新西兰英语 599 SkyCity’s Plans
英语课
SkyCity is the casino in Auckland. It is situated 1 in the Sky Tower in the centre of the city. Auckland wants a new convention centre and SkyCity has offered to build it, opposite SkyCity with an overhead walkway between the two buildings. It will seat 3,500 people and cost $350m. This means that Auckland rate payers will not have to pay for the new building.
SkyCity says that a new convention centre will provide jobs and will bring visitors to the city in winter as well as summer. Visitors who attend conferences are usually people who spend a lot of money in the city. They often bring a spouse 2 or partner with them.
However, in return for building a new convention centre, SkyCity wants 500 more gaming machines – pokies. It already has more than 1600 pokie machines.
Pubs and clubs which have pokie machines have to give back 37% of their profits to the community. However, SkyCity gives back only 2.5% of their profits from pokie machines although it does also sponsor some community events.
A spokesperson for Problem Gambling 3 Foundation says there are eight gambling addicts 5 for every 10 machines. The more gaming machines there are, the more addicts. Over 70% of people who go to the Problem Gambling Foundation for help are addicted 6 to pokies. Forty percent of the money lost on pokies is lost by people with a gambling problem.
Vocabulary
convention – conference, formal meeting
spouse – husband or wife
spokesperson – person who can speak about the organisation 7 e.g. chairman
addict 4 – first syllable 8 is stressed in the noun; 2nd syllable is stressed in the verb. Note: passive verb – is addicted, are addicted.
Useful structures
in return for…
the more gaming machines (there are), the more addicts.
adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的
- The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
- She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。
n.配偶(指夫或妻)
- Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
- What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？
n.赌博；投机
- They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
- The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。
v.使沉溺；使上瘾；n.沉溺于不良嗜好的人
- He became gambling addict,and lost all his possessions.他习染上了赌博，最终输掉了全部家产。
- He assisted a drug addict to escape from drug but failed firstly.一开始他帮助一个吸毒者戒毒但失败了。
有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人
- a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
- There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册
adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的
- He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
- She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。
n.组织，安排，团体，有机休
- The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
- His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。