(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Michelangelo's masterpiece statue "David" is in great danger of collapsing due to its weak ankles and the structure's 5.5-ton weight. Scientists have confirmed that cracks in the heels of the giant 5.17-metre-tall iconic statue make it susceptible to crumbling under its own weight. The cracks have become the statue's Achilles heel. Tests carried out by Italy's National Research Council and Florence University confirmed the existence of a whole series of "micro-fractures" that have weakened David's ankles. A number of factors have led to this weakening. These include the poor quality of marble and the fact that the statue has been leaning at an angle for centuries, and vibrations from traffic and museum visitors.
The sculptor Michelangelo spent three years creating David between 1501 and 1504. He was just 26 when he embarked on the project. The statue depicts the biblical hero who killed the giant Goliath. It was commissioned by the rulers of Florence as a symbol of the city's commercial and military strength. It was unveiled to the public on the 8th of September, 1504 and remained on display outside in the Piazza della Signoria for 350 years. It was moved indoors in 1873 to protect it from the elements. Art lovers have been calling for years for the statue to be relocated to the safety of a purpose-built, earthquake proof museum to insulate it from the vibrations from traffic and road construction.
中文翻译
米开朗琪罗的杰作雕塑“大卫”,有倾倒的危险，由于雕塑的脚踝处很脆弱，结构重量达5.5吨。科学家们已经证实, 5.17米高的巨人雕塑，在脚踝处已经出现裂缝，而且在自身重量的压迫下，很容易破裂。裂缝已成为该雕像的致命弱点。由意大利国家研究理事会和佛罗伦萨大学开展的测试，证实了一些微小的裂缝使得“大卫”的脚踝更加脆弱。很多因素导致了这种脆弱。这些因素包括大理石质量差，雕塑在几个世纪以来一直向一个角度倾斜，运输以及博物馆的游客引发的振动。
雕刻家米开朗基罗花了三年时间，从1501年到1504年成功塑造了大卫。他开始这一项目时，仅为26岁。这座雕像生动展现了圣经中杀死巨人歌利的英雄。佛罗伦萨的统治者已经授权将这一雕塑作为城市商业和军事力量的象征。雕塑于1504年9月8日公布于众，并在市政广场矗立了350年之久。1873年，雕塑被搬到室内，以免其遭受恶劣天气的破坏。艺术爱好者们多年来一直呼吁雕像被安置到专用的安全的防地震博物馆,使它免受交通和道路建的振动。
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重点讲解
1.due to 由于；应归于
To some extent, this is due to the nature of the world around it.
从某种程度上来说，这是由于世界的周围局势所决定的。
2.Achilles heel致命要害；薄弱环节
We find ourselves facing the horror of what has always been the Achilles heel of the left wing: its abysmal ignorance of economic science.
我们发现正在面临着一种恐怖的境况，它就是左翼经济学家的阿喀琉斯之踵：对经济科学完全的傲慢无知。
3.carry out执行，实行；贯彻；实现；完成
Seeing that he could not carry out his plan, he flung up his cards.
他看到不能实现自己的计划，就撒手不管了。
4.lead to 导致；通向
I believe that his friends, above all Halifax, came to the conclusion that he must be rooted out of the life he was leading at Trinity which must soon lead to decay of mind and health.
我相信他的朋友们，首先是哈利法克斯得出这样的结论：他必须从在三一学院沿循的生活中拔出脚来，否则它必定很快会导致精神和健康的衰落。
5.embark on从事，着手；登上船
Before company leaders embark on an acquisition, they should watch Mr Levin squirm, and think about how likely they are, one day, to be offering a hapless apology.
在公司领袖着手收购前，他们应该看一看莱文羞愧不安的模样，想想自己有一天也要不幸地进行道歉的可能性有多大。
听力试题
1.What part of David's body is the weak point?
a) his heel
b) the ankles
c) his knees
d) his hips
2.How tall is the statue?
a) 1.57 metres
b) 1.75 metres
c) 7.15 metres
d) 5.17 metres
3.Which university helped carry out tests on the statue?
a) New York
b) Tokyo
c) Florence
d) London
4.What was of poor quality?
a) the marble
b) the air
c) the security
d) the workmanship
5.For how long has the statue been leaning at an angle?
a) millennia
b) centuries
c) decades
d) years
6.In what year did Michelangelo finish David?
a) 1504
b) 1503
c) 1502
d) 1501
7.Who did the biblical hero David kill?
a) Bill
b) The Good Samaritan
c) Goliath
d) Samson
8.Who ordered the statue to be made?
a) the rulers of Florence
b) a merchant from Venice
c) the Romans
d) the early Mafia
9.For how long was the statue at the mercy of the elements?
a) (more than) 350 years
b) exactly 350 years
c) slightly less than 350 years
d) no one knows
10.Who wants the statue to be put in a special museum?
a) the living family of David
b) Italy's prime minister
c) art lovers
d) the Louvre
听力答案
1.b
2.d
3.c
4.a
5.b
6.a
7.c
8.a
9.d
10.c
