英语听力精选进阶版 7081（在线收听）

Background: 一种非常罕见的可食用的菌类也就是我们常说的意大利白松露或白松露前不久在东京的一个拍卖会上与大家见面。一个重为一公斤的松露以三万美元的最高价被拍走，然而这个价格却远远比不上去年竞拍的价格，由此看来松露销售市场也没有能逃脱信贷危机的风波。

White truffles 白松露 have been described by one famous chef as the diamond of the kitchen.

They are almost as expensive as precious stones because they are extremely hard to find, growing underground 地下 beneath certain trees.

Some of the rarest truffle specimens were auctioned 被拍卖 at a VIP dinner in Tokyo attended by sumo wrestlers 相扑运动员 and beauty queens 选美皇后.

The biggest one, found in Italy, was bought by a Japanese millionaire with a chain 连锁 of fashion shops.

He paid $30,000 for it and intends to eat with a bowl of rice.

However, the prices were way down on 下降 a similar truffle auction last year, when an even bigger truffle was bought for $300,000 in China.

The economy of Japan is thought to be heading for recession 衰退 and the auctioneers say that's why prices have dropped.

Nevertheless, tickets for the auction cost hundreds of dollars apiece and the hotel was packed 挤满了 with guests, who were of course served truffle sauce 松露汁 with their dinner.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

white truffles 白松露

underground 地下

auctioned 被拍卖

sumo wrestlers 相扑运动员

beauty queens 选美皇后

chain 连锁

way down on 下降

recession 衰退

packed 挤满了

truffle sauce 松露汁

Questions and Answers

1. True or false? Truffles are more expensive than diamonds.

False

2. Where are truffles found? 

They grow underground beneath certain types of tree.

3. Where was the auction’s highest bidder from?

The bidder who bought the most-expensive truffle was Japanese.

4. Why has the price of truffles gone down recently?

The global credit crunch and the threat of recession has made truffle prices fall.