大学体验英语听说教程 第二册14

　　Unit 14 It was a real scorcher!
Vocabulary Task
Answers
Spring Summer Fall Winter
breezy thunder chilly¹ freezing
showers lightning rainy overcast²
damp scorching³ flurries
humid blizzard⁴
muggy⁵
Script⁶
In spring, the city of Washington is breezy and there are frequent showers. The ground is very damp, so flowers begin sprouting⁷. When summer comes, there may be storms with thunder and lightning, or it can be scorching hot. Late summer gets humid, and people try to avoid the muggy heat in the city by going to the countryside or the beach. In the fall, we enjoy the crisp⁸ cool days of October before it gets chilly and rainy in November. Winter brings freezing rain, low temperatures and overcast skies. School children hope that light flurries of snow will change into a blizzard so their school will be closed for a few days.
Listening Task
1 First Listening
Answers
1. Auckland, NZ: scorching, hot
2. San Diego, California: chilly
3. San Jose, Costa Rica: damp, warm, daily showers
4. Edmonton, Alberta: snowy, cold
2 Second Listening
Answers
1. go to the beach 3. go hiking
2. watch the yacht⁹ race 4. go skiing
Script
1. This is the Auckland weather report for the first day of the year; it’s scorching and hot and not a cloud in the sky. So grab¹⁰ your swimsuit and your sunscreen and head for the beach!
2. Here in San Diego, California, today the weather is crisp and chilly. We’re all hoping that the sun will come out so we can stay warm. Bring a sweater and come watch the yacht race on the bay.
3. Good morning from San Jose, Costa Rica! We’re having the same weather as always, damp and warm with daily showers. Perfect for hiking in the national park when the rain lets up.
4. Hello from the arctic¹¹ north. Here in Edmonton, Alberta, it’s snowy and COLD! The temperature dipped WAY below freezing last night, and we’ve got a fresh layer of snow. Yahoo! I’m going to enjoy some of that powder snow skiing! See you on the slopes!
Real World Listening
1 Predict
Answer
Swimming, snowmen
2 Get the main ideas
Answers
Winter – it snowed a lot; they made snowmen
Spring – great time for hiking; it was a little muddy
Summer – everything blooms¹²; it’s sunny and warm
Autumn –leaves turned to gold; it’s her favorite season
Script
Alex: Grandma, what are these pictures?
G: These are pictures of Alaska.
Alex: That’s where you grew up, right?
G: That’s right, dear…I lived there until I was 19 years old.
Alex: Is that you in this picture?
G: Yes, that’s me…and my sister, Ruth…and our dog, Kusko. That was out behind our house.
Alex: Wow. It looks cold!
G: Yes, that was in the winter…and it was cold… it snowed a lot! And boy, Kusko just loved the snow. Ruth and I and Kusko used to play in the snow for hours.
Alex: Did you make snowmen?
G: Oh, we made some great snowmen…
Alex: Is that you in this picture, too?
G: Yes, that’s me and Ruth again…I guess we were both in high school then…
Alex: Where are you?
G: We were hiking near Seward…we hiked a lot in those days.
Alex: But where’s the snow?
G: Well, it doesn’t snow ALL the time in Alaska, you know. That was in the springtime…Spring was a great time for hiking…it was a little muddy, though…
Alex: Oh…
G: Look, here’s a picture of Ruth now, outside her house.
Alex: That’s Aunt Ruth’s house, in Alaska? I thought everybody lived in igloos!
G: (laughing) Oh, no. Most people live in regular houses! …Aren’t those flowers lovely?
Alex: You mean, flowers grow there too?
G: Of course. In the summer, everything just blooms… it’s sunny and the weather is warm…
Alex: Warm? You mean, it was warm enough to go swimming
G: Oh, we all went swimming in July and August…the water was cold…but swimming was so much fun…
Alex: Was summer your favorite season?
G: You know, I love all the seasons, but I think my favorite season was autumn. The leaves in the mountains turning to gold…I always loved that sign of the changing seasons… Look, here’s a picture of the mountains near our house in the fall…
Alex: Wow, Grandma, I’d like to go to Alaska sometime.
G: Well, Alex, I’ve got an idea. Let’s go to Alaska together sometime.
Alex: Yeah, Grandma, that’d be great.

1 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

2 overcast   

adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天

参考例句：

• The overcast and rainy weather found out his arthritis.阴雨天使他的关节炎发作了。
• The sky is overcast with dark clouds.乌云满天。

3 scorching   

adj. 灼热的

参考例句：

• a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳
• a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评

4 blizzard   

n.暴风雪

参考例句：

• The blizzard struck while we were still on the mountain.我们还在山上的时候暴风雪就袭来了。
• You'll have to stay here until the blizzard blows itself off.你得等暴风雪停了再走。

5 muggy   

adj.闷热的；adv.（天气）闷热而潮湿地；n.（天气）闷热而潮湿

参考例句：

• We may expect muggy weather when the rainy season begins.雨季开始时，我们预料有闷热的天气。
• It was muggy and overcast.天气闷热潮湿，而且天色阴沉。

6 script   

n.剧本，广播稿；文字体系；笔迹，手迹

参考例句：

• It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
• The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。

7 sprouting   

v.发芽( sprout的现在分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• new leaves sprouting from the trees 树上长出的新叶
• They were putting fresh earth around sprouting potato stalks. 他们在往绽出新芽的土豆秧周围培新土。 来自名作英译部分

8 crisp   

adj.脆的；清新的；扼要的；n.[pl.]油炸土豆片

参考例句：

• What a crisp voice she has!听她的嗓音多脆！
• These pears are sweet and crisp.这种梨又甜又脆。

9 yacht   

n.游艇，快艇

参考例句：

• He was responsible for the location of the missing yacht.他负责查明失踪游艇的下落。
• He planned to cross the Pacific by yacht.他曾打算乘快艇横渡太平洋。

10 grab   

vt./n.攫取，抓取；vi.攫取，抓住(at)

参考例句：

• It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
• The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包，但被我推开了。

11 Arctic   

adj.北极的；n.北极

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• The sort of animal lived in the Arctic Circle.这种动物生活在北极圈里。

12 blooms   

n.（常指供观赏的）花( bloom的名词复数 )；最佳时期；茂盛时期；健康有精神的面貌

参考例句：

• the exotic blooms of the orchid 奇异的兰花
• This plant blooms between May and June. 这种植物在5月至6月间开花。 来自辞典例句