(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
It seems the age-old tradition of children getting a bedtime story before sleeping is on the wane in Britain. A new study reveals that around a third of parents do not read bedtime stories to their children. The study, from British online retailer Littlewoods.com, also found that up to 50 per cent of children would prefer to watch TV or play computer games than be read a story. Researchers further discovered that a paltry five per cent of British under-sevens do not even own a book. Parents came up with a myriad of reasons why they did not read to their little ones. Thirteen per cent of parents blamed a lack of time, nine per cent said they are just "too stressed", while others said their children were simply not interested.
Littlewoods has teamed up with British pop star Natasha Hamilton to try and reverse this trend. They have launched a bedtime story writing competition for children under seven. Ms Hamilton, 31, told reporters: "I'm really excited to see all the different story ideas and can't wait to see what the kids come up with. Choosing a winner's not going to be easy." She spoke about her own joy as a mother in reading bedtime stories, saying: "As a mum of three, I know just how enjoyable reading bedtime stories to my kids is." A spokesman from Littlewoods.com said: "We appreciate how important it is for parents and kids to spend quality time together, and bedtime stories are a great way to do just this."
中文翻译
在英国，历史悠久的睡前阅读正在逐渐陨落。一项新的研究发现有三分之一的父母不会在睡前为孩子阅读。来自网上零售商“小森林网”的研究还发现比起阅读故事，更喜欢看电视或是打游戏的孩子数量达到了50%。研究人员进一步发现7岁以下孩子中有5%的儿童没有书。父母不给孩子阅读的原因也是多种多样。有13%的父母没有时间，9%的父母称他们感到很有“压力”，还有人说孩子不感兴趣。
为了试图扭转这一情况，“小森林网”与英国流行歌手娜塔莎·哈米顿进行了合作。他们为7岁以下的孩子建立了睡前故事写作竞赛。今年31岁的哈米顿对记者说：“我非常高兴能够看到这么多的构思，我已经等不及想看看孩子们的想法了。挑选最终的获胜者不是一件容易事。”她谈及了她作为母亲为孩子进行睡前阅读时的喜悦感，称：“作为一名三岁孩子的母亲，给孩子进行睡前阅读是一件愉悦的事情。”“小森林网”发言人称：“父母与孩子一起度过时光，这非常重要，而睡前阅读是一种非常不错的方式。”
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重点讲解
1.bedtime story 睡前故事
例句：I thought, at first, she was referring to a bedtime story.
我的第一个反应是，她说的是一个睡前故事。
2.be excited to 对..兴奋
例句：Most runners would be excited to introduce a new runner to road racing.
他们大多数都会很高兴地给新人介绍比赛情况的。
3.online retailer 网上零售商
例句：Initially an online retailer at the time of its 2000 launch, the company began selling through select retailers earlier this year.
该公司2000年推出之时是一家网络零售商，今年早些时候，开始通过指定零售商进行销售。
4.prefer to 宁愿
例句：I prefer to work rather than go to holiday to the seaside.
我宁愿工作也不愿去海滨度假。
听力题目
1.What expression did the writer use to say bedtime stories are declining?
a) wand
b) wax and wane
c) on the wane
d) waned
2.What kind of organisation conducted the study?
a) an Internet store
b) a publisher
c) a children's charity
d) a literary guild
3.How many children prefer watching TV?
a) nearly 50%
b) 50%
c) just over 50%
d) 50% of under-tens
4.What percentage of British kids do not own a book?
a) 0.5
b) 5
c) 15
d) 35
5.What did 13% of British parents say?
a) children learn to read at school
b) they will try harder
c) the iPad is more important
d) they have no time to read stories
6.What did Littlewoods and a pop star launch?
a) a new song about bedtime stories
b) a writing competition
c) a new book
d) a site to help parents
7.Who can enter the competition?
a) under-sevens
b) seven-year-olds
c) kids aged seven plus
d) kids with a reading age of 7
8.What is a pop star excited about?
a) her new song
b) reading to her children
c) reading kids' stories
d) Littlewoods.com
9.How many children does the pop star have?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
10.What did Littlewoods say is important for parents and kids?
a) spending quality time together
b) going to bookshops
c) reading on iPads
d) to buy books from its website
听力答案
1.c
2.a
3.a
4.b
5.d
6.b
7.a
8.c
9.d
10.a
