英语听力—环球英语 1117 Alone in Antarctica

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Nick Page. 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

 

　　The conditions in Antarctica³ are very extreme⁴. The temperature is often well below freezing. There are very few plants. The continent is mostly covered with ice. It is almost impossible to live there. But every year, many people try to explore it.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　One such person is Felicity Aston. She works⁵ as a meteorologist in Antarctica. She has been studying Antarctica’s weather for over 10 years. But Aston does not just study Antarctica. She also explores it. Today’s Spotlight is on Felicity Aston.  She is the first woman to cross Antarctica alone.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Felicity Aston has always dreamed of exploring Antarctica. When she was a child, she enjoyed stories about Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton was the first person to travel to Antarctica’s South Pole.  Shackleton was very famous. And he is Aston’s hero. Aston told Mother Jones Magazine:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I have always recognized that Antarctica is a place where people went to prove how strong they are. It is a place where these kind of amazing heroes were made.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In 2000, Aston decided⁶ she wanted follow her hero’s example.  She joined the British Antarctic² Survey. She studied in Antarctica with a large group of scientists for three years. This experience confirmed⁷ Aston’s dream. But she wanted to achieve even more. So she began planning a major trip.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In 2009, Aston planned a group trip to Antarctica’s South Pole. You may remember another Spotlight program about this trip. Aston led a group of 8 women from different countries. The group used only the power of their bodies to complete the trip.  They did not use vehicles⁸, dogs or special equipment.  Instead, they used long, thin skis⁹ on their feet.  With these they slid on top of the snow. When necessary, they walked and climbed.  After 38 days, the women reached the South Pole.  They had traveled 900 kilometers.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　This was a major achievement. But Aston kept dreaming. And she began planning her next trip.  This time, she wanted to travel across Antarctica. And, she wanted to go alone. She knew the trip would be very difficult. So she began to prepare.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Aston exercised and trained for many months. Like before, she wanted to complete the trip using only the power of her body.  So, she trained to strengthen¹⁰ her body. But she also trained her mind. She had to learn how to be happy being alone for a long time. She told the sports news organization ESPN:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“In Antarctica, there would be no one to depend on but me. If something went wrong, I needed to know that I could take care of myself.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　On November the 25th, 2011, Felicity Aston began her trip. An airplane brought her to the starting point.  Aston told ESPN how it felt when the airplane flew away.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I never felt so small. All around me, as far as I could see, there was no other sign of life. Just me.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　For the next 59 days, Aston travelled across Antarctica. Her trip was very difficult. On the fourth day, she experienced¹¹ very strong wind. She tried to use her tent to protect her from the wind. She struggled to put the tent together in the wind.  It took a very long time. Finally, she finished. She told Mother Jones magazine:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“Once I was in the tent, I remember sitting there. The winds were beating the tent...At that minute, I recognized that there was no one to come and help... I had to get myself out of this difficult situation.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　This was not Aston’s only difficult day. She experienced other problems as well. She had to cross very large crevasses¹² in the ice. These large, deep divides in the ice are dangerous. Crevasses can be many meters wide and many meters deep. Often, the only way to get across them is to climb.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　For Aston, the crevasses were the most frightening part of the trip. She feared that the ice would change position while she was climbing. She feared being trapped¹³ and that no one would find her. She told ESPN:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I was very frightened of the crevasses. But I was able to cross them well. Because of this, they were also some of the best parts of the trip for me. I experienced the power to face my fears and defeat them.  This is both the most difficult and most pleasing part of a trip like this.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Aston also struggled with being alone. She told “The Guardian” news organization,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“The mornings were the most difficult...I would think, ‘I cannot do this, I need to get out of here.’ Every single morning, I would feel the same thing...Some mornings, I would get past it with positive thinking. Other mornings, I would cry. Other times, I would turn on music as soon as I woke up.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　On January 22, 2012, Aston reached her end point - Hercules Inlet¹⁴. When she recognized that she had arrived, she sat down and cried. She recorded a film of the end of her trip. In it, she said:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I am finished. I am on my way home. The only thing I can think right now is that I want to call my mother on the telephone. I want to tell her I am here.  I want to tell her I am fine...I do not want to go anywhere now. The airplane will come to me. It is so strange. I cannot believe it. I cannot believe that I skiied across Antarctica.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Aston’s trip across Antartica was an amazing success. She showed her courage. She showed her physical and mental strength.  And she showed her heroic¹⁵ spirit. Eugene Kapersky runs a company called Kapersky Lab. His company paid for Aston’s trip. After the trip, he told ESPN:

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　“Discovery is in Felicity’s blood. She is always looking for the next bigger, better, more difficult goal. With her Antarctic crossing, she has set the goal higher for other explorers¹⁶.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Felicity Aston travelled one thousand, 1744 kilometres in 59 days. It was very difficult. She often felt alone, and sometimes she felt afraid. But she defeated her fear and achieved her dream. She became the first woman to travel alone across the continent of Antarctica. She told ESPN,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I proved to myself how strong I am.  To me, that is the victory¹⁷.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer and producer of this program was Dianna Anderson. The voices you heard were from the United¹⁸ States and the United Kingdom. All quotes¹⁹ 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, “Alone in Antarctica.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　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 Antarctic   

adj.南极(区)的；n.(the A-)南极洲，南极圈

参考例句：

• The Antarctic is a mountainous area.南极洲是一个多山的地区。
• It is well known that penguins live in the Antarctic.企鹅生活在南极洲是众所周知的。

3 Antarctica   

n.南极洲

参考例句：

• Antarctica is the earth's coldest landmass.南极洲是地球上最冷的大陆。
• This penguin is from Antarctica.这只企鹅来自南极洲。

4 extreme   

adj.末端的，尽头的；极度的，极端的；n.极度，最大程度

参考例句：

• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。
• His views are rather extreme.他的见解相当偏激。

5 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

6 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。

7 confirmed   

adj.确认的；坚定的；根深蒂固的v.批准(confirm的过去式和过去分词)；证实

参考例句：

• Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。
• The truth of his conjecture was confirmed by the newspaper report. 新闻报道证明了他的推测果然不假。

8 vehicles   

n.运载工具；传播媒介；（为展露演员才华而）特意编写的一出戏（或电影等）；[画]展色剂；交通工具( vehicle的名词复数 )；车辆；传播媒介；手段

参考例句：

• There is not much clearance for vehicles passing under this bridge. 车辆在这座桥下通过时没有多少余隙。
• to carry out random spot checks on vehicles 对车辆进行抽检

9 skis   

n.滑雪板( ski的名词复数 )v.滑雪( ski的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• a pair of skis 一副滑雪板
• His skis crossed and he sat down in a most undignified manner. 他的滑雪板交叉在一起坐下时，姿势很不雅观。 来自辞典例句

10 strengthen   

vt.加强，变坚固；vi.变强，股票上涨

参考例句：

• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。
• You wish to strengthen our forces in the south?你想要加强我们在南部的势力？

11 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

12 crevasses   

n.破口，崩溃处，裂缝( crevasse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Splays are commonly formed by currents from crevasses in levees. 嗽叭形堆积通常由堤防决口的洪流所形成。 来自辞典例句
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses. 冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。 来自辞典例句

13 trapped   

adj. 捕获的，被困的，截留的 动词trap的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• Two passengers are still trapped in the wreck. 有两名乘客仍被困在失事的车辆里。
• The thief was trapped by the police in an old house. 小偷被警察困在一所旧房子里。

14 inlet   

n.小湾，海湾，入口，进口；vt.引进，插入

参考例句：

• There is an inlet to a parking lot.那儿有一个停车场的入口。
• They went to a fishing village on a small inlet of the sea.他们去了小海湾边的一个渔村。

15 heroic   

adj.英雄的，英勇的，崇高的

参考例句：

• Many people have heard of the man's heroic deeds.许多人都已经听说了这个人的英雄事迹。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

16 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》

17 victory   

n.胜利，成功

参考例句：

• Victory will never come if we only wait for it.如果我们光是等待，胜利永远不会到来。
• It can't be questioned that we will win the final victory.我们将最终取得胜利，这是确定无疑的。

18 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。

19 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》