练习材料:
L45-2: The power of the press
But they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets, four girls and a boy, an event which radically changed their lives.The day after the birth of the five children an aeroplane arrived in Aberdeen bringing 60 reporters and photographers. The rise to fame was swift. Television cameras and newspapers carried the news to everyone in the country.Newspapers and magazines offered the family huge sums for the exclusive rights to publish stories and photographs. Gifts poured in not only from unknown people, but from baby food and soap manufacturers who wished to advertise their products. The old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by a new $500,000 home. Reporters kept pressing for interviews so lawyers had to be employed to act as spokesmen for the family at press conferences. While the five babies were still quietly sleeping in oxygen tents in a hospital nursery, their parents were paying the price for fame. It would never again be possible for them to lead normal lives. They had become the victims of commercialization, for their names had acquired a market value. Instead of being five new family members, these children had immediately become a commodity.
bʌt ðeɪ ˈsʌdnli bɪˈkeɪm ðə ˈpeərənts ɒv ˈkwɪntjʊplɪts, fɔː gɜːlz ænd ə bɔɪ, ən ɪˈvɛnt wɪʧ ˈrædɪkəli ʧeɪnʤd ðeə lɪvz.ðə deɪ ˈɑːftə ðə bɜːθ ɒv ðə faɪv ˈʧɪldrən ən ˈeərəpleɪn əˈraɪvd ɪn ˌæbəˈdiːn ˈbrɪŋɪŋ 60 rɪˈpɔːtəz ænd fəˈtɒgrəfəz. ðə raɪz tuː feɪm wɒz swɪft. ˈtɛlɪˌvɪʒən ˈkæmərəz ænd ˈnjuːzˌpeɪpəz ˈkærid ðə njuːz tuː ˈɛvrɪwʌn ɪn ðə ˈkʌntri.ˈnjuːzˌpeɪpəz ænd ˌmægəˈziːnz ˈɒfəd ðə ˈfæmɪli hjuːʤ sʌmz fɔː ði ɪksˈkluːsɪv raɪts tuː ˈpʌblɪʃ ˈstɔːriz ænd ˈfəʊtəgrɑːfs. gɪfts pɔːd ɪn nɒt ˈəʊnli frɒm ʌnˈnəʊn ˈpiːpl, bʌt frɒm ˈbeɪbi fuːd ænd səʊp ˌmænjʊˈfækʧərəz huː wɪʃt tuː ˈædvətaɪz ðeə ˈprɒdʌkts. ði əʊld ˈfɑːmhaʊs ðə ˈfæmɪli lɪvd ɪn wɒz tuː biː rɪˈpleɪst baɪ ə njuː $500,000 həʊm. rɪˈpɔːtəz kɛpt ˈprɛsɪŋ fɔːr ˈɪntəvjuːz səʊ ˈlɔːjəz hæd tuː biː ɪmˈplɔɪd tuː ækt æz spokesmen fɔː ðə ˈfæmɪli æt prɛs ˈkɒnfərənsɪz. waɪl ðə faɪv ˈbeɪbiz wɜː stɪl ˈkwaɪətli ˈsliːpɪŋ ɪn ˈɒksɪʤən tɛnts ɪn ə ˈhɒspɪtl ˈnɜːsəri, ðeə ˈpeərənts wɜː ˈpeɪɪŋ ðə praɪs fɔː feɪm. ɪt wʊd ˈnɛvər əˈgɛn biː ˈpɒsəbl fɔː ðɛm tuː liːd ˈnɔːməl lɪvz. ðeɪ hæd bɪˈkʌm ðə ˈvɪktɪmz ɒv kəˌmɜːʃəlaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n, fɔː ðeə neɪmz hæd əˈkwaɪəd ə ˈmɑːkɪt ˈvæljuː. ɪnˈstɛd ɒv ˈbiːɪŋ faɪv njuː ˈfæmɪli ˈmɛmbəz, ðiːz ˈʧɪldrən hæd ɪˈmiːdiətli bɪˈkʌm ə kəˈmɒdɪti.
任务配置:
L0+L4
知识笔记:
新词:quintuplets 五胞胎;radically 彻底、根本地;fame 名声;swift 迅速的;exclusive 专用、高级的;manufacture 加工,制造;advertise 宣扬,做广告;product 产品;conference 会议;nursery 婴儿室;commercialization 商业化;commodity 商品
词组:rise to 上升到;press for 敦促,催逼,迫切要求;pay the price for 为所得付出代价;
练习感悟:
今天早起,虽然好像早不了太久,但是心情愉悦哈哈哈。