托福听力短文 II-04-3

(WA) OK. In the last class we talked about the classification of trees, and we ended up with a basic description of angiosperms. You remember that those are plants with true flowers and seeds that develop inside fruits. The common broadleaf trees we have on campus fall into this category, but our pines don't.

Now, I hope you all followed my advice and wore comfortable shoes because, as I said, today we're going to do a little field study.

To get started, let me describe a couple of the broadleaf trees we have in front of us. I'm sure you've all noticed this big tree next to Brant Hall. It's a black walnut¹ that must be 80 feet tall. As a matter of fact, there's a plaque² identifying it as the tallest black walnut in the state. And from here we can see the beautiful archway of trees at the Commons. They've American elms... the ones along the Commons were planted when the college was founded 120 years ago. They have the distinctive³ dark green leaves that look lopsided because the two sides of the leaf are unequal. I want you to notice the elm right outside Jackson Hall... Some of its leaves have withered⁴ and turned yellow, maybe due to Dutch elm disease. Only a few branches seem affected⁵ so far, but if this tree is sick, it'll have to be cut down.

Well, let's move on and I'll describe what we see as we go.

1 walnut   

n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色

参考例句：

• Walnut is a local specialty here.核桃是此地的土特产。
• The stool comes in several sizes in walnut or mahogany.凳子有几种尺寸，材质分胡桃木和红木两种。

2 plaque   

n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板

参考例句：

• There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
• Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。

3 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

4 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。