private lives 2

We meet Debbie Davies, a reporter. We'll hear about Debbie's life, her interests, and how she combines a successful career as a journalist with being a mother.

Sue¹: In Private lives today we meet Debbie Davies. She lives with her three children in Huntingdonshire - in the east of England. Debbie is the “chief reporter” - the main reporter for a local newspaper. Most places in Britain have free local newspapers where you can read about what people are doing in the area. We’ll be hearing about people in Huntingdonshire, as Debbie shows us a copy of ‘The Hunts Post’ newspaper. And we’ll hear about Debbie’s life, her interests, and how she combines a successful career as a journalist with being a mother. Debbie had her children before becoming a reporter. Why was studying to be a journalist a difficult time for her? Listen. 一起看下Debbie Davies是如何处理工作与生活的关系的

Clip² Debbie Davies

I came into journalism³ quite late. I was 29 when I started college. I had 3 young children - they were all at school then. It was a very difficult time for me - I’d sort of finally found something that I really wanted to do in life, but there was a price to pay, I guess - it was very tiring. My marriage had just split⁴ up at that time, and so I had just moved house. The house was a lot smaller than what we’d been used to. We only had 2 bedrooms - there were 3 children sharing one room - and I had an old, battered(磨损的) Ford⁵ Fiesta as well, which was very unreliable（不可靠的） and I would often go out in the mornings and it wouldn’t start and sometimes I’d be late for college or I’d have to get the bus. So it was a real struggle and I think I would have given up had it not been something that I really wanted to do.

Sue: Studying to be a journalist was a “real struggle” - it was difficult - for Debbie because it was just after she had just “split up” - separated⁶ - from her husband. And because of this, she and her three young children were living in a much smaller house. To make things worse, her car was “unreliable” - it didn’t always work. Debbie didn’t “give up” - she didn’t stop. Journalism was something she very much wanted to do and, something she’s good at. She moved very quickly from being a junior reporter to becoming the chief reporter at ‘The Hunts Post’ newspaper. Life isn’t such a “struggle” for Debbie now, but the day begins early, and she does a lot of things before she leaves the house. Listen and try to catch some of the things she does. 

 

Clip Debbie Davies

It’s five past eight in the morning. I’ve just finished listening to the breakfast news. I’ve listened to the local news to find out if there’s anything which the paper needs to be covering, maybe later today. I’m just finishing a piece of toast - that’s all I generally have in the morning

- I cook for the boys, but I tend to make do with a piece of toast and a cup of tea. I’ve already polished（擦亮） the coffee table in the living room, and put the Dust Buster round and put some washing in the washing machine, and I’m currently⁷ writing a shopping list. I’ve got soap powder, washing-up liquid and mince⁸ on the list at the moment.

Sue: So Debbie is writing her “shopping list” - she’s writing down all the things she has to buy today. She’s already done some of the housework; “polishing” and “dusting” - cleaning, and she’s put some washing in the machine. She’s also listened to the news to check if there’s anything the paper needs to “cover” - to report, today. Debbie is thinking about the day’s work ahead and preparing her children for school. Her youngest son, Russell, is 12 years old and goes to the local secondary⁹ school. Debbie checks he has everything he needs, including his “kit¹⁰” - his games clothes - for cricket¹¹（板球）.

 

Clip Debbie Davies talking to Russell

Russell’s just about to go to school - aren’t you? Have you got everything? Have you got all your games’ kit? And it’s… What is it today? Cricket - well, looking at that weather out there I don’t think you’ll be playing, will you? Have you got your dinner money? No. Right then, I’d better give you that in a minute then. OK?

Sue: Debbie gives Russell his dinner money and he leaves to catch the bus. She then goes upstairs to say good-bye to Aaron, her middle son, who is preparing for important exams. Now Debbie leaves for work. It’s a 12 mile drive. It’s Wednesday and ‘The Hunts Post’ newspaper is published on a Wednesday. This means¹² that Tuesday is Debbie’s busiest day, as a new edition of the paper has to be ready for printing. So the first thing she does when she arrives at work is to “tidy up” - to organise¹³ her desk again. 

 

Clip Debbie Davies

I’m at work now, and my desk is very messy¹⁴ （散乱的，杂乱的）because I had a very busy Tuesday. So, normally¹⁵ the first thing I do on a Wednesday is to tidy up my desk! I’m just going to put my computer on and start opening my mail.

Sue: Next, Debbie shows us a copy of ‘The Hunts Post.’ The front page story is one she’s very proud of. With the story, there’s a large photograph of a local girl, Christina Hance. She looks very similar to Diana, Princess of Wales¹⁶. She works¹⁷ as a Princess Diana “look-a-like” - so she might be hired for things like parties or to appear in advertisements. Christina has made it to the front page because her job has made her as unhappy as the Princess is reported to have been. Christina, a single parent, has felt “depressed¹⁸” - sad and unhappy, and even “suicidal（自杀的，自取灭亡的）” - she’s thought about killing¹⁹ herself. Debbie talks about this front page story:

 

Clip Debbie Davies

It was a good story because she’s a 36 year old single mum and she said that her role as this Princess Di look-a-like had made her depressed and suicidal, and it really meant that her life had more or less run along the same tracks²⁰ as the Princess herself. So this probably isn’t a typical week’s newspaper, because of the front page story - these sort of stories happen maybe 2 or 3 times a year - you get a story that is of national, and with this story, international, interest.

Sue: A story like Christina’s which is of worldwide interest doesn’t happen often in Huntingdonshire. Generally the stories are only of local interest. Debbie knows from all the letters she receives that she is covering the right stories. She explains that people want to read about local “issues²²” - local subjects and problems. And they want to see themselves in the paper! Getting married is one way to get your photograph in ‘The Hunts Post.’ Or you might be in the paper because you have done something different, like the man on page 3. He “raised” money - he got people to give him money for charity(仁慈，宽厚，慈善机关), in an unusual way. He sat in a bath full of baked beans!

 

Clip Debbie Davies

The picture we have on page 3 is a local man who sat in a bath of beans. That was to raise money for Comic Relief. That’s the kind of thing that local people get up to - that’s the kind of thing that the community’s all about, and the kind of thing that we cover week in week out. On page 4, we always have our weddings - have lots and lots of weddings, because we use them in colour as well, our paper is very popular. Everybody wants their wedding in The Hunts Post! And we have 2 pages of letters - we get lots of letters which is a really good sign that we are a good paper, because how else do we know really? We’re a free paper - we don’t sell it - so we know by our letters page that people are actually reading the paper, and also that they actually care about the issues that we’re writing about.

Sue: Something in the paper which Debbie has started is a page for children called “WicKid!” It covers topics of interest for children and it’s “interactive²³” - the children are involved. There’s a column²⁴ called ‘Word on the Street.’ A “column” is a section of a newspaper usually written by the same person, but Debbie invites a different child each week to write their opinions in this column. The issue²¹ in “WicKid!” for next week is going to be about “pocket money” - the money some parents give their children each week. Are children in Huntingdonshire “worse off”（情况更糟糕的） - do they receive less pocket money than children in other parts of Britain? This afternoon Debbie is going out to interview some children to find out.

 

Clip Debbie Davies

I’ve just received this press release（新闻稿） and it’s about children’s pocket money. It’s actually saying that children in this area are worse off than those in other parts of the country - they get less pocket money apparently²⁵ (似乎，显然)- so what we’re going to do today is to go out onto the High Street in Huntington and find some children and ask them how much pocket money they get and what they spend it on. The article will go on the children’s page in 'The Hunts Post' which we call 'WicKid!' and that has lots of information for children - lots of leisure²⁶ (空闲的，闲暇的)items and tells children where they can go, clubs they can join, and it also is quite interactive - it has a column which we call 'Word on the Street' - and we get a child each week to write in and tell us about what they think is going on, and they talk about music and films, and clubs and videos they’ve watched.

Sue: When Debbie is not working, she enjoys being with her children. This time is particularly important to her as she knows it won’t last forever, because her children will soon want to do other things. To relax, Debbie likes to read, to garden and decorate her home. 

 

Clip Debbie Davies

I like to read, and I like to garden - my garden’s a real mess at the moment so that’s a bit of a challenge²⁷ and I want to get that sorted out. And I like to decorate, I find that quite relaxing - even the sort of - the strokes²⁸ of the brush going up and down the paintwork. And I like to do things with the children, I really enjoy doing that, especially now, because they’re getting older, and I do feel that time is running out really, that they won’t always want to come and do things with me or shop with me or have days out - so it’s important to sort of fit all that in now.

Sue: And to end the programme, we leave Debbie planning an evening of decorating the hall - so it will be a quick dinner for the children tonight!

 

Clip Debbie Davies

I don’t have to think too much about dinner tonight because we’re going to have a pizza!

（本文由在线英语听力室编辑整理） 

1 sue   

vt.控告，起诉；vi.请求，追求，起诉

参考例句：

• If you don't pay me the money,I'll sue you.如果你不付给我钱，我就告你。
• The war criminals sue for peace.战犯求和。

2 clip   

n.夹子，别针，弹夹，片断；vt.夹住，修剪

参考例句：

• May I clip out the report on my performance?我能把报道我的文章剪下来吗？
• She fastened the papers together with a paper clip.她用曲别针把文件别在一起。

3 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

4 split   

n.劈开，裂片，裂口；adj.分散的；v.分离，分开，劈开

参考例句：

• Who told you that Mary and I had split up?谁告诉你玛丽和我已经离婚了？
• The teacher split the class up into six groups.老师把班级分成6个小组。

5 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

6 separated   

adj.分开的v.分开(separate的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Her parents are separated but not divorced. 她父母分居但没离婚。
• No child should ever be separated from his mother by force. 绝不能强行使任何一个孩子与母亲分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

8 mince   

n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说

参考例句：

• Would you like me to mince the meat for you?你要我替你把肉切碎吗？
• Don't mince matters,but speak plainly.不要含糊其词，有话就直说吧。

9 secondary   

adj.中级的，中等的，次要的；n.次要位置，副手

参考例句：

• It's a question of secondary importance.这是个次要的问题。
• Secondary school means junior school and high school.中学是指初中和高中。

10 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

11 cricket   

n.蟋蟀，板球运动；adj.公平的

参考例句：

• The England cricket team scored quite a useful total.英格兰板球队得分总数令人满意。
• We could hear the shrill of the midsummer cricket.我们可以听到仲夏时节蟋蟀的尖叫声。
• Your behaviour isn't cricket.你的行为不光彩。

12 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

13 organise   

vt.组织，安排，筹办

参考例句：

• He has the ability to organise.他很有组织才能。
• It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events.由我来组织所有的仪式。

14 messy   

adj.散乱的，污秽的，麻烦的

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She found herself in a messy spot.她发现自己陷入了窘境。

15 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

16 Wales   

n.威尔士(在大不列颠岛西南部)

参考例句：

• The company are opening up a new factory in Wales.公司将在威尔士开一家新工厂。
• She teaches English at the University of Wales.她在威尔士大学教英语。

17 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。

18 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

19 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

20 tracks   

n.小路( track的名词复数 )；跑道；路径；轨道v.跟踪( track的第三人称单数 )；跟踪摄影；留下（脏）足迹；追随（潮流等）

参考例句：

• Tracks led up the mountainside. 小径沿着山坡向上延伸。
• All the tracks have been digitally remastered from the original tapes. 所有的曲子都已经从原始录音带转录到了数码母带上。

21 issue   

n.出版，发行，（报刊等）期、号，论点，问题，结果， （水，血等的）流出；vt.使流出，放出，发行（钞票等），发布（命令），出版（书等）发给；vi.发行，流出，造成...结果，进行辩护，传下

参考例句：

• I bought the book the day after its issue.这书出版后的第一天，我就去买了它。
• I'll support her down the line on that issue.在那个问题上我将全力支持她。

22 issues   

（水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题

参考例句：

• Let's start with the more easily addressable issues. 我们先从较容易处理的问题着手。
• Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter issues of politics. 就业和征税是很重要的政治问题。

23 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

24 column   

n.列，柱形图；专栏；圆柱；纵队

参考例句：

• I often read his column in the local paper.我经常在当地的报纸上看到他的专栏文章。
• A column of soldiers marched down the highway.一个士兵纵队沿着公路行进。

25 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

26 leisure   

n.空闲时间，空暇；悠闲，安逸

参考例句：

• I am seldom at leisure.我很少有空。
• He read books at his leisure.他在空闲时读一些书。

27 challenge   

n.挑战；v.向...挑战

参考例句：

• The job doesn't really challenge him.这项工作不能真正地考验他。
• She looked at me with challenge.她带着挑战的目光看着我。

28 strokes   

中风； a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain.； （游泳或划船的）划( stroke的名词复数 )； 中风； （打、击等的）一下； （成功的）举动

参考例句：

• Apply the paint thickly in even strokes. 涂颜料要厚，笔画要匀。
• To improve your tennis strokes you try using a different grip. 为了提高你网球的击球法，你试试用另一种握拍方法。