英语听力精选进阶版 6666

Diarmuid: Hello everybody and welcome to Authentic¹ Real English from the BBC with me, Diarmuid.

Feifei: And me Feifei.

Diarmuid: So what are we talking about today then Feifei?

Feifei: Our phrase today is one that has been used a lot in the media recently and is related to the economic problems the world has seen over the last year or so.

Diarmuid: Oh that’s so depressing.

Feifei: Depressing 令人沮丧的。Why do you think that is so depressing?

Diarmuid: Well we have done so many words and phrases connected to the economy lately. Words like credit crunch².

Feifei: 信贷危机。

Diarmuid: Economic crisis.

Feifei: 金融危机。

Diarmuid: Recession.

Feifei: 经济衰退。

Diarmuid: And unemployment.

Feifei: 失业。I see what you mean. All of those words are very depressing.

Diarmuid: And pessimistic.

Feifei: 悲观的。In that case I have some good news for you because today’s phrase is all about an optimistic 乐观的 view of the economy.

Diarmuid: I’m intrigued³, Feifei. Tell me more.

Feifei: Today’s phrase is green shoots. Green as in the colour green. And shoots. S.H.O.O.T.S. Green shoots.

Diarmuid: Green shoots. Why is that optimistic?

Feifei: It’s to do with the meaning of shoots. Shoots 有发芽的意思。

Diarmuid: So in this case shoots are the first little green leaves that come out of the ground when a plant is beginning to grow.

Feifei: Yes, like in the beginning of spring when plants recover from winter.

Diarmuid: But how does that relate to the economy?

Feifei: The complete phrase is the green shoots of recovery 复苏迹象。就是说经济复苏的一点儿迹象。

Example

Newsreader: The Minister of Finance said today that the first green shoots of recovery were beginning to be seen in the country's economy.

Diarmuid: So green shoots are signs that something, like an economy for example, is beginning to improve after a difficult time?

Feifei: You got it. 好了，今天的节目就到这里。

Diarmuid: Perhaps you will see the green shoots of your English level start to grow.

Feifei: Bye.

Diarmuid: Bye.

1 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

2 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

3 intrigued   

adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！
• He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。