初级英语听力(新版) Lesson 20

 　　初级英语听力(新版) Lession20

　　—Excuse me, but could you tell me the way to the cinema, please?

　　—No, I'm sorry I can't. I'm a stranger in these parts. But why don't you ask that man with a beard? He'll be able to tell you, I'm sure.

　　—Which one do you mean?

　　—Look, the one over there, by the lamp-post.

　　—Ah, yes. I can see him now. Thank you very much.

　　—Not at all.

　　—You are not eating your breakfast.

　　—I don't feel very well.

　　—Oh, dear, what's the matter?

　　—I got a terrible headache.

　　—You must go back to bed. You look quite ill.

　　—I don't want to cause any bother. I'd rather work it off.

　　—Out of the question. You must go to bed and keep warm.

　　—I'm sorry to bother you. Can you tell me where War and Peace is showing?

　　—Yes. At the Empire Cinema.

　　—Would you know when it starts?

　　—No. I can't tell you when it begins. But I know how you can find out. It's here in this Entertainment's Guide.

　　—Can you show me which page is it on?

　　—Certainly. But I'm not sure whether you want to go early or late.

　　—You are up early this morning.

　　—Yes. I've been out and bought a paper.

　　—Good. Then you'll be able to tell me what the weather's like.

　　—It's raining.

　　—Oh, dear, not again.

　　—Don't worry, it's not nearly as wet as it was yesterday.

　　—Thank goodness¹ for that.

　　—Good morning. Can I see Mr. Baker², please?

　　—Have you an appointment?

　　—Yes, at ten o'clock.

　　—What's your name, please.

　　—Jones, Andrew Jones.

　　—Ah, yes. Mr. Baker is expecting you. Will you come this way, please? Mr. Baker's office is along the corridor³.

　　—What does your friend do for a living?

　　—She is one of those persons who look after people in a hospital.

　　—Oh, I see. She is a nurse, you mean.

　　—Yes. That's the word I was looking for. My vocabulary is rather poor, I'm afraid.

　　—Never mind. You explained that very well.

　　—What shall we do this weekend?

　　—Let's go for a swim.

　　—Where shall we go for it?

　　—Let's go to Long Beach. We haven't been there for a long time.

　　—That's a splendid idea. I'll call for you in a car at eleven o'clock. Is that alright for you?

　　—Yes. That'll be perfect. See you tomorrow, then. Goodbye.

　　—You have some black, walking shoes in the window. Would you show me a pair in size seven, please?

　　—Oh, dear, what a pity! There are none left in size seven. Here is a pair in a slightly different style.

　　—Can I try them on?

　　—Yes, of course.

　　—I like these very much. What do they cost?

　　—They cost 4.25 pounds.

　　—Good. I'll have them, then.

　　—Excuse me, but I must say goodbye now.

　　—Can't you stay a little longer?

　　—No, I'm sorry, but I really must go. I shall miss my bus if I don't hurry.

　　—When does your bus go?

　　—At ten o'clock. Good gracious⁴, it's already 10:15. I'll have to ask you to drive me home.

　　—That's alright, but I hope to see you again soon.

　　—That's most kind of you.

　　Woman: Which do you prefer: driving a car yourself or being a passenger?

　　Man: Well—that depends. I enjoy driving, especially on long empty roads where I can go nice and fast. But I'm not very fond of sitting in traffic jams waiting for lights to change, and things like that. I suppose I don't mind being a passenger, but only if I'm sure that the other person really can drive properly.

　　Woman: So you don't really like being in other people's cars, then?

　　Man: Well, as I say, it's all right with a good driver. Then I can relax, sit back and enjoy the scenery. But yes, you're right—on the whole I certainly prefer driving to being a passenger.

　　—Hello, Allen. This is Collin speaking.

　　—

　　—Fine. How about you?

　　—

　　—Good. And how's Bob feeling after his holiday?

　　—

　　—I see. I've got quite a lot to tell you.

　　—

　　—I've just got engaged!

　　—

　　—Yes! No. We haven't fixed⁵ the date yet.

　　—

　　—What's she like?

　　—

　　—Lovely girl! We met on a bus, believe it or not.

　　—

　　—Yes. We just happened to be sitting together and got into the conversation. And we made a date for the same evening, and discovered we've got a lot in common, you know, same interests and, we laugh at the same things.

　　—

　　—No. You don't know her. Hmm. At least she doesn't know you or Bob.

　　—

　　—Oh, about three weeks now.

　　—

　　—Well, yes. It was quite a sudden decision, but I feel really happy. I'd like you both to meet her. Now, how about a meal together one evening soon?

　　—

　　—Would you ask Bob to ring me?

　　—

　　—Oh, I must go now. My boss has just come into the office. Bye.

　　—

　　—Oh, thanks. Bye.

　　Everyone knows him as Old Arthur. He lives in a little hut in the middle of a small wood, about a mile from the village. He visits the village store twice a week to buy food and paraffin, and occasionally⁶ he collects letters and his pension⁷ from the post office. A few weeks ago, a reporter from the local newspaper interviewed him. This is what he said:

　　I get up every morning with the birds. There is a stream near my hut and I fetch water from there. It's good, clear, fresh water, better than you get in the city. Occasionally, in the winter, I have to break the ice. I cook simple food on my old paraffin stove, mostly stews⁸ and things like that. Sometimes I go to the pub⁹ and have a drink, but I don't see many people. I don't feel lonely. I know this wood very well, you see. I know all the little birds and animals that live here and they know me. I don't have much money, but I don't need much. I think I'm a lucky man.

　　James wrote a play for television, about an immigrant¹⁰ family who came to England from Pakistan, and the problems they had settling down in England. The play was surprisingly successful, and it was bought by an American TV company.

　　James was invited to go to New York to help with the production. He lived in Dulwich, which is an hour's journey away from Heathrow. The flight was due to leave at 8:30 am, so he had to be at the airport about 7:30 in the morning. He ordered a mini-cab for 6:30, set his alarm for 5:45, and went to sleep. Unfortunately he forgot to wind the clock, and it stopped shortly after midnight. Also the driver of the mini-cab had to work very late that night and overslept.

　　James woke with that awful feeling that something was wrong. He looked at his alarm clock. It stood there silently, with the hands pointing to ten past twelve. He turned on the radio and discovered that it was, in fact, ten to nine. He swore quietly and switched on the electric kettle.

　　He was just pouring the boiling water into the teapot when the nine o'clock pips sounded on the radio. The announcer¹¹ began to read the news: "... reports are coming in of a crash near Heathrow Airport. A Boeing 707 bound¹² for New York crashed shortly after taking off this morning. Flight number 2234 ..." James turned pale.

　　"My flight," he said out loud. "If I hadn't overslept, I'd have been on that plane."

　　Interviewer: Do you mind if I ask you why you've never got married?

　　Dennis: Uh ... well, that isn't easy to answer.

　　Interviewer: Is it that you've never met the right woman? Is that it?

　　Dennis: I don't know. Several times I have met a woman who seemed right, as you say. But for some reason it's never worked out.

　　Interviewer: No? Why not?

　　Dennis: Hmm. I'm not really sure.

　　Interviewer: Well, could you perhaps describe what happened with one of these women?

　　Dennis: Uh ... yes, there was Cynthia, for example.

　　Interviewer: And what kind of woman was she?

　　Dennis: Intelligent. Beautiful. She came from the right social background, as well. I felt I really loved her. But then something happened.

　　Interviewer: What?

　　Dennis: I found out that she was still seeing an old boyfriend of hers.

　　Interviewer: Was that so bad? I mean, why did you ... why did you feel that ...

　　Dennis: She had told me that her relationship was all over, which ... uh ... which was a lie.

　　Interviewer: Are you saying that it was because she had lied to you that you decided¹³ to break off the relationship?

　　Dennis: Yes, yes, exactly ... Obviously¹⁴, when I found out that she had lied to me, I simply couldn't ... uh ... well, I simply couldn't trust her any more. And of course that meant that we couldn't possibly get married.

　　Interviewer: Uh, huh. I see. At least, I think I do. But ... you said there were several women who seemed 'right.'

　　Dennis: Yes.

　　Interviewer: Well, ... what happened the other times?

　　Dennis: Well, once I met someone who I think I loved very deeply but ... unfortunately she didn't share my religious views.

　　Interviewer: Your religious views?

　　Dennis: Yes, I expect the woman I finally marry to agree with me on such ... such basic things as that.

　　Interviewer: I see.

　　Dennis: Does that sound old-fashioned¹⁵?

　　Interviewer: Uh ... no. Not necessarily¹⁶. What was her name, by the way?

　　Dennis: Sarah.

　　Interviewer: Do you think you'll ever meet someone who meets ... uh ... how shall I say it ... who meets all your ... requirements?

　　Dennis: I don't know. How can I? But I do feel it's important not to ... not to just drift¹⁷ into ... a relationship, simply because I might be lonely.

　　Interviewer: Are you lonely?

　　Dennis: Sometimes. Aren't we all? But I know that I can live alone, if necessary. And I think I would far prefer to do that ... to live alone ... rather than to marry somebody who isn't really ... uh ... well, really what I'm looking for ... what I really want.

　　Every color has a meaning. And as you choose a color, you might like to remember that it's saying something. We've said that red is lovable. Green, on the other hand, stands for hope; it is tranquil¹⁸. Pink is romantic, while brown is serious. White is an easy one—white is pure. Orange is generous. Violet is mysterious, turquoise is strong and blue is definitely feminine

1 goodness   

n.善良，善行，美德

参考例句：

• Would you have the goodness to turn off the radio?劳驾，请你把收音机关上好不好？
• Thank goodness,we've found a cure for the disease.好了，这病有救了！

2 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

3 corridor   

n.走廊，回廊，通路

参考例句：

• The corridor opens into Mr.Brown's office.这条走廊通到布朗先生的办公室。
• There was a ring of laughter in the corridor.走廊里传来响亮的笑声。

4 gracious   

adj.亲切的，客气的，宽厚的，仁慈的

参考例句：

• She was a very gracious lady.她是一位非常和蔼可亲的女士。
• She was gracious enough to show us round her home.她彬彬有礼地领我们参观了她的家。

5 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

6 occasionally   

adv.偶然地；非经常地

参考例句：

• He went on talking,occasionally wiping at his face with a towel.他继续说着，偶尔用毛巾擦一下脸。
• I like playing football best,but occasionally I play table tennis,too.我最喜欢踢足球，偶尔也打打乒乓球。

7 pension   

n.退休金，年金，抚恤金；v.发给退休金

参考例句：

• The country provided a pension to the old person.国家给老人们提供养老金。
• She went to the company to draw her pension.她去公司领退休金。

8 stews   

n.炖煮的菜肴( stew的名词复数 )；烦恼，焦虑v.炖( stew的第三人称单数 )；煨；思考；担忧

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。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most stews contain meat and vegetables. 炖的食物大多是肉类和蔬菜。 来自辞典例句

9 pub   

n.[英]旅馆，小店，酒馆

参考例句：

• He is the landlord of this pub.他是这家酒店的店主。
• They saw that four large men marched into the pub.他们看到四个彪形大汉走进了酒吧。

10 immigrant   

adj.(从国外)移来的，移民的；n.移民，侨民

参考例句：

• Life in the USA was very hard for almost every new immigrant.美国的生活几乎对每一个新移民都很艰难。
• I'd like to obtain some information about applying for an immigrant visa.我想取一些申请移民签证的资料。

11 announcer   

n.宣布者；电(视)台播音员，报幕员

参考例句：

• The radio announcer said it was nine o'clock.电台播音员报时9点整。
• The announcer tells the listeners what programme comes next.广播员告诉听众下一个是什么节目。

12 bound   

adj.一定的，必然的；受约束的，有义务的

参考例句：

• I feel honor bound to repay the money I borrowed.我觉得有责任归还我借的钱。
• If he signs that paper,he will be bound hand and foot.如果他签署那份文件，他就会受到束缚。

13 decided   

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。

14 obviously   

adv.显然；明白地

参考例句：

• Obviously they were putting him to a severe test.显然他们是在给他以严峻的考验。
• Obviously he was lying.显然他是在撒谎。

15 old-fashioned   

adj.旧式的，保守的，挑剔的

参考例句：

• Why do you still dress in an old-fashioned mode?你为什么还穿款式陈旧的衣服？
• Here is an old-fashioned pump for drawing water from a well.这里有一个旧式水泵可从井里抽水。

16 necessarily   

adv.必要地，必需地；必定地，必然地

参考例句：

• More work does not necessarily call for more men.增加工作量不一定就要增添人员。
• A voter must necessarily be no younger than eighteen.选民必须在18岁以上。

17 drift   

vi.漂流(泊)；n.漂流，漂流物；大意；趋势

参考例句：

• The leaves drift in the storm.树叶在暴风雨中飘动。
• The drift of the icebergs in the sea endangers the ships.海上冰山的漂流危及船只的安全。

18 tranquil   

adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的

参考例句：

• The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
• The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。