自然保护组织将上万只欧洲牡蛎投放在贝尔法斯特湾的海床上，以尝试恢复几近消失的当地牡蛎礁。有 2000 只成年牡蛎和 3 万只被称为 “附着期幼蚝” 的幼年牡蛎被从苏格兰的繁殖场带到了贝尔法斯特以支持该物种的回归。

There were oyster reefs in Belfast Lough until the early 20th century, when overfishing and pollution all but destroyed them.

贝尔法斯特湾曾经有牡蛎礁，直到 20 世纪早期，人类的过度捕捞和污染几乎完全毁灭了它们。

Over the last four years, oyster nurseries have been set up on the coasts of counties Antrim and Down. Now conservationists have placed 2,000 adult European oysters and more than 30,000 juveniles on the seabed of the lough. Scientists hope the shellfish will form a natural reef and improve the water quality because they remove pollutants.

在过去四年间，一些牡蛎繁殖场被设立在了安特里姆郡和唐郡的海岸线上。目前，自然保护工作者已经在海湾中投放了 2000 只成年欧洲牡蛎和超过 3 万只幼年牡蛎。科学家希望这种贝类动物能够形成天然礁石并改善水质，因为它们能去除水中的污染物。

Northern Ireland's devolved government is supporting the project. It's led by the charity Ulster Wildlife, which has said the latest stage is a huge step forward in helping to restore a small but mighty ocean superhero.

北爱尔兰自治政府支持这个项目。该项目由慈善机构阿尔斯特野生动植物组织牵头，该组织称项目的最新阶段是朝着实现帮助恢复这种体型小、实力强的海洋超级英雄的目标迈出的一大步。

词汇表

reefs 礁，礁石
lough 海湾
overfishing 过度捕捞
nurseries 繁殖场
juveniles 幼年的
pollutants 污染物
devolved （权力或责任）被下放的，被移交的
restore 恢复
mighty 强大的

听力练习

一、听第一遍音频，回答问题。

1. Oyster reefs are…
a. new to the Irish coast.
b. returning to the Irish coast.
c. destroying the Irish coast.

二、用一分钟阅读下列问题，然后听第二遍音频并回答问题。

1. Where are the new oysters in the lough?
a. Tied to ropes.
b. Floating on the surface.
c. On the sea floor.

2. Which types of oysters have been placed in the lough?
a. Mostly adults and some juveniles.
b. Mostly juveniles and some adults.
c. An equal mix of adults and juveniles.

3. Scientists are improving the water quality to help the oysters.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

4. The project is fully funded by a charity.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

三、听第三遍音频，将句子补充完整。（提示：可以反复听，直到听清楚每一个词）

1. Over the last four years, oyster nurseries have been ________________ the coasts of counties Antrim and Down.

2. Scientists hope the shellfish will form ________________ and improve the water quality because they remove pollutants.

答案

一、听第一遍音频，回答问题。

1. b. There were oyster reefs in Belfast Lough until the early 20th century, when overfishing and pollution all but destroyed them.

二、用一分钟阅读下列问题，然后听第二遍音频并回答问题。

1. c. Now conservationists have placed 2,000 adult European oysters and more than 30,000 juveniles on the seabed of the lough.

2. b. Now conservationists have placed 2,000 adult European oysters and more than 30,000 juveniles on the seabed of the lough.

3. b. False. Scientists hope the shellfish will form a natural reef and improve the water quality because they remove pollutants.

4. b. False. Northern Ireland's devolved government is supporting the project. It's led by the charity Ulster Wildlife…

三、听第三遍音频，将句子补充完整。（提示：可以反复听，直到听清楚每一个词）

1. Over the last four years, oyster nurseries have been set up on the coasts of counties Antrim and Down. 

2. Scientists hope the shellfish will form a natural reef and improve the water quality because they remove pollutants.

一个被称为 “Skimo” 或 “ski mountaineering（滑雪登山）” 的新项目将在2026年的意大利冬季奥运会上首次亮相。该项目包括接力赛和短距离比赛，参加比赛的运动员们需要在穿戴滑雪装备前进和背负装备徒步攀登之间转换。国际滑雪登山联合会对这一项目入选冬奥会表示欢迎，但也有运动员认为奥运会的人工比赛场地并不能准确反映这项运动的实质。本文简要介绍冬奥会新项目——滑雪登山。

词汇：skimo 滑雪登山

1  How do you fancy being up a mountain at a height of around 3,000 metres with the temperature below zero, snow underfoot, variable weather, racing up and downhill? This is how some athletes will be competing in this year's winter Olympics.

2  Skimo, short for ski mountaineering, is the newest winter Olympic sport and will debut at the 2026 games in Milan-Cortina. It combines Alpine skiing with mountaineering and is a race against time where athletes are required to ascend and descend mountainous terrain using skis and other specialised equipment.

3  At the Olympics, there will be a relay event, and also a sprint competition which lasts just a few minutes. Athletes start in a steep uphill section using climbing skins. These are detachable grippy strips you attach to skis to prevent sliding. The athletes then rapidly transition to boot packing where skis are carried on a backpack as they run up an incline as fast as possible. There is then a technical downhill course full of tight turns and obstacles. Because of all the transitions, races can be won or lost in seconds depending on how smoothly the athletes can switch between modes.

4  One hopeful British qualifier, and a member of the GB Skimo squad, is Iain Innes. Despite the sport being included in the Olympics, which he says is great news, he doesn't think the events accurately represent ski mountaineering. "There is no element of mountaineering whatsoever, as the World Cups and Olympics are held on man-made slopes with berms and jumps and perfectly cut steps on the climbs", he told the British Mountaineering Council.

5  However, inclusion in the Olympics is a positive reflection of the sport's global growth and development. The International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) oversees the regulation and promotion of the sport and has established a World Cup circuit, as well as continental and World Championships, all of which have helped elevate the sport's standing. So, look out for this extreme sport this year and feel that adrenaline rush.

测验与练习

一、阅读文章并选出正确的选项。

1. Skimo is one of three new sports included in the 2026 winter Olympics.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

1. Skimo can be challenging because of…
a. weather.
b. equipment.
c. avalanches.

2. The relay and sprint events happen at the same time. 
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

3. How can athletes climb uphill wearing skis?
a. They wear grips attached to their skis.
b. They have special backpacks that help with balance.
c. They wear special skis that prevent sliding.

4. Why can race positions change suddenly between athletes?
a. Because there are many transitions that need navigating smoothly.
b. Because of obstacles on the downhill course.
c. Because all athletes have the same equipment.

5. Why does Iain Innes think the Olympic events don't accurately represent ski mountaineering?
a. Because they involve more mountaineering than skiing.
b. Because the mountains aren't high enough.
c. Because the slopes are man-made.

三、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。

1) _______, or ski mountaineering, is a fast-paced sport where athletes 2) _______ and descend mountains, avoiding tight turns and 3) _______. Equipment needed includes skis, a backpack and 4) _______. The ISMF see the sport's inclusion in the 5) _______ as positive for the sport.

Olympics
steep
skins
skimo
ascend
incline
obstacles

（答案见词汇表后）

词汇表

debut 亮相，首次登台
a race against time 和时间赛跑
terrain 地形，地势
relay 接力赛
sprint 短距离（项目）
climbing skins 攀爬皮，滑雪皮
grippy 抓地力强的
transition 转换，过渡
boot packing 徒步攀登
technical downhill 技术下坡
obstacle 障碍物
mode 模式
qualifier 通过资格赛的选手
squad 队伍
man-made 人造的
slope 斜坡
berm 倾斜弯道，带坡度的弯墙
continental 大洲的
standing 地位，名声

答案

一、阅读文章并选出正确的选项。

c. Not given. Skimo … is the newest winter Olympic sport and will debut at the 2026 games…. It doesn't say if there are any other Olympic sports debuting at the games.

二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

1. a. How do you fancy being up a mountain at a height of around 3,000 metres with the temperature below zero, snow underfoot, variable weather, racing up and downhill? This is how some athletes will be competing in this year's winter Olympics.

2. c. Not given. When the events happen is not mentioned.  

3. a. Athletes start in a steep uphill section using climbing skins. These are detachable grippy strips you attach to skis to prevent sliding.

4. a. Because of all the transitions,races can be won or lost in seconds depending on how smoothly the athletes can switch between modes.

5. c. "…the World Cups and Olympics are held on man-made slopes with berms and jumps and perfectly cut steps on the climbs."

三、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。

Skimo, or ski mountaineering, is a fast-paced sport where athletes ascend and descend mountains, avoiding tight turns and obstacles. Equipment needed includes skis, a backpack and skins. The ISMF see the sport's inclusion in the Olympics as positive for the sport.

本集内容

Are some people naturally bad at maths?

有的人天生就不擅长数学吗？

文字稿

Can you solve this puzzle?

你能解开这道题吗？

A farmer has three types of animals. They're all sheep except three, all goats except four, and all horses except five. How many of each does she have?

一个农场主养了三种动物。在这三种动物中，除了三只以外都是绵羊，除了四只以外都是山羊，除了五只以外都是马。每种动物她分别有几只？

If that left your head in a spin, you're not alone. If you struggle with maths, you can partly blame your genes.

如果这道题让你想得晕头转向，不要觉得只有你有这种感觉。如果你学数学很吃力，那么你可以把问题部分归咎于你的基因。

（Source: Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2007）

A study of thousands of twins in the UK found that identical twins are more similar in maths ability than non-identical twins, suggesting it's more than just their upbringing.

（信息来源：《学习障碍杂志》，2007）

一项针对数千对英国双胞胎的研究发现，同卵双胞胎的数学能力比异卵双胞胎的更接近，这表明影响数学能力的因素远不止养育方式。

There's also a learning difficulty called 'dyscalculia', similar to dyslexia, but where people struggle to understand and work with numbers.

除此之外，还有一种被称为 “计算障碍” 的学习障碍，和阅读障碍类似，但不同之处是患有这种学习障碍的人很难理解和使用数字。

（Source: Deutsches Arzteblatt International, 2019）

Some experts estimate 3 to 7% of people might have it. 

（信息来源：《德国国际医学杂志》，2019）

一些专家估计，可能有 3% 到 7% 的人患有计算障碍。

But it is possible to boost your maths skills. Of course, a good education and parental support go a long way.

数学能力也是可以提高的。当然，良好的教育和家长的支持对学习数学帮助很大。

（Source: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2023）

Studies also suggest being anxious about maths can make you actually worse at maths, so it's important to believe you can improve too.

研究还表明，对数学感到焦虑会让你的数学能力下降，所以相信自己能进步也很重要。

（信息来源：《实验儿童心理学杂志》，2023）

And, if you're still wondering about that farmer – she had one horse, two goats and three sheep.

如果你还在琢磨关于那个农场主的问题，答案是 “她有一匹马、两只山羊和三只绵羊”。

重点词汇及表达

puzzle  难题

leave one's head in a spin  让某人晕头转向

upbringing  教养，培养方式

learning difficulty  学习障碍

go a long way  对...大有帮助

内容简介

生活中有没有一些事会让你觉得 “恍然大悟” 或者 “原来如此”？这时你就可以用英语感叹词 “Aha!” 发出感慨。英语中有不少诸如 “Aha!”、“Wow! ” 或者 “um” 的感叹词和语气词。学会在口语中恰当地使用这些单词能让我们的表达变得更加生动和自然。在本期节目中，一起来跟主持人步理和 Georgie 学习这些单词的用法和拼写方式。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Buli
大家好，欢迎收听 BBC 英语教学的 “你问我答” 节目。We are here to answer your questions about English language, culture and life. I'm Buli, and with me today is Georgie.

Georgie
Hi Buli! Um, have you seen my favourite pen anywhere? I seem to have lost it.

Buli
Here it is.

Georgie
Aha! Thanks, Buli. OK, time to hear this week's question.

Question
你好，我总是会在英语中听到其他人说 “gosh”、“aha” 或者 “nah” 等等感叹词和语气词，但我并不总是能理解他们想表达什么意思。还有一些词的拼写我也拿不准，比如 “hmm” 和 “um”。请问能介绍一些感叹词和语气词的用法吗？

Georgie
Wow! I like this question. Exclamations like these can express sudden feelings, like when I said 'Aha!' when you found my pen. You can say 'Aha!' when you suddenly realise or find something.

Buli
Aha! I didn't know that. Thanks, Georgie.

Now, you just said 'Wow!' in response to the question. We can say 'Wow!' when we are amazed by something.

Georgie
Exactly. Another example – 'Wow Buli! Your outfit is amazing!' Shall we learn some more?

Buli
Nah… let's go home instead. Now, that was a joke – 'nah' is just an informal way to say 'no'. 刚刚我和 Georgie 示范了三个在口语交流中十分常见的感叹词 “Aha!（表示惊讶或者得意）”、“Wow!（表示惊叹或佩服）” 和 “nah（表示不同意或否定）” 的用法。But of course we should learn some more, Georgie. Let's get started.

Georgie
OK, so we've covered 'Aha!' and 'nah' from the question. Next is 'Gosh!' which can be used to express surprise or emphasise a strong feeling. For example, I might step outside of my house and say 'Gosh! It's absolutely freezing. I'll need a coat.'

Buli
Yes, or 'Gosh! I didn't expect you to drive so fast.' 单词 “gosh” 和 “wow” 的用法有些类似，它们都可以用来表示惊叹或者惊讶，其中 “gosh” 表达出的情感更加强烈。

Ooh, Georgie, are you alright?

Georgie
Ouch! I just dropped my bag on my foot. You can say 'Ouch!' or 'Ow!' when you suddenly feel pain, like I just did. Of course, often we can't control what comes out of our mouths in that situation, but 'Ouch!' and 'Ow!' are common for English speakers.

Buli
Oops! That sounds painful… You should try and be more careful. You can say 'Oops!' or 'Oopsy!' when you make a small mistake or do something clumsy, like 'Oops! I just tripped over the step' or 'I accidentally deleted the photos – oopsy!'

当人们不小心受伤或者突然感受到疼痛或刺激时，通常会下意识地喊出 “Ouch!” 或者 “Ow!”。而如果你不小心出了一个小错，比如，失手把东西掉在了地上，就可以说 “Oops!” 或者 “Oopsy!”。

Georgie
OK, I've got some other good exclamations to share…

Buli
Yay!

Georgie
Buli! That's what I was going to say! You can say 'Yay!', 'Woo!', 'Woohoo!' or 'Whoop!' to express excitement or to celebrate an achievement. For example, imagine a friend has just told me they just got a promotion. I might say 'Woohoo! That's amazing!'

Buli
Yes. These are also the exclamations that people tend to make at concerts to cheer on the performer – Woo!

“Yay”、“woo” 和 “woohoo” 都是用于表达 “兴奋、激动或庆祝” 的感叹词。

Georgie
OK… now the tricky part of the question. How to spell filler words like 'um'.

Buli
你正在收听的是 BBC 英语教学制作的 “你问我答” 节目。刚刚我和 Georgie 分享了常用的英语感叹词和语气词的用法。接下来，我们再来看看其中几个容易拼错的单词的拼写方式。

Spelling filler words like 'um' or 'er' is hard because they're really just sounds that come out when we are thinking or hesitating and can vary between individual speakers. Usually though, 'um' is spelt u-m, 'er' is spelt e-r and 'hmm' is spelt h-m-m.

Georgie
Yes. The ones that are more difficult to spell are the exclamations for disgust like 'Ugh!', because that throat sound we make isn't common in English, so we don't have an obvious way to represent the sound with letters. Having said that, 'Ugh!' is often spelt u-g-h. I hope that helps!

Buli
Thank you, Georgie. 在英语中，人们想要表示自己在犹豫或者思考时经常会发出 “um”、“er” 或者 “hmm” 等声音。虽然不同的人在使用这些语气词时的发音方式通常有所不同，但这些单词往往有着一定的拼写方式，不能随意改动。比如，“hmm” 和 “um” 通常拼作 “h-m-m” 和 “u-m”。此外，常见的表示恶心或者不悦的单词 “Ugh!” 的拼写方式是 “u-g-h”。

Georgie
Remember, if you have a question that you'd like us to answer, you can email us too at: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk

Buli
你也可以通过微博向我们提问。我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye!

Georgie
Goodbye!

节目简介

在英语中，人们会用 “hot on the heels” 这个惯用语来形容某样东西就像紧贴着你的 “heels（脚跟）” 一样 “紧随其后”。我们还可以用 “hot on the heels” 来形容两件事情 “接连不断地发生、接踵而至”。听节目，跟主持人菲菲和 Beth 学习这个惯用语的用法。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Feifei 
Hello and welcome to Authentic Real English, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too. I'm Feifei, and I'm here with Beth.

Beth
Hi Feifei. I heard an interesting phrase on one of our BBC Learning English podcasts this week. The interviewee was talking about cyber attacks on shops, and hot on the heels of that, there were cyber attacks on airlines.

Feifei
I heard this episode – it was very interesting, just like this phrase, 'hot on the heels'. It means something happens immediately after something else, often unexpectedly.

Beth
Yes. Events happen one after the other with not much of a break. For example, my cousin won a cooking competition last week and hot on the heels of that she's been asked to cater for a wedding.  

Feifei
That's great! One of my favourite singers just released a new album, and her new world tour announcement came hot on the heels of the album's release. I booked tickets straight away – I can't wait.

Beth
Oo, how exciting!

Feifei
Let's listen to more examples of 'hot on the heels'.

Examples 
There's another storm coming tonight, hot on the heels of the flooding yesterday.

Hot on the heels of my massive pay rise, I won the lottery!

Hot on the heels of their league win, the team then won the cup.

Feifei
你正在收听的是 BBC 英语教学制作的 “地道英语” 节目。在这期节目中，我们在学习表达 “hot on the heels” 的意思和用法。“Hot on the heels” 是一个英语惯用语，意思 是 “......之后紧跟着发生，紧随其后发生”，通常用来描述 “某件事情紧接着另一件事情发生，没有间隔”，有点 “紧追不舍，接踵而来” 的感觉。

Beth 
We also use 'hot on the heels' to talk about following closely behind someone or something, especially if you are likely to succeed in what you are aiming to do.

Feifei
Yes. So, for example, we could say 'the police car was hot on the heels of the robber', which means the officers were very physically close to the robber, chasing them.

Beth
Yes. Or in a running race, the person in second might be hot on the heels of the person in front. They're very close to beating them. 

Feifei
表达 “hot on the heels” 有时也会被说为 “hot on the tail” 和 “hot on the trail”，它们的意思都一样。

For example, I watched a film last night where detectives were hot on the tail of a con man.

Beth
Sounds dramatic! We'll be back next time with another useful English phrase. Goodbye for now.

Feifei
Goodbye!

一种彩虹色的狼蛛、一种毒蛇和一种手指呈钩状的毛茸茸的长臂猿之间有什么联系？它们都被列入了一份高度濒危物种的名单中，一英国慈善组织表示将于今年优先救助这份名单上的动物。

Among the at-risk species on this year's list is the Saint Lucia fer de lance, a venomous viper with an image problem. While it's not aggressive, it's highly feared, so is often killed on sight. Conservationists are working to improve perceptions of the creature. Then there's the blackchin guitarfish, which appears to be half ray, half shark.

在今年这份名单上的濒危物种包括圣卢西亚矛头蝮，这是一种有形象问题的剧毒蛇类。虽然它攻击性并不强，但人们非常害怕这种蛇，通常一见到就会立即杀死它。自然保护人员正在努力改善人们对这种生物的看法。名单上还包括黑颏犁头鳐，一种看起来一半像鳐鱼、一半像鲨鱼的鱼类。

It's not just animals. Wild tulips make the list threatened with extinction in Central Asia due to overgrazing and trampling by livestock.

这份名单上并不只有动物。野生郁金香也在这份名单上，这些郁金香在中亚地区因过度放牧和家畜的踩踏已经濒临灭绝。

The charity hopes the list will also draw attention to the people working to protect the wildlife, providing a beacon of hope against a bleak outlook.

这家慈善机构希望这份名单能吸引人们关注那些致力于保护野生动植物的工作人员，他们为动植物保护当前黯淡的前景点亮了一盏希望之灯。

词汇表

at-risk 处于危险中的
venomous 有毒的
image problem 形象问题
aggressive 有攻击性的，好斗的
on sight 一看见
perceptions 看法，认识
overgrazing 过度放牧
trampling 踩踏
beacon 灯，灯塔
bleak 黯淡的，令人沮丧的

听力练习

一、听第一遍音频，回答问题。

1. Is this article about…
a. only animals?
b. only plants?
c. animals and plants?

二、用一分钟阅读下列问题，然后听第二遍音频并回答问题。

1. The article mentions a snake which is…
a. the most venomous in St Lucia.
b. misunderstood.
c. very aggressive.

2. There is a fish on the list which looks like a mix of two creatures.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

3. Farming is a big threat to wild tulips in Central Asia.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

4. Why has this list been created?
a. To highlight the importance of climate change.
b. To increase awareness of the work of conversationists.
c. To promote the high number of endangered animals.

三、听第三遍音频，将句子补充完整。（提示：可以反复听，直到听清楚每一个词）

1. Conservationists are working to improve ________________ the creature.

2. The charity hopes the list will also draw attention to the people working to protect the wildlife, providing ________________ against a bleak outlook.

答案

一、听第一遍音频，回答问题。

1. c. It's not just animals. Wild tulips make the list…

二、用一分钟阅读下列问题，然后听第二遍音频并回答问题。

1. b. …a venomous viper with an image problem. While it's not aggressive, it's highly feared, so is often killed on sight.

2. a. True. Then there's the black chin guitar fish, which appears to be half ray, half shark.

3. a. True. Wild tulips make the list threatened with extinction in Central Asia due to overgrazing and trampling by livestock.

4. b. The charity hopes the list will also draw attention to the people working to protect the wildlife.

三、听第三遍音频，将句子补充完整。（提示：可以反复听，直到听清楚每一个词）

1. Conservationists are working to improve perceptions of the creature.

2. The charity hopes the list will also draw attention to the people working to protect the wildlife, providing a beacon of hope against a bleak outlook.

全球范围内开车出行和通勤的人数持续增长。这一趋势可能会带来诸如交通拥堵增多、健康水平下降等多种后果。一些城市铺设新道路来容纳更多汽车，而还有一些城市则通过提高用车成本、减少汽车保有量等方式来提升交通效率。本文浅谈过度依赖开车出行对交通甚至社会造成的影响。

词汇：traffic 交通

1  Driving: do we love it because it's quick and convenient, or is it just that we don't have a choice? Either way, commuting by car is becoming more common across the world. While this could mean that people are getting more mobility and freedom, could it have a cost?

2  As the number of cars on the road increases, so does congestion. As more people travel by car, more road space is used up. According to the OECD's International Transport Forum, the average person travelling in a car takes up five times as much road space as someone on a bus. This is made worse by the fact that, on average, today's cars are larger than those of the past. Tailbacks and other traffic jams in the UK could be costing £7.5 billion each year in wasted time.

3  It's not just gridlock and wasted time that's the problem. Car dependency has significant health impacts. Air pollution from diesel and petrol cars can cause health problems such as asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Road traffic accidents lead to injuries and fatalities. Additional to this are the long-term problems caused by sedentary lifestyles, leading to poor fitness and obesity. Road-building developments can also split communities, leading people to feel cut off. Where road transport dominates an area, people without access to a car can feel isolated.

4  Cities and countries are sometimes tempted to build new roads to reduce the potential for snarl-ups. However, some experts say that this can cause induced demand where increased road capacity leads to more people driving, and congestion is soon back to its previous level. The other side of this theory is that when road space allocation is taken away from private cars, often congestion won't get any worse. Authorities in some cities, such as Seoul and Utrecht, have demolished motorways, leaving natural features such as streams and rivers in their place. Making drivers pay more is an approach used in cities like London, or Singapore, where ten-year car ownership licenses can cost over £60,000. The increased costs can help reduce the number of cars on the road and make traffic flow faster.

测验与练习

一、将标题和段落配对。

Paragraph 1 _______

Paragraph 2 _______

Paragraph 3 _______

Paragraph 4 _______

a. Traffic and health

b. Convenience at what price?

c. Is cycling the answer?

d. The cost of congestion

e. Reducing dependency

二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

1. Buses use road space more efficiently than cars.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

2. What does 'this' refer to in the following sentence? This is made worse by the fact that, on average, today's cars are larger than those of the past.
a. wasted time
b. bus passengers
c. cars' need for space

3. Asthma can be caused by...
a. road traffic accidents
b. pollution
c. isolation

4. People can feel cut off by…
a. road traffic accidents
b. respiratory problems
c. roads splitting their communities

5. Singapore regulates traffic through
a. high fees
b. road building
c. population density

三、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。

1) _______by car is increasingly popular globally. This can lead to 2) _______ which cost lots of money through wasted time. Increased pollution from static cars can lead to people developing 3) _______ conditions, such as asthma. Road traffic accidents can cause casualties and 4) _______. The solution to the problem could be through ways to reduce car 5) _______.

sedentary
ownership
gridlock
commuting
fatalities
mobility
respiratory

（答案见词汇表后）

词汇表

convenient 方便的，便利的
commuting 通勤
mobility 流动性，移动性
congestion 交通拥堵
tailback （因拥堵而形成的）车辆长龙
traffic jam 交通堵塞
gridlock 交通大堵塞
pollution 污染
respiratory 呼吸的
fatality 死亡
sedentary 缺乏活动的
cut off 与外界隔绝
isolated 孤独的，被孤立的
snarl-up 拥堵
induced demand 诱导需求
allocation 分配
motorway 高速公路
flow 流动，移动

答案

一、将标题和段落配对。

Paragraph 1 b) Convenience at what price

Paragraph 2 a) The cost of congestion

Paragraph 3 e) Traffic and health

Paragraph 4 d) Reducing dependency

二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

1. a. True. According to the OECD's International Transport Forum, the average person travelling in a car takes up five times as much road space as someone on a bus.

2. c. The pronoun 'this' refers to the previous sentence which says that people travelling in cars need more space than people travelling on a bus.

3. b. Air pollution from diesel and petrol cars can cause health problems such as asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

4. c. Road developments can also split communities, leading people to feel cut off.

5. a. Making drivers pay more is an approach used in cities like London, or Singapore, where ten-year car ownership licenses can cost over £60,000. The increased costs can help reduce the number of cars on the road and make traffic flow faster.

三、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。

Commuting by car is increasingly popular globally. This can lead to gridlock which cost lots of money through wasted time. Increased pollution from static cars can lead to people developing respiratory conditions, such as asthma. Road traffic accidents can cause casualties and fatalities. The solution to the problem could be through ways to reduce car ownership.

本集内容

Earliest known human-made fire uncovered in the UK

研究人员在英国发现了已知最早的人类取火痕迹

文字稿

Pallab Ghosh, BBC correspondent
"The ability to create and control fire changed everything for humans. It provided warmth at will. It enabled us to cook and eat meat which enlarged our brains. It meant that we were no longer a species clinging on for survival. We could invent, and we could create, and we could go on to become the advanced species we are today. All of this by bashing rocks together. And it happened here in the forests of Barnham in Suffolk."

帕拉布·戈什    BBC 通讯员
“生火和控制火的能力彻底地改变了人类的一切。它提供了想要就能得到的温暖。它让我们能把肉做熟再吃，这让我们的大脑变得更大。它意味着我们不再是一个艰难求生的物种。我们得以进行发明创造，得以继续发展成如今这个高级物种。所有这些都来自于击打石头。而这个行为就曾发生在萨福克郡巴纳姆的这片森林中。”

Archaeologists found fragments of this mineral here, that changed the world forever.

考古学家在这里发现了这种矿物的碎片，这种矿物永远地改变了世界。

Dr Rob Davis, British Museum
"It's the internal surface of this that you can use by striking a flint to create sparks."

罗伯·戴维斯博士    大英博物馆
“你可以用燧石敲击这种矿石的内部表面来制造火花。”

Professor Nicholas Ashton, British Museum
"Right. Are you going to give it a go?"

尼古拉斯·阿什顿教授    大英博物馆
“好。你要来试一试吗？”

Dr Rob Davis, British Museum
"I'm going to give it a go."

罗伯·戴维斯博士    大英博物馆
“我来试一试。”

Iron pyrite, also known as 'fool's gold' – it sparked a new golden beginning for humanity. Under the tree tops, an incredible secret remained buried until now.

黄铁矿，也被称为 “愚人金”，它为人类点燃了黄金般的新开端。在这些树冠下，一个惊人的秘密被埋藏到了今日。

Professor Nicholas Ashton, British Museum
"So this is the area where we discovered this heated sediment, and you can tell it's heated because normally the clay is quite yellowy orange and this was a distinct red."

尼古拉斯·阿什顿教授    大英博物馆
“这就是我们发现被加热过的沉积物的区域。你能看出它被加热过是因为通常黏土的颜色是橙黄色的，但这片区域的土明显泛红。”

Pallab Ghosh, BBC correspondent
"This is where they were gathered around?"

帕拉布·戈什    BBC 通讯员
“这就是早期人类聚集的地方？”

Professor Nicholas Ashton, British Museum
"Yes, so this is where the hearth was, you can imagine early humans gathering around this fire and developing the very early use of language."

尼古拉斯·阿什顿教授    大英博物馆
“是的，这里就是火塘所在的地方，你可以想象早期人类就聚集在这里的火焰周围，然后开始使用并逐渐发展出非常早期的语言。”

Pallab Ghosh, BBC correspondent
"An incredibly special place."

帕拉布·戈什    BBC 通讯员
“真是一个无比特别的地方。”

Professor Nicholas Ashton, British Museum
"Incredible."

尼古拉斯·阿什顿教授    大英博物馆
“绝对是。”

Nick Ashton and his team found three crucial clues in this scientific detective story.

尼克·阿什顿和他的团队找到了这个科学侦探故事中的三个关键线索。

As well as the fire, a hand axe on the left, and next to it a tiny piece of iron pyrite, all in the same spot.

除了生火的痕迹以外，左侧有一把手斧，旁边有一小块黄铁矿，全都出现在了同一个地点。

Compelling evidence that the fire was deliberately created more than 400,000 years ago, 350,000 years earlier than previously thought.

这些有力的证据表明火在 40 万年前就曾被有意识地制造出来，这比先前人们认为的时间早了 35 万年。

A replica skull of the people living in Britain at the time shows that they were not of our species but a different kind of human.

一个当时生活在不列颠的人的头骨复制品显示，他们并不属于我们这个物种，而是另一种人类。

Professor Chris Stringer, Natural History Museum
"What's interesting is that the shape of the skull, little details on the skull, suggests that she was probably a very early Neanderthal. Even 400,000 years ago, the Neanderthals were beginning their evolution. So we think those fires at Barnham were being made by early Neanderthals."

克里斯·斯特林格教授    伦敦自然史博物馆
“有趣的是这个头骨的形状和头骨上的微小细节表明她很可能是一名非常早期的尼安德特人。甚至在 40 万年前，尼安德特人就开始进化了。所以我们认为巴纳姆的火是由早期的尼安德特人制造的。”

The discovery here, published in the journal Nature, begins a new search for where else different groups of humans, including our own species, Homo Sapiens, learnt to use a technology that made us the inventive and innovative people we are today.

这个发现被发表在了《自然》期刊中，它开启了一项新的搜寻工作，寻找不同的人类种群，包括我们自身所属的物种，智人，学会使用一种技术的其它地点，也正是这个技术使我们成为了如今富有创造力和创新性的人类。

重点词汇及表达

clinging on for survival 艰难求生

sediment 沉积物

flint 燧石

compelling evidence 有力的证据

Homo Sapiens 智人