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儿童故事集:Bertie’s Quest

时间:2016-08-23 07:29来源:互联网 提供网友:yajing   字体: [ ]
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 It is soon to be Princess Beatrice’s birthday. What should Bertie give her? It us the same problem every year. The Wicked Queen tells Beatrice to send Bertie on an impossible quest, to find a living dinosaur2. It is a quest that takes Bertie to London and to Southern China.

 
Read by Natasha. Written by Bertie. Proofread3 by Claire Deakin.
 
Here are some of Bertie’s pictures from the National History Museum in London.
 
national history museum london diplodocus national history museum dinosaur head national history museum aur national history museum
 
Bertie’s Quest.
 
Hello, This is Natasha, and I am here with the latest story about Prince Bertie. As you may know, his stories are quite varied4. Sometimes they are about his life on the pond, with the fishes and tadpoles5. More often than not they are about the time when he was a human prince, as a boy, a teenager, and even as a young man. And of course, there is one person who is never far from his thoughts, as we shall hear.
 
The most precious time of year for Bertie is around now. We are coming up to that very special day when we remember Princess Beatrice’s birthday. But Oh, now that he is a frog, it is so hard for him to send her even a card, let alone a present.
 
In any case, what on earth do you buy a princess for her birthday? It can be a problem. Princesses do not lack for sparkly rings and tiaras. As for treats that you can eat, they are always watching their figures, and they are usually on a celebrity6 diet, like the one that is made up of truffles, caviar and champagne7, so there is no point in giving them a boring old box of chocolates – but there is a solution. Fortunately, they can usually do with another designer gown. It’s fairly simple, you just ring up some famous Italian in Milan, give him her measurements, and ask him to run one up for her. If that was all Bertie had to do for Beatrice’s birthday, it would not have been a problem.
 
But Beatrice was not a run-of-the-mill sort of princess. Perhaps that was why Bertie loved, still loves, and always will love her so much. Some people say that she is eccentric. He thinks of her as unique. She likes to wander around markets looking for strings8 of beads9, vintage pieces of enamel10, flower-print frocks, and bits of silk to tie around her hair. You know, the gossip magazines call her the flower-power princess, or some even dub11 her Princess Hippy.
 
Even when Bertie was still a prince, he found Beatrice’s birthday to be a bit of a conundrum12. What should he get her? He couldn’t even buy her a book or a CD. These days she did all her reading on her e-tablet that she carried around in her canvas handbag. She had a huge electronic library of novels, music and films. Once he bought her a watch, but the strap13 broke and it fell into the pond in the palace garden.
 
There was one year when Bertie gave his princess an extra-special present. It wasn’t even his idea, still less the princess’. It was all because of the wicked queen who hated him. In fact, she was totally exasperated14 by Beatrice’s barmy idea of marrying Bertie. One morning she swept into the princess’ room, just as she was brushing her long wavy15 hair.
 
She loomed16 up in the mirror behind her and said, “And just what is your loopy, impecunious17, and incompetent18 prince planning to get you for your birthday? Last year he gave you a clockwork rat? What kind of gift was that for his future queen?”
 
“Dear stepmother,” replied Beatrice, who is the sweetest princess who ever walked on the face of the big wide world, “I do not care for extravagant19 gifts, but I would be so happy if he were to present me with a little token of his affection.”
 
“A token, who needs tokens? You will learn, my dear, that affection is for the birds. A proper prince would give his princess something romantic, like a solid gold grail or an offshore20 bank account topped up with lots of currency. ”
 
“Mama. For the last time, Bertie is a proper prince, and he would never give me something so vulgar. I should not allow him to do so.”
 
“Ha! Bertie, a proper prince? He’s Prince Nincompoop!”
 
“Please show some respect for my heart’s desire. He’s, he’s…”
 
But Beatrice could not finish her thought because her stepmother snapped, “Don’t interrupt! If Bertie is a proper prince, let him prove it. Send him on a quest – then we’ll see. And I don’t mean one of his stupid stand-up comedy acts. Let him show us that he can achieve something impossible. Then I’ll show him some respect, but not until then!”
 
“But asking him to do the impossible is not fair, how can it be?” Protested Beatrice who was now standing21 up, still holding her hairbrush, and with tears glistening22 in her big blue eyes.
 
“Of course it’s fair. Ask him to slay23 a dragon. What sort of prince worth his socks would turn down a quest like that?”
 
“But all living creatures are dear to me,” protested Beatrice, who is a vegetarian24, and patron of various charities for helping25 animals in need, even the ones that aren’t cute.
 
“Well then, if you like animals so much, ask him to give you a pet – like, like, like… a dinosaur! If he can’t be bothered to find a pretty little dinosaur for his beloved fiancée, then what kind of husband do you think he will turn out to be? He’ll never do anything for you once you’re married, you know. He’s that sort of man. A soppy, guitar-strumming, lay-about loser. That’s who you are marring. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
 
Although Princess Beatrice knew that her stepmother was more than unreasonable26, it did not stop those cruel words eating away at her lovely soul. All day she felt tense and in a bad mood. Of course she knew that Bertie was wonderful, but she so wanted him to prove it to her stepmother. When they went for a stroll around the palace gardens, and Bertie asked her for a little hint about what he should find for her birthday, she replied that she had always felt the lack of a pet dinosaur.
 
“Do you mean one of those ginormous lizard27 fellows? But they’re extinct, aren’t they?” Asked Bertie.
 
“Maybe the are,” said Beatrice. “If so, my heart is very sad about that. Mama says that in any case, you should go on a quest to find one for me.”
 
“Your Mama says a lot of things,” grumbled28 Bertie, who now understood that there was mischief29 afoot. Still, Bertie is a proper prince, and he does not like to refuse a quest, especially when had come from the sweet lips of his beloved.
Bertie had few ideas about where he should begin his quest for a living dinosaur. After a few days of puzzling over the matter, he took a flight in the royal jet to London, which is home of the National History Museum, a blue and white brick cathedral which is full of fascinating material about life on earth. He remembered from boyhood that there are some impressive skeletons there.
 
As you come into the main hall, you are greeted by a massive plant-eater, a diplodocus. It has an almost endless neck, and an even longer tail to balance it. In fact, this gentle giant is a cast of a North American skeleton, but it looks impressive enough. In the dark hall to the side, you will find many real fossils crowded together.
 
Bertie wandered over the metal bridges. They cast jagged shadows over the Victorian brick walls. The vaulted30 halls echoed with the excited chatter31 of hundreds of school kids.
The jaws32 of murderous munching33 machines lurked34 among the half light, the iron girders, and illuminated35 notice boards. The predators36 took springy steps on two legs as their heads glanced from side to side on top of loping necks. The four-footed herb eaters arched their bony backs to nibble37 luxuriant plantation38.
 
He read out tricky39 names like Allosaurus – meaning “other dinosaur” – and even longer ones like Tuojiangosaurus (two-wang-oh-sor-us), the Toojian Lizard, a peaceful dinosaur which was the first stegosaur found in China. He marvelled40 at the broad bones of the three horned Triceratops who looked like he could easily demolish41 a building with his thick head.
 
He learned that that these prehistoric42 reptiles43 lived between 80 and 250 million years ago, and that their time on earth fell into three ages, the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Nobody knows for sure how they became extinct. Perhaps a giant asteroid44 from outer space collided with the world and filled it with choking dust.
 
Bertie thought how the skeletons looked powerfully spooky in their Victorian home. But these were long dead dinosaurs45. His quest was to find a living one. To that end, he had arranged to speak to a renowned46 palaeontologist. His name was Dr. Dactyl and he spent his life studying the world as it was millions of years ago. Bertie met him in the Museum’s tea room. He brushed a pile of crumbs47 off the rubbery seat before they sat down around a square plastic table. Weary looking tourists sat around them, with children clamouring for toy dinosaurs from the souvenir shop.
 
Bertie had to raise his voice above the din1, “I expect you get asked this all the time, at scientific conferences and the like. But are there any unexplored islands or empty volcanos where an adventurer might find a few living dinosaurs roaming around?”
 
Dr. Dactyl polished his glasses on his tie. “Interesting question,” replied the scientist. “But I’m afraid not.”
 
“But where was that place that Sherlock Holme found?” Asked Bertie, half-remembering the book called The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle which didn’t actually have Sherlock Holmes in it, but never mind. Dr. Dactyl knew what he meant, because he too had read it as a a boy.
 
“I’m afraid that was just a story.”
 
“Just a story? Is there such a thing?” Pondered Bertie, before adding, “So no more sauropods ever again? Is that science’s last word on the matter?”
 
“Afraid so. Well I suppose…” replied the doctor, wanting to sound a little more open-minded, “well, there’s just a chance. Have you seen the film Jurassic Park?”
 
“Yes, it was jolly scary.”
 
“The idea of the film was that science might just find a way to reconstruct dinosaurs out of DNA48. You would need a bit of skin or hair or egg that had been miraculously50 preserved for millions of years. It’s, well, pretty unlikely.”
 
“But not impossible….” said Bertie with a glimmer51 of hope in his voice.
 
“So nearly impossible as to be not worth thinking about,” concluded Dr. Dactyl. But Bertie already was thinking about it.
 
Back home at the palace, Bertie’s absence was noted52 by the queen. At breakfast, she glanced at his empty place and his unattended plate of egg soldiers and asked, “Where is he?”
 
The old king muttered, “Gone on a quest I believe.”
 
“Has he now?” Mused53 the queen. Later that morning, she telephoned the Royal Correspondent of the Daily Gossip and gave him an exclusive; Prince Bertie on Quest to find Living Dinosaur. The following morning, when the queen received her paper in bed, she was particularly satisfied with the strap line in bold that read:
 
“Bertie’s promise to Beatrice – he will not marry before he finds a dinosaur. ”
 
“Fantastic,” exclaimed the queen to the maid. “Problem postponed54 for a few million years.”
 
But the news was out that Bertie was looking for real dinosaur DNA. DNA, in case you don’t know, is a molecule55 that looks like a string ladder. It contains all the information that one of God’s creations needs to grow into a person, or a sheep, or a horse, or a buttercup, or a dinosaur. A strand56 of your hair, for instance, has your DNA code inside its cells. Everyone’s DNA is unique – just like fingerprints57. The police can collect it as evidence at the scene of a crime.
 
Soon Bertie started to receive emails promising58 to help him find dino-DNA in return for large sums of money. One of them came from Yunan Province in China.
 
It read, “Hail Prince Bertie,
 
You want dinosaur DNA. I dig real dinosaur eggs. I give you spoon of yoke59 for $10 million. Bring cash and we do deal. This is real offer, but come soon. Many people are interested. Next month price may be 20 million.
 
Warm Regards
China Jack60.”
 
Any sensible person, even Prince Bertie, should have realised that an email out of the blue such as this one was probably not to be trusted. But Bertie knew that his entire future happiness depended on finding some Dinosaur DNA. Sometimes, when people are desperate, they want to believe anything that gives them hope. He knew that there had recently been an amazing find of Dinosaur eggs in Yunan Province. And after all, there is such a thing as destiny, especially if you are a prince. A week later, at a cafe in the city of Kunming he met Hua, a young, smart and pretty chinese woman who worked at his kingdom’s embassy in Beijing. They ate croissants and drank Café au lait, because a French influence lingers on in Yunan. Bertie felt that this breakfast was the start of an adventure – and he was right. For the following six hours they drove up into the green rolling hills of Yunan, looking down at fertile valleys and stunning61 fairy tale lakes with little boats upon them. In some places, life had not changed that much for hundreds of years. They stopped in a village and saw two women fighting and slapping each other with fish. All the locals gathered around and cheered on the entertainment. Most of the houses were ramshackle, but others were quaint62 and made out of wood.
 
Elsewhere modernity was catching63 up fast. In places bulldozers were clearing shacks64 out of the way for new buildings. A bride in a white dress gingerly made her way to her wedding, stepping through churned up mud, debris65 and mess. Further up the road they stopped at a restaurant which kept live bunny rabbits squished up inside little cages. Bertie looked at a giant meat cleaver66 by the frying pan, and thought that it was a jolly good thing that Beatrice was not on the trip, as Southern China was no place for vegetarians67. They used chopsticks to eat fried chicken and rice.
 
Hua said to Bertie, “I told you that we checked out China Jack. We could not confirm that he works on the university team at the dig. Any deal he is offering is bound to be highly illegal. I hope you don’t mind me saying this, Your Highness, but it is also probably a deception68.”
 
“Er, Friends call me Bertie. Yes, I know this deal is highly dodgy. I’ll have to rely on the old intuition,” said the prince, as he tapped his nose.
 
They drove on, and towards late afternoon they came to the site of the dinosaur dig. They drove across a dirt track through fields, and found a temporary village set up by a stream. A security guard dozed69 in a chair. Another man was sweeping70 up a court yard. Other than that, there was precious sign of life. Hua prodded71 the guard and woke him up. She persuaded him to go inside and call up China Jack. After a boring wait of about an hour, China Jack turned up in a pick-up truck.
 
He was very friendly and shook Bertie’s hand vigorously. He offered cigarettes and spirit to his visitors, both of which they turned down. Instead they took Jasmine tea and sesame biscuits before taking a tour of the site. The work had been done. The international team of investigators72 had gone back to their universities around the world. They had left behind them part of the hillside where they had carefully dug up the brown earth. 190 million years ago, a flood had washed a nest of dinosaur eggs into the hillside where they had turned to fossils. The team had found 200 eggs with the fossilised bones of baby dinosaurs inside them.
 
“And would you like to see a Lufengosaurus egg?” Asked Jack. Bertie replied eagerly that he would.
 
Jack opened up the steal door of a stone hut, and turned on a lamp that had a bare wire sticking out of the switch. The draws of a cabinet were also locked by key. Jack carefully pulled a drawer open. It was full of soft protective wood chippings. He placed his hand inside them, and carefully lifted out an egg inside a plastic sample bag. It took two hands to hold it. It was black, almost like old crumbly brick or stone, but it was egg shaped all right.
 
“Wow,” said Bertie. “It’s beautiful. But does it have any DNA intact?”
 
“No,” said Jack, “This is a fossil. But inside my laboratory I have something even more special. It is something that has never been found before. The world has not heard about this yet. We only found it after the international team left. You will be the first outsider to see this. If I keep this inside China, it will make me famous. If you take it back to the West, it will make you very rich. 10 million dollars is nothing for a discovery of this sort – nothing.”
 
Bertie took a deep breath, trying to contain his excitement. Jack led them back inside the main building, and into his laboratory. First he gave Bertie and Hua white coats, surgical73 masks and gloves to put on. They pulled blue caps over their hair. They had to slip their feet inside clinical outer shoes. The lab must not be contaminated at all costs.
 
Jack undid74 the padlock on the fridge. He opened the door, and very carefully took out what looked like a plastic sandwich box. He opened up the vacuum packed container. Using some tweezers75 he delicately clasped a little piece of black substance of some sort, and placed it on a glass tray.
 
“This,” he said, “Is the first sample of dinosaur DNA to be discovered by mankind. What you are looking at is the fossil of an egg yoke, but inside it we found a tiny piece of shell. Somehow the shell had been preserved for 190 million years without decay. My laboratory in Shanghai was able to extract its DNA code. When you transfer $10 million to my bank account in Singapore, I will email you the code. It contains everything you need to grow a new living dinosaur.”
 
“Oh,” said Bertie disappointed. “I thought you were going to give me a sample which our scientists could test. When it is verified, we will send you the $10 million. We can shake hands on it. I’m a prince. My word is my bond.”
 
“That is not possible,” said Jack. “The sample is too delicate. It can deteriorate76 too rapidly. Even though I trust your honour, one little mistake would destroy this miraculous49 discovery forever. Mankind might never get a second chance.”
 
As Bertie and Hua sat down in the car, he was not sure whether to be excited or disappointed.
 
“There must be some way we can verify this,” said Bertie. Hua smiled knowingly.
 
“The journey was not wasted,” she said. “There are some checks that we can run. I picked up this.” And she showed Bertie a piece of blue material. “It is the cap that Jack wore. You see it has some of his hairs inside it. My boyfriend works in the laboratory of the national police department. He will run our own DNA tests and find out who China Jack really is. Maybe his DNA is on their criminal database. I get the feeling he is not a scientist. I studied biochemistry at Beijing University. Some of the terminology77 he used did not sound correct.”
 
By the time they returned to Kunming the next day, Bertie had already made up his mind that he was not going to succeed in his quest for a living dinosaur in China, not through this contact anyway. He had received more emails from China Jack urging him to transfer the money. It all seemed like too much pressure. Two weeks later, when Hua telephoned him with the results of the DNA test on Jack’s hair, all was confirmed. He was not a scientist, but a former General in the Chinese army. He had previously78 sold a fake painting to an unsuspecting auction79 house in Sydney, and had tried to pass off a counterfeit80 Ming vase to an American collector. In fact, his nickname in the criminal world was Fake Jack.
 
And Bertie was a little wiser, no poorer, but not closer to the end of his quest. Beatrice’s birthday was less than a week away. The queen was asking him if he wanted help gift wrapping his present. He had to hide in his bedroom for fear of bumping into Beatrice and admitting his failure.
 
He woke up at 5am. The birds were singing in the palace garden. He looked out the window and saw that the sky was dark blue. He could not see any stars, but he could imagine them, millions of lightyears away. Somewhere, out there, there must be a plant of the dinosaurs, he thought. Surely the earth was not the only place in the universe where lizards81 had grown to the size of houses?
 
“I wonder,” thought Bertie. “It’s a million to one chance but – sometimes a lucky number has to come up, doesn’t it?” Because this was not Bertie’s first quest, nor his strangest. If you are familiar with his stories, you will know that once, while travelling across Siberia, he met a certain Tarragona who was posing as a Mongolia Princess. In the end, Bertie discovered that she had a broken down space ship in the Gobi Desert. He gave her a diamond which she needed to power it back home to meet her fiancé. Tarragona had said that if he ever needed something from the other side of the universe, he should try calling her special number. It was very long, and had the prefix82 00936754. She could not guarantee to pick up the signal – they could not always monitor earth, but there was a chance, just a chance…
 
Bertie had to keep dialling throughout the day. He only reached her at 9pm in the evening.
 
“So Bertie, your lovely Beatrice wants a pet dinosaur for her birthday. Well, well, well. I recall she was helping out at the donkey sanctuary83, but this is something else all together.”
 
“Yes, rather a vegetarian one please. We don’t want to do the remake of Jurassic Park.”
 
A few days later, the day arrived. It was Beatrice’s birthday. She wasn’t having a party, just a little day out with Bertie. He didn’t say where they were going – it was to be a surprise. They drove out the palace, and out of the city.
 
“Oh how wonderful. Are we going to the seaside?” Asked Beatrice.
 
“No,” said Bertie mysteriously.
 
“A little village in the country?”
 
“No, keep guessing.”
 
At last they turned off the road at a sign that said, “Safari Park.” Beatrice clapped her hands and said, “Oh that’s perfect. You are so lovely Bertie. You always know better than me what I want to do.”
 
“Well be prepared for a surprise,” said Bertie, as they drove through the VIP entrance and up to the lodge84.
 
Beatrice had to close her eyes as she walked through the gate of a new compound with a high log fence. Whatever was inside was a closely guarded secret.
 
“You can look now,” said Bertie.
 
And when she did, she saw the cutest, stubby legged, slightly clumsy, but totally adorable baby stegosaurus.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 din nuIxs     
n.喧闹声,嘈杂声
参考例句:
  • The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深,喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
  • They tried to make themselves heard over the din of the crowd.他们力图让自己的声音盖过人群的喧闹声。
2 dinosaur xuSxp     
n.恐龙
参考例句:
  • Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击?
  • He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。
3 proofread ekszrH     
vt.校正,校对
参考例句:
  • I didn't even have the chance to proofread my own report.我甚至没有机会校对自己的报告。
  • Before handing in his application to his teacher,he proofread it again.交给老师之前,他又将申请书补正了一遍。
4 varied giIw9     
adj.多样的,多变化的
参考例句:
  • The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
  • The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。
5 tadpoles 1abae2c527b80ebae05cd93670639707     
n.蝌蚪( tadpole的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The pond teemed with tadpoles. 池子里有很多蝌蚪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Both fish and tadpoles have gills. 鱼和蝌蚪都有鳃。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
6 celebrity xcRyQ     
n.名人,名流;著名,名声,名望
参考例句:
  • Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
  • He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。
7 champagne iwBzh3     
n.香槟酒;微黄色
参考例句:
  • There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
  • They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。
8 strings nh0zBe     
n.弦
参考例句:
  • He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上,随意地拨着吉他的弦。
  • She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
9 beads 894701f6859a9d5c3c045fd6f355dbf5     
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链
参考例句:
  • a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
  • Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。
10 enamel jZ4zF     
n.珐琅,搪瓷,瓷釉;(牙齿的)珐琅质
参考例句:
  • I chipped the enamel on my front tooth when I fell over.我跌倒时门牙的珐琅质碰碎了。
  • He collected coloured enamel bowls from Yugoslavia.他藏有来自南斯拉夫的彩色搪瓷碗。
11 dub PmEyG     
vt.(以某种称号)授予,给...起绰号,复制
参考例句:
  • I intend to use simultaneous recording to dub this film.我打算采用同期录音的方法为这部影片配音。
  • It was dubbed into Spanish for Mexican audiences.它被译制成西班牙语以方便墨西哥观众观看。
12 conundrum gpxzZ     
n.谜语;难题
参考例句:
  • Let me give you some history about a conundrum.让我给你们一些关于谜题的历史。
  • Scientists had focused on two explanations to solve this conundrum.科学家已锁定两种解释来解开这个难题。
13 strap 5GhzK     
n.皮带,带子;v.用带扣住,束牢;用绷带包扎
参考例句:
  • She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
  • The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。
14 exasperated ltAz6H     
adj.恼怒的
参考例句:
  • We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。
  • Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。
15 wavy 7gFyX     
adj.有波浪的,多浪的,波浪状的,波动的,不稳定的
参考例句:
  • She drew a wavy line under the word.她在这个词的下面画了一条波纹线。
  • His wavy hair was too long and flopped just beneath his brow.他的波浪式头发太长了,正好垂在他的眉毛下。
16 loomed 9423e616fe6b658c9a341ebc71833279     
v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近
参考例句:
  • A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
  • The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 impecunious na1xG     
adj.不名一文的,贫穷的
参考例句:
  • He is impecunious,does not know anyone who can lend mony.他身无分文,也不认识任何可以借钱的人。
  • They are independent,impecunious and able to tolerate all degrees of discomfort.他们独立自主,囊中羞涩,并且能够忍受各种不便。
18 incompetent JcUzW     
adj.无能力的,不能胜任的
参考例句:
  • He is utterly incompetent at his job.他完全不能胜任他的工作。
  • He is incompetent at working with his hands.他动手能力不行。
19 extravagant M7zya     
adj.奢侈的;过分的;(言行等)放肆的
参考例句:
  • They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
  • He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。
20 offshore FIux8     
adj.海面的,吹向海面的;adv.向海面
参考例句:
  • A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
  • A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。
21 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
22 glistening glistening     
adj.闪耀的,反光的v.湿物闪耀,闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
  • Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》
23 slay 1EtzI     
v.杀死,宰杀,杀戮
参考例句:
  • He intended to slay his father's murderer.他意图杀死杀父仇人。
  • She has ordered me to slay you.她命令我把你杀了。
24 vegetarian 7KGzY     
n.素食者;adj.素食的
参考例句:
  • She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
  • I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。
25 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
26 unreasonable tjLwm     
adj.不讲道理的,不合情理的,过度的
参考例句:
  • I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
  • They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。
27 lizard P0Ex0     
n.蜥蜴,壁虎
参考例句:
  • A chameleon is a kind of lizard.变色龙是一种蜥蜴。
  • The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect.蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。
28 grumbled ed735a7f7af37489d7db1a9ef3b64f91     
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声
参考例句:
  • He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
  • The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏,水手们边干活边发着牢骚。
29 mischief jDgxH     
n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹
参考例句:
  • Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
  • He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。
30 vaulted MfjzTA     
adj.拱状的
参考例句:
  • She vaulted over the gate and ran up the path. 她用手一撑跃过栅栏门沿着小路跑去。
  • The formal living room has a fireplace and vaulted ceilings. 正式的客厅有一个壁炉和拱形天花板。
31 chatter BUfyN     
vi./n.喋喋不休;短促尖叫;(牙齿)打战
参考例句:
  • Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
  • I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。
32 jaws cq9zZq     
n.口部;嘴
参考例句:
  • The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
  • The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。
33 munching 3bbbb661207569e6c6cb6a1390d74d06     
v.用力咀嚼(某物),大嚼( munch的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果,但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句
34 lurked 99c07b25739e85120035a70192a2ec98     
vi.潜伏,埋伏(lurk的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The murderers lurked behind the trees. 谋杀者埋伏在树后。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Treachery lurked behind his smooth manners. 他圆滑姿态的后面潜伏着奸计。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
35 illuminated 98b351e9bc282af85e83e767e5ec76b8     
adj.被照明的;受启迪的
参考例句:
  • Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
  • the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市
36 predators 48b965855934a5395e409c1112d94f63     
n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 );奴役他人者(尤指在财务或性关系方面)
参考例句:
  • birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
  • The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》
37 nibble DRZzG     
n.轻咬,啃;v.一点点地咬,慢慢啃,吹毛求疵
参考例句:
  • Inflation began to nibble away at their savings.通货膨胀开始蚕食他们的存款。
  • The birds cling to the wall and nibble at the brickwork.鸟儿们紧贴在墙上,啄着砖缝。
38 plantation oOWxz     
n.种植园,大农场
参考例句:
  • His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
  • The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。
39 tricky 9fCzyd     
adj.狡猾的,奸诈的;(工作等)棘手的,微妙的
参考例句:
  • I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手,你能帮我吗?
  • He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题,只做了个笼统的表述。
40 marvelled 11581b63f48d58076e19f7de58613f45     
v.惊奇,对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • I marvelled that he suddenly left college. 我对他突然离开大学感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I marvelled at your boldness. 我对你的大胆感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
41 demolish 1m7ze     
v.拆毁(建筑物等),推翻(计划、制度等)
参考例句:
  • They're going to demolish that old building.他们将拆毁那座旧建筑物。
  • He was helping to demolish an underground garage when part of the roof collapsed.他当时正在帮忙拆除一个地下汽车库,屋顶的一部份突然倒塌。
42 prehistoric sPVxQ     
adj.(有记载的)历史以前的,史前的,古老的
参考例句:
  • They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
  • It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。
43 reptiles 45053265723f59bd84cf4af2b15def8e     
n.爬行动物,爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
44 asteroid uo1yD     
n.小行星;海盘车(动物)
参考例句:
  • Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
  • It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小,但这样的危险还是存在的。
45 dinosaurs 87f9c39b9e3f358174d58a584c2727b4     
n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 );守旧落伍的人,过时落后的东西
参考例句:
  • The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
46 renowned okSzVe     
adj.著名的,有名望的,声誉鹊起的
参考例句:
  • He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
  • She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。
47 crumbs crumbs     
int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式
参考例句:
  • She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
  • Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊,天哪!都这会儿啦?
48 DNA 4u3z1l     
(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸
参考例句:
  • DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
  • Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。
49 miraculous DDdxA     
adj.像奇迹一样的,不可思议的
参考例句:
  • The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
  • They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人,赢得了非凡的胜利。
50 miraculously unQzzE     
ad.奇迹般地
参考例句:
  • He had been miraculously saved from almost certain death. 他奇迹般地从死亡线上获救。
  • A schoolboy miraculously survived a 25 000-volt electric shock. 一名男学生在遭受2.5 万伏的电击后奇迹般地活了下来。
51 glimmer 5gTxU     
v.发出闪烁的微光;n.微光,微弱的闪光
参考例句:
  • I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.我注视她,感到了一线希望。
  • A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.她的眼中露出一丝笑意。
52 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
53 mused 0affe9d5c3a243690cca6d4248d41a85     
v.沉思,冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 );沉思自语说(某事)
参考例句:
  • \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们,”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道:‘我们这是在干什么?” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
54 postponed 9dc016075e0da542aaa70e9f01bf4ab1     
vt.& vi.延期,缓办,(使)延迟vt.把…放在次要地位;[语]把…放在后面(或句尾)vi.(疟疾等)延缓发作(或复发)
参考例句:
  • The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
  • The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。
55 molecule Y6Tzn     
n.分子,克分子
参考例句:
  • A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
  • This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。
56 strand 7GAzH     
vt.使(船)搁浅,使(某人)困于(某地)
参考例句:
  • She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
  • The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。
57 fingerprints 9b456c81cc868e5bdf3958245615450b     
n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。
  • They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套,以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
58 promising BkQzsk     
adj.有希望的,有前途的
参考例句:
  • The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
  • We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。
59 yoke oeTzRa     
n.轭;支配;v.给...上轭,连接,使成配偶
参考例句:
  • An ass and an ox,fastened to the same yoke,were drawing a wagon.驴子和公牛一起套在轭上拉车。
  • The defeated army passed under the yoke.败军在轭门下通过。
60 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
61 stunning NhGzDh     
adj.极好的;使人晕倒的
参考例句:
  • His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
  • The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。
62 quaint 7tqy2     
adj.古雅的,离奇有趣的,奇怪的
参考例句:
  • There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里,有很多小巷。
  • They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。
63 catching cwVztY     
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
参考例句:
  • There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
  • Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
64 shacks 10fad6885bef7d154b3947a97a2c36a9     
n.窝棚,简陋的小屋( shack的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • They live in shacks which they made out of wood. 他们住在用木头搭成的简陋的小屋里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Most people in Port au-Prince live in tin shacks. 太子港的大多数居民居住在铁皮棚里。 来自互联网
65 debris debris     
n.瓦砾堆,废墟,碎片
参考例句:
  • After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
  • Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上,导致蛀牙。
66 cleaver Rqkzf     
n.切肉刀
参考例句:
  • In fact,a cleaver is a class of ax.实际上,切肉刀也是斧子的一种。
  • The cleaver is ground to a very sharp edge.刀磨得飞快。
67 vegetarians 92ca2254bb61eaa208608083177e4ed9     
n.吃素的人( vegetarian的名词复数 );素食者;素食主义者;食草动物
参考例句:
  • Vegetarians are no longer dismissed as cranks. 素食者不再被视为有怪癖的人。
  • Vegetarians believe that eating meat is bad karma. 素食者认为吃肉食是造恶业。
68 deception vnWzO     
n.欺骗,欺诈;骗局,诡计
参考例句:
  • He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
  • He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。
69 dozed 30eca1f1e3c038208b79924c30b35bfc     
v.打盹儿,打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He boozed till daylight and dozed into the afternoon. 他喝了个通霄,昏沉沉地一直睡到下午。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • I dozed off during the soporific music. 我听到这催人入睡的音乐,便不知不觉打起盹儿来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
70 sweeping ihCzZ4     
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的
参考例句:
  • The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
  • Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
71 prodded a2885414c3c1347aa56e422c2c7ade4b     
v.刺,戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 );刺激;促使;(用手指或尖物)戳
参考例句:
  • She prodded him in the ribs to wake him up. 她用手指杵他的肋部把他叫醒。
  • He prodded at the plate of fish with his fork. 他拿叉子戳弄着那盘鱼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
72 investigators e970f9140785518a87fc81641b7c89f7     
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
  • The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
73 surgical 0hXzV3     
adj.外科的,外科医生的,手术上的
参考例句:
  • He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
  • All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前,必须消毒。
74 Undid 596b2322b213e046510e91f0af6a64ad     
v. 解开, 复原
参考例句:
  • The officer undid the flap of his holster and drew his gun. 军官打开枪套盖拔出了手枪。
  • He did wrong, and in the end his wrongs undid him. 行恶者终以其恶毁其身。
75 tweezers ffxzlw     
n.镊子
参考例句:
  • We simply removed from the cracked endocarp with sterile tweezers.我们简单地用消过毒的镊子从裂开的内果皮中取出种子。
  • Bee stings should be removed with tweezers.蜜蜂的螫刺应该用小镊子拔出来。
76 deteriorate Zm8zW     
v.变坏;恶化;退化
参考例句:
  • Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗?
  • He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为,这只会使局势更加恶化。
77 terminology spmwD     
n.术语;专有名词
参考例句:
  • He particularly criticized the terminology in the document.他特别批评了文件中使用的术语。
  • The article uses rather specialized musical terminology.这篇文章用了相当专业的音乐术语。
78 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
79 auction 3uVzy     
n.拍卖;拍卖会;vt.拍卖
参考例句:
  • They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
  • They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。
80 counterfeit 1oEz8     
vt.伪造,仿造;adj.伪造的,假冒的
参考例句:
  • It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
  • The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远,实际是最近的一幅赝品。
81 lizards 9e3fa64f20794483b9c33d06297dcbfb     
n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Nothing lives in Pompeii except crickets and beetles and lizards. 在庞培城里除了蟋蟀、甲壳虫和蜥蜴外,没有别的生物。 来自辞典例句
  • Can lizards reproduce their tails? 蜥蜴的尾巴断了以后能再生吗? 来自辞典例句
82 prefix 1lizVl     
n.前缀;vt.加…作为前缀;置于前面
参考例句:
  • We prefix "Mr."to a man's name.我们在男士的姓名前加“先生”。
  • In the word "unimportant ","un-" is a prefix.在单词“unimportant”中“un”是前缀。
83 sanctuary iCrzE     
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区
参考例句:
  • There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
  • Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。
84 lodge q8nzj     
v.临时住宿,寄宿,寄存,容纳;n.传达室,小旅馆
参考例句:
  • Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗?
  • I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。
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TAG标签:   英语听力  听力教程  英语学习
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