It also cost less money. At the same time, people in North America were also starting to take holiday trips. Many people lived in cities. So natural places, like Niagara Falls, were very popular. The area became a tourist attraction¹² - a place that many people visited.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　As a result, businesses around the waterfall grew. There were hotels, and restaurants. Most people just wanted to see the natural beauty of the waterfalls. But some people also used the waterfalls to perform stunts¹³ - dangerous acts. Over the next hundred years, people did many insane¹⁴ things at the falls. One of the first was a woman named Annie Edison Taylor.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Annie Edison Taylor was a poor woman. But at the age of 63, she had an idea to make money. She hoped to survive a fall over Niagara Falls. If she did, she believed that she would become famous - and that would make her rich!

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Taylor got a very strong container - a round, wood barrel¹⁵. Barrels¹⁶ usually hold liquid, so they do not let anything in or out. Taylor added¹⁷ a soft mattress¹⁸ inside it, to make the trip easier. On October 24 1901, friends closed her inside the barrel, and she began her trip down the river. The trip only took twenty minutes. The water shook the barrel very hard, but Taylor survived!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Taylor succeeded in her trip, but she did not get rich. Instead, her act inspired many other people. A man named Sam Patch¹⁹ jumped off the waterfalls into the river below. A man named Jean Francois Gravelet walked over the falls on a high tight-rope. Some people also tried to copy Taylor - but they did not all survive. Now, it is not legal²⁰ to perform these kinds of acts at Niagara Falls. It is too dangerous.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　People mainly know about Niagara Falls because of its natural beauty. However, the Niagara River is also an important source²¹ of electricity. The Niagara River flows very fast, with a large amount of water.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In the 1890s, the Westinghouse Electric company built the world’s first large power system on the river. Many other companies also hoped to use the land for factories and power systems. However, around the same time, many people began to work to protect the natural area. Soon, the governments of the United States and Canada got involved. They protected the land around Niagara Falls. They made parks – green, natural areas. No one could buy this land for factories or other industrial development.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The governments also made agreements to protect the water going over Niagara Falls. Power systems move water out of the river to create electricity. So these agreements limit the amount of water power companies can take. This means²² that there is always enough water to flow over Niagara Falls.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　For hundreds of years, Niagara Falls has inspired people through its size and beauty. In the years to come, it will continue to inspire. To see it for yourself, visit our website. We have links there to images and video.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writers of this program were Sara DeKoster and Christy Van Arragon. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes²³ were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Niagara Falls’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　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 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

3 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

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 rocky   

adj.岩石的，像岩石的；多岩石的

参考例句：

• She drives carefully up the rocky lane.她驾车小心地从这条很多石头的小路上驶过去。
• There is only one port along this rocky coast.这个多岩石的海岸只有一个港口。

6 edge   

n.边(缘)；刃；优势；v.侧着移动，徐徐移动

参考例句：

• Sight along the edge to see if it's straight.顺着边目测，看看直不直。
• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。

7 split   

n.劈开，裂片，裂口；adj.分散的；v.分离，分开，劈开

参考例句：

• Who told you that Mary and I had split up?谁告诉你玛丽和我已经离婚了？
• The teacher split the class up into six groups.老师把班级分成6个小组。

8 separated   

adj.分开的v.分开(separate的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Her parents are separated but not divorced. 她父母分居但没离婚。
• No child should ever be separated from his mother by force. 绝不能强行使任何一个孩子与母亲分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 litres   

n.升( litre的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 3 litres of water 3升水
• The barrel would hold 100 litres. 这桶能装一百升。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 explorers   

n.探险家，勘探者( explorer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them. 勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The explorers had to rough it when they got into the jungle. 那些探险者进入丛林后，不得不过着艰苦的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 amazed   

adj.吃惊的，惊奇的v.使大为吃惊，使惊奇( amaze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Just the size of the place amazed her. 仅仅地方之大就使她十分惊奇。
• I was amazed at her knowledge of French literature. 她的法国文学知识之丰富使我大为惊奇。

12 attraction   

n.吸引人的事物；吸引；吸引力

参考例句：

• The main attraction of the place is the nightlife.这个地方最具吸引力的是夜生活。
• Amy is always the centre of attraction at parties.艾米总是聚会上的中心人物。

13 stunts   

n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He did all his own stunts. 所有特技都是他自己演的。
• The plane did a few stunts before landing. 飞机着陆前做了一些特技。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 insane   

adj.蠢极的，荒唐的，精神错乱的，疯狂的

参考例句：

• Insane people are sometimes dangerous.精神病人有时非常危险。
• The letter made her insane with jealousy.那封信使她妒忌得发疯。

15 barrel   

n.圆桶；一桶的量；枪管；vt.把...装桶

参考例句：

• I drew off three pints of beer from the barrel.我从酒桶里抽出三品脱啤酒。
• The man rolled the barrel into the yard.那个人把圆桶滚进院子。

16 barrels   

n.桶( barrel的名词复数 )；枪[炮]管；一桶（的量）；桶（石油计量单位，相当于120 到159 升）

参考例句：

• The farmers put up the apples in barrels. 农夫们把苹果装入箱内。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wine is aged for almost a year in oak barrels. 这葡萄酒已经在橡木桶里存放近一年了。 来自辞典例句

17 added   

adj.更多的，附加的，额外的

参考例句：

• They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
• The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。

18 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

19 patch   

n.补丁；斑；一小块地；vt.补，修补

参考例句：

• This patch looks a bit unprofessional.这块补丁有点像出自外行之手。
• We managed to patch our quarrel.我们设法平息争吵。

20 legal   

adj.法律的，依照法律的，合法的，法定的，正当的

参考例句：

• He is my legal adviser.他是我的法律顾问。
• This is partly a political and partly a legal question.这个问题部分是政治问题，部分是法律问题。

21 source   

n.来源，水源；原始资料

参考例句：

• They mentioned you as a good source of information.他们说你消息灵通。
• All works of art have life as their source.一切文艺创作都来源于生活。

22 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

23 quotes   

v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价

参考例句：

• He quotes a few verses from Tennyson in his paper. 他在论文中引用了英国诗人丁尼生的几行诗句。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He quotes (from) the Bible to support his beliefs. 他引用圣经来支持自己的信念。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》