剑桥雅思17 Test 1 口语Part 1

1、What did you study in history lessons when you were at school?

 

Well, I think we learnt tons of basic facts about past events just like other people did, especially those so-called turning points, as well as influential historic figures and battles that reshaped the course of human civilization. But fundamentally, it was exam-oriented and that made history lessons less engaging. And honestly speaking, I only have very vague memory about what I learned from school.

 

tons of大量的

turning point 转折点

influential historic figure 有影响力的历史人物

battle 战役

reshape the course of human civilization改变人类文明的进程

fundamentally 从本质上来说

exam-oriented 应试的

engaging 令人着迷的

honestly speaking 说实话

vague 模糊的

 

2、Did you enjoy studying history at school? [Why/Why not?]

 

Well, if you had the misfortune to do too much of it at school as I did, you'll probably know how dull it can be. By that I mean, we had to learn everything on the coursebook by rote, like dates and facts. So it wouldn't be surprising that most of us tend to steer well clear of the whole topic after we graduated from high school.

 

have the misfortune to do sth.不幸做......

dull乏味的

learn sth.by rote 用死记硬背的方式学习……

it wouldn't be surprising that对某事并不感到奇怪

steer well clear of sth.避开......

 

3、How often do you watch TV programmes about history now? [Why/ Why not?]

 

Actually, programmes in this genre are not my kind of thing. But I do check the video clips about history from time to time according to my own interest. Maybe I just want to gain insight into why a country is in its current state or simply get fascinated by some inspirational leaders from the past.Compared to the history taught in school, those videos normally present more information from various perspectives, and they've sort of opened the lens for me.

 

not my kind of thing 不是我喜欢的

video clip视频片段

from time to time不时，有时

gain insight into深入了解

in its current state 所处的现状

get fascinated by对某事感到着迷

inspirational leader 有感召力的领袖

various perspectives 多种视角

open the lens 打开眼界

 

4、What period in history would you like to learn more about? [Why?]

 

Well, this is a tough one for me, as there are a couple of historical periods that I find compelling, like European Renaissance, Scientific Revolution as well as the Second World War, because they have drastically shaped our modern world. Time permitting, I'll also read books on Big History, like Guns,Germs and Steel, for it possibly can provide me a more holistic view on human civilization.

 

compelling 引人入胜的

historical period历史时期

Scientific Revolution科学革命

European Renaissance 欧洲文艺复兴

drastically彻底地

the Second World War第二次世界大战

Big History 大历史（宏观历史）

time permitting 如果时间允许

a more holistic view一个更全面的视角