听力练习

精听建议：

先完整地把一条新闻听一到三遍，争取掌握大意。然后，一句一句精听，力争每句话都听明白。遇到实在不懂的地方，再听写。

下面的文本材料中空缺部分里面要填的词都很简单，不过是一些值得注意的连读或者典型的美式发音哦，有些语速比较快。试试看，你能不能全部写对？

（参考文本，欢迎指正^^）

Lesson45 Stately Homes

It was believed that in the old days the rich were very rich and the poor were very poor. Is it really different now? Some of the aristocratic families of Britain still have a lot of money, and some still live in magnificent tately homes built by their families hundreds of years ago.

Castles with strong 1 may be almost a thousand years old, but most stately homes date from the 2 centuries, and many are filled with wonderful collections of paintings and furniture. Even for the richest, life in these old houses is expensive. There are roofs to repair, hundreds of rooms to clean, and miles of parkland to look after. To make money, owners of stately homes often make their parks into playgrounds. They set up zoos, safari parks, model railways, and small museums — anything that people will pay to see.

Not everyone is lucky enough to keep their old home. Many of the people who once owned the 3 of Britain cannot afford to 4 them now. Luckily, the buildings still stand, full of wonderful antiques and art treasures.

A large number of them now belong to the National Trust, a private organization which buys historic buildings. The old owners often still live there, and keep the atmosphere of a beautiful private home, but the houses are open to the public too. In this way everyone can enjoy the great 5 of the past.

■填空答案■

中文翻译

豪华宅第

人们认为，旧时富人特别富裕，而穷人极其贫困。现在的情形是否不同了呢？英国的一些贵族家庭仍然拥有巨额财富，住在其家族几百年前建造的富丽堂皇的豪宅里。

那些有着坚固的城墙和塔楼的城堡或许有上千年的历史，但大多数宅第的历史追溯至十七、十八世纪，且收藏了大量精美的绘画和家具。即使对于最富有的人来说，在这些旧式豪宅中生活，开销也很庞大。屋顶要修缮，成百个房间要清扫，还有数英里的庭院需要打理。为了挣钱，豪宅主人常常把自己的庄园改造成游艺场。他们建造了动物园、野生动物园、模型铁路以及小型博物馆等等——任何人们愿意花钱观看的东西。

并不是每个拥有旧式豪宅的人都能幸运地保留住他们的老房子。许多曾经拥有城堡和宅邸的人，现在已无力照管它们。幸运的是，建筑依在，里面满是令人称奇的古董和艺术珍宝。

大多数建筑现归属于国民托管组织，这是一个购买历史建筑的私人组织。原来的主人通常还住在房子里，并保持美妙的私人家庭生活氛围，但住宅同时向公众开放。这样人人都可领略伟大的历史文化财富。

词汇讲解

1. aristocratic 贵族的,贵族政治的,贵族气派的

His aristocratic manners seemed ridiculous in this poor area.
在这个贫穷的地区，他的贵族气派显得很可笑。

2. antique 古物,古董

I saw the vase in the window of an antique shop.
我在一家古玩店的橱窗里看见了那个花瓶。

3. castle 城堡

The earl lives in a castle.
伯爵住在一座古堡里。