英语听力精选进阶版 6253
时间：2019-02-21 作者：英语课 分类：英语听力精选进阶版
Will the Rabbit Year Bring Wealth and Happiness?兔年能带给你财运和幸福吗？
Articulate, ambitious and affectionate - maybe a little timid - but overall very lucky. These are some of the characteristics usually associated with people born in the Year of the Rabbit.
And as we wave goodbye to the Year of the Tiger, it's luck that feng shui experts are hoping rabbits will bring to 2011. Newspapers and websites in China and around the world are full of predictions about what's in store for the rabbit year.
So what can we expect? First up is Hong Kong astrologer Anthony Cheng's forecast for our love lives:
"The Year of the Rabbit is an auspicious 1 time for marriages, so I would expect to see a lot of people taking the plunge 2, including famous people," he told AFP.
A girl in a pink rabbit costume
What will the rabbit bring for you?
But he also warned that "The Year of the Rabbit will see a lot of unusual romantic relationships, including extra-marital affairs and relationships with huge age differences".
Moving on to money matters, the Financial Times has analysed what the rabbit year will mean for people investing in China. It expects the first part of 2011 to be a "scared rabbit", meaning a "bumpy 3, grumpy market". But summer should see a "strong rally" from Chinese stocks with the tiger long gone.
Hong Kong-based brokerage CLSA publishes a light-hearted 'Feng Shui Index' which says the coming year brings many "hopportunities" for investors 4.
And while most of the predictions focus on how the Year of the Rabbit will affect our financial and romantic lives, what about the rabbits themselves?
Reports in the UK say that we'll be seeing a lot more of our long-eared friends in the coming year – on the dinner table.
Sales of rabbit are up over 300% on January last year, with TV celebrity 5 chefs such as Nigella Lawson popularising dishes like baked rabbit and even one with a name as dry as the meat itself: "cute stew 6".
Glossary 词汇表
articulate
口齿伶俐、表达力强的
affectionate
可爱的
timid
胆小的，害羞的
characteristics
性格
wave goodbye to
告别、挥手告别
feng shui experts
风水大师
what's in store
将会发生的事情
first up
首先
astrologer
占星家
forecast
预测
auspicious
吉祥的
taking the plunge
冒这个险、赶这个大流
extra-marital affairs
婚外情
bumpy
颠簸的、困难重重的
grumpy
坏脾气的、这里指市场不好
strong rally
强劲反弹
brokerage
经纪公司
light-hearted
令人轻松愉快的
popularising
推广、普及
dry
干笑话的、挖苦的
- The publication of my first book was an auspicious beginning of my career.我的第一本书的出版是我事业吉祥的开始。
- With favorable weather conditions it was an auspicious moment to set sail.风和日丽，正是扬帆出海的黄道吉日。
- Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
- That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。
- I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
- The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。
- a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
- a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会
- 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。