英语中级听力课程Lesson 14

Lesson 14

Here is a summary of the news.

No

general

election

yet

says

the

Prime

Minister.

Five

people

die

in

an

earthquake

in

central

Italy.

And

￡

1/4

million

is

stolen

from

a

security

van.

In

a

speech

in

the

city

of

London

last

night,

the Prime Minister announced that there will be

no general election in the near future. Talk of

a

quick

election

was

pure

speculation,

she

said.

A general election would be held when it was in

the best interests of the nation to do so.

In central Italy, several small towns and

villages

are

still

cut

off

by

avalanches

following the earthquake during the night which

killed

five

people.

It

was

central

Italy's

strongest

earthquake

for

several

years

and

hundreds of people have been made homeless. In

Rome,

as

well

as

in

Florence,

Naples

and

Perugia,

gas

pipes

were

broken,

windows

shattered

and

electric cables thrown onto the streets.

Thieves got away with almost

￡

1/4 million

after

a

security

van

was

ambushed

in

central

London early this morning. The security van was

rammed by a lorry as it was taking a short cut

through a narrow street off Piccadilly. Three

masked men then threatened the driver and his

assistant

with

shotguns

and

forced

one

of

them

to

unlock the van. The thieves

made their escape in

a car parked nearby. This car was later found

abandoned in south London. The driver of the van

and

his

assistant

were

badly

shaken

but

not

seriously hurt.

The

flight

recorder

of

the

DC10

airliner

which

crashed

in

the

Antarctic

a

fortnight

ago

has

shown that the plane was flying normally just

before impact. All two hundred and fifty-seven

people

on

board

the

aircraft

died

when

it

hit

the

side of a volcano. The investigation into what

happened is still going on.

Voting

is

taking

place

today

in

the

Euro-Constituency of London SouthWest. This by

election for the European Parliament is being

held

because

of

the

death

of

the

previous

member,

Mr.

Harold

Friend.

At

the

last

election

Mr.

Friend

had

a

majority

of

17,000

over

his

nearest

opponent.

Talks on a formula for ending the strike at

Independent Television get under way in London

this afternoon. Looking forward to the meeting,

the

General

Secretary

of

the

Association

of

Cinematograph,

Television

and

Allied

Technicians,

Mr.

Albert

Tapper,

said

it

was

taking

place

on

the

basis of new proposals from the companies. He

hoped it would lead to a basis for negotiations

but he refused to speculate on the chances of

success.

Fifteen people are to appear in court in

Manchester today, following disturbances on a

train

bringing

football

supporters

back

from

matches

in

London.

Eye

witnesses

report

that

the

trouble began when groups of rival supporters

whose teams had both been playing London clubs

began to insult each other. After fighting had

broken

out

police

boarded

the

train

just

outside

Manchester and arrests were made. British Rail

have

announced

that

they

are

considering

withdrawing all soccer specials operating from

Manchester.

Interviewer:

Tell

me

Mrs.

Clark,

how

did

you

come

to be a bearded lady?

Mrs. Clark: Well, it all began when I started

growing a beard.

Interviewer: Mm ... and when was that exactly?

Mrs.

Clark:

Just

after

my

fourth

birthday,

I

believe.

Interviewer:

Really?

As

early

as

that?

Didn't

you

see a doctor?

Mrs.

Clark:

Oh,

yes,

my

parents

took

me

to

dozens

of specialists.

Interviewer: And what did they have to say?

Mrs. Clark: They just told me to shave.

Interviewer: That's all the advice they could

give? So you started shaving?

Mrs. Clark: Well, I was too young to be allowed

to use a razor, and electric razors weren't even

thought

of

in

those

days,

so

my

dad

used

to

shave

me

once

a

week

before

going

to

church

on

Sundays.

Interviewer: And when did you stop shaving?

Mrs. Clark: Oh, that would have been when I was

around

fifteen.

You

see

it

was

growing

at

an

enormous

rate,

something

like

five

inches

a

day,

I

mean

you

could

almost

see

it

growing,

and

it

was

so

thick.

I

mean

a

razor

or

scissors

were

no

use.

Interviewer: So you ... let it grow?

Mrs.

Clark:

Well,

it

was

taking

so

much

time

trying to keep it down and I was just wasting my

time fighting a losing battle. So I thought ...

I'll just let it grow ... and that's when I came

to work in the circus. I was spotted by a talent

scout.

Interviewer: Do you ... ever cut your beard now?

Mrs. Clark: Oh, yes every week I chop off a few

feet.

I

have

to

cut

it

or

I

fall

over

it

if

I

don't

remember to wrap it around my waist.

Interviewer:

(Laughs)

What

about

the

circus?

How

did

you

find

it

at

first,

being

stared

at

all

day?

Mrs.

Clark:

Well,

I

must

admit

it

was

a

bit

unnerving

at

first

...

what

with

people

gaping

at

you

as

though

you

were

a

goldfish

in

a

bowl.

I

used

to feel like saying. 'It's all right, dear, it's

not that unusual, you know. It's only a bit of

extra

hair.

It's

not

another

head

or

something.'

But you get used to the pointing and laughing in

the

end.

Don't

hardly

notice

it

any

more.

Even

the

jokes

don't

upset

me

now.

It's

a

bit

boring

in

fact,

after thirty years, just sitting here all day

being stared at. But still there's always the

breaks.

and

then

the

Ten-Foot

Woman

and

the

Midget

from

next

door

come

in

for

a

cup

of

tea

and

a

chat,

that passes the time nicely.

Interviewer:

Would

you

say

there

were

any

advantages to having a fifteen-foot long beard?

Mrs. Clark: Well, my husband says it keeps his

toes warm on cold nights.

Paul: Anyone want another Coke or something?

James:

I

think

we're

all

drinking

Paul

...

thanks

just the same.

Darley:

I

was

thinking

...

What

would

you

youngsters

do

without

the

youth

centre?

You'd

be

pretty lost, wouldn't you?

Paul:

Huh!

It's

all

right

I

suppose.

But

I'm

telling

you

...

we

don't

need

no

bloody

youth

club

to find something to do. Me ... well ... I only

come

when

there's

a

dance

on.

Them

berks

what

come

all the time ... well ... they need their heads

examined.

If

I

want

to

drink

...

well

there's

the

pub, isn't there.

Mrs.

Brent:

But

how

old

are

you

Paul?

Sixteen?

You

can't drink in pubs

—

it's illegal.

Paul:

No

barman's

ever

turned

me

out

yet.

Anyway ... thanks for the drink. What about a

dance, Denise?

Denise: I don't mind.

Paul: Come on then.

Finchley: Er ... Would you care to dance, Mrs.

Brent?