美人鱼的英语听力对话

有关美人鱼的英语听力对话

　　关于美人鱼的传说，自古有之。甚至周星驰还执导过一部影片《美人鱼》。该影片讲述一个富翁某一天遇到真正的美人鱼，并与之谱写一段人鱼恋的故事。但是美人鱼真的'存在吗?我们来看下面的有关美人鱼的英语听力对话。

　　有关美人鱼的英语听力对话一

　　Dan: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English–the show that brings you an interesting topic, authentic listening practice and vocabulary to help you improve your language skills. I'm Dan…

　　Catherine: And I'm Catherine. In this programme we'll be discussing mermaids, as well as teaching you 6 new items of vocabulary, of course…

　　Dan: How would you like to be a mermaid?

　　Catherine: A half-human and half-fish? Well, Dan, I think it's all a myth.

　　Dan: Well, then you'll find this week's question a bit of a difficult one to answer.

　　Catherine: I suppose I will. Go on then.

　　Dan: When did the most recent alleged mermaid sighting take place? Was it a) the 1400s b) 1800s or c) 2000s?

　　Catherine: Ok, and by alleged, you mean 'said or believed to be true but not proven'. I don't believe in mermaids, but I think there's a lot of people who do, so I will say c) the 2000s.

　　Dan: Well, we'll find out if you're right a bit later on. So, what do you know about mermaids, Catherine?

　　Catherine: Well, a mermaid is a creature that's similar in appearance to a woman but instead of legs, a mermaid has the tail of a fish. The males are called mermen, and they live in the ocean. I thought they were a myth.

　　Dan: They certainly appear to be mythical. They feature in legends and stories from all over the world. The earliest known one in a story dates from ancient Assyria, around 1000 BC. Can you think of a more modern example?

　　Catherine: Many people will be familiar with the Disney story, 'The Little Mermaid'.

　　Dan: Yes. Before it was an animated movie, it was a renowned fairy-tale written by Hans Christian Andersen, first published in 1837. Interestingly, a small bronze statue of the little mermaid has been sitting in Copenhagen in Denmark since 1913.

　　Catherine: There you go! There's no real evidence.

　　Dan: What if I told you that over 200 mermaids have recently gathered in Greensboro, North Carolina in the USA?

　　Catherine: You're telling me fish tales, Dan

　　Dan: Ok. I'll confess. They aren't real mermaids. Each person is a normal human wearing a waist-high latex tail. They meet to share an interest in aquatic mythology, take underwater photos, and swim. For many of them, it's a source of income too! Listen to Daniel Craig, five year merman, explain.