英語聽力小短文走遍全世界34:好萊塢兒童

英語聽力原文：

In Hollywood, everybody wants to be rich, famous and beautiful. Nobody wants to be old, unknown and poor. For Hollywood kids, life can be difficult, because they grow up in such an unreal atmosphere. Their parents are ambitious and the children are part of the parents' ambitions.

在好萊塢，每個人都希望變得富有、出名和美麗。沒有人愿意衰老、默默無聞、貧窮。對于好萊塢的孩子而言，生活有些艱難，因為他們的成長在如此不真實的環(huán)境中。他們的父母野心勃勃的，而孩子也是他們野心的一部分。

Parents pay for wastful grand parties, expensive cars and designer clothes. When every dream can come true, kids don't learn the value of anything because they have everything.

那些父母大把地將鈔票花在盛大的舞會、昂貴的汽車和設(shè)計師設(shè)計的名牌服裝上。當(dāng)所有的夢想都實現(xiàn)的時候，孩子們還沒有了解任何事物的價值，因為他們已擁有一切了。

A 13-year-old boy, Trent Maguire, has a driver, credit cards and unlimited cash to do what he wants when he wants to. "One day, I'll earn more than my dad." He boasts.

一位名叫特倫·特麥圭爾的13歲男孩擁有一位司機、信用卡和足以使他可以買得起任何他想要的東西的花不完的現(xiàn)金。“有一天我會賺得比我爸爸更多。”他吹噓道。

Parents buy care and attention for the children because they have no time to give it themselves. Amanda's mother employs a personal trainer, a bodyguard, a singing coach and a counselor to look after all her 15-year-old daughter's needs.

父母們花錢給他們的孩子提供照顧和關(guān)注，因為他們自己沒有時間給他們的孩子這些。阿曼達的母親聘請了一位家教、一位保鏢、一位歌唱教練、一位咨詢師來照顧她15歲女兒的所有需要。

Often there is no parent at home most days, so children decide whether to make their own meals or go out to restaurants, when to watch television or do homework. They organize their own social lives. They play no childhood games. They become adults before they're ready.

通常父母大部分的時候都不在家，因此由孩子們決定是自己做飯還是外出去飯店吃，決定什么時候看電視或是做作業(yè)。他們管理自己的社會生活。他們沒有童年游戲，在他們還沒有準(zhǔn)備好之前，他們就成了成人。

Hollywood has always been the city of dreams. The kids there live unreal lives where money, beauty and pleasure are the only gods. Will chidren around the world soon start to think the same? Or do they already?

好萊塢一直以來就是夢想之城。孩子們過著不真實的生活，在那兒金錢、美貌和享受是唯一的信仰。難道不久全世界的孩子都開始這么想了嗎?或者他們已經(jīng)這么想了?

英語詞匯整理：

1. atmosphere n. 大氣，氣氛，格調(diào)，氣壓

eg: There's still an atmosphere of great hostility and tension in the city.

在這座城市里依然有一種極其敵對和緊張的氣氛。

短語：

clear the atmosphere 清除誤會(或猜疑、緊張氣氛);澄清事實

gas atmosphere 氣氛

social atmosphere社會氣氛

2. ambitious adj. 有雄心的，有抱負(fù)的，野心勃勃的

eg: Chris is so ambitious, so determined to do it all.

克里斯是如此雄心勃勃，如此堅決地要把它做完。

短語：

be ambitious of sth. 對……有野心的，渴望得到某物

be ambitious for sth 對……有野心的，渴望得到某物

be ambitious for one's children 望子成龍

3. ambition n. 雄心，野心，抱負(fù)

eg: You will achieve your ambition if you work hard.

如果你努力, 你的抱負(fù)是可以實現(xiàn)的。

短語：

ambition for 對……的野心

be full of ambition 野心勃勃

out of ambition 出于野心

without ambition 胸?zé)o大志，沒有野心

lose one's ambition 失去抱負(fù)，失去方向

4. grand adj. 豪華的，宏偉的，主要的

eg: Here's St.John's, the grandest of Gothic Cathedrals in this part of the country.

這兒是圣約翰教堂,是這個國家這一帶最雄偉的哥特式大教堂。

短語：

grand total 總共，總計，合計

grand hall 大廳;大會堂

grand air 堂堂儀表

grand man 偉人，名人

5. boast v. 吹牛，自夸

eg: Nobody should boast of his learning.

誰也不應(yīng)當(dāng)夸耀自己的學(xué)識。

短語：

make a boast of 自豪地說到，夸耀

boast about (of) 夸耀，吹噓

boast of one's skill 夸耀自己的技能

boast about doing sth. 夸耀其做了某事

6. bodyguard n. 保鏢

eg: Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack.

他的三名保鏢在襲擊中受了傷。

7. coach n. 教練

eg: The football coach was criticized by the local paper.

這位足球教練受到了當(dāng)?shù)貓蠹埖呐u。

短語：

head coach 主教練;總教練

assistant coach 助理教練

drive a coach and four/six horses through 找出漏洞(指虛假的陳述);規(guī)避;鉆空子

8. counselor n. 顧問

eg: Counselor asked the witness question about his bank account.

法律顧問或律師問證人有關(guān)他銀行賬戶的問題。

短語：

career counselor 職業(yè)顧問

guidance counselor 咨詢顧問

minister counselor 公使

school counselor 學(xué)校輔導(dǎo)員

佳句采摘：

Hollywood has always been the city of dreams. The kids there live unreal lives where money, beauty and pleasure are the only gods. Will chidren around the world soon start to think the same? Or do they already?

好萊塢一直以來就是夢想之城。孩子們過著不真實的生活，在那兒金錢、美貌和享受是唯一的信仰。