听播客学英语 152 Mud

 　　Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset in south-west England. It contains the ruins of an old abbey, and has some beautiful countryside around it. There are many myths and legends associated with Glastonbury. Many of these are stories about the Celtic people who lived in England before the Anglo-Saxons came in the 5th and 6th centuries. Today Glastonbury is a favourite place for people who are interested in alternative lifestyles. Here are some of the things you can do in Glastonbury: – you can buy organic toothpaste, or aromatherapy for your cat; – you can visit the burial place of the ancient (and probably mythical) King Arthur and his wife Guinevere; – you can try on a jumper covered in special Celtic patterns; – you can browse¹ in a bookshop that specialises in things like New Age Ecology and Geomancy; – you can attend courses on Shamanism and witchcraft².

　　In other words, if you believe in fairies, you will love Glastonbury.

　　Glastonbury is famous as the home of the Glastonbury Festival. This is a festival of music, dance, theatre and comedy. It takes place on a farm a few miles from Glastonbury. People come from all over Britain and abroad to camp in the fields, listen to the music, make new friends and enjoy themselves. Glastonbury is in fact the largest festival of its sort in the world. It started back in 1970, and has been held on most years since then. Every year it becomes bigger, with more people, more bands and more to do and see. This year, about 180,000 people will come to the Festival to hear bands like the Arctic Monkeys, and singers like Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, to listen to new poetry, and to see cabaret, circus and comedy performances.

　　Unexpected things happen at Glastonbury. In 1994 the main stage burned down. In 2001 a fence collapsed³ and thousands of gatecrashers were able to get in. But above all Glastonbury is famous for mud. There was heavy rain in 1997 and again two years ago, in 2005. The rain itself is not a problem. We are English. We are used to rain. We are happy standing⁴ in the rain, eating sandwiches and listening to a pop concert. But the rain caused the streams to overflow⁵, and because there were so many people at the festival, the fields turned to a sea of mud. There were pictures in the newspapers of festival goers covered from head to toe in mud. They looked very happy too. They obviously thought, “If we are going to get muddy, we might as well enjoy it”. Sensible people now bring good waterproofs⁶ and several pairs of wellingtons with them to Glastonbury. The man who owns the farm where the festival is held – his name is Michael Eavis – is determined⁷ that this year the mud will not be a problem. He has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on new drains and other improvements. However, all parts of England have had very heavy rain in the past two weeks, and the weather forecast for Glastonbury this weekend is – yes, more rain. So, which will win – Michael Eavis’s new drains, or the mud? I am betting on the mud.

1 browse   

vi.随意翻阅，浏览；(牛、羊等)吃草

参考例句：

• I had a browse through the books on her shelf.我浏览了一下她书架上的书。
• It is a good idea to browse through it first.最好先通篇浏览一遍。

2 witchcraft   

n.魔法，巫术

参考例句：

• The woman practising witchcraft claimed that she could conjure up the spirits of the dead.那个女巫说她能用魔法召唤亡灵。
• All these things that you call witchcraft are capable of a natural explanation.被你们统统叫做巫术的那些东西都可以得到合情合理的解释。

3 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 overflow   

v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出

参考例句：

• The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
• After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后，河水可能溢出岸来。

6 waterproofs   

n.防水衣物，雨衣 usually plural( waterproof的名词复数 )v.使防水，使不透水( waterproof的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Put on your waterproofs. It's going to rain. 穿上你的雨衣。天要下雨了。 来自辞典例句
• Did you pack an umbrella and some waterproofs? 你有没有带雨伞及一些防水衣物？ 来自休闲英语会话

7 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。