学英语除了做阅读练听力之外,收看一些英语新闻同样会有帮助,这里推荐一个频道:CGTN
CGTN全称是China Global Television Network,即“中国环球电视网”,这是一个以播送新闻、评论、访谈节目为主的电视频道,CGTN的前身即央视的全英文频道CCTV-9/CCTV News。CGTN每天的节目内容很丰富,包括全球新闻(the world today)、财经新闻(global business)、体育报道(sports scene)、人物访谈(dialogue)、国内新闻(China 24)以及中国文化故事(culture express)等,并且大部分节目主播都是外籍人士。去年与Fox女主播Trish Regan辩论的刘欣也是CGTN的主持人,她现在主持一档评论节目The Point with Liu Xin,主要讨论时事热点话题。
CGTN很多节目都是很好的新闻英语材料,我们不仅可以通过它们来练习听力,还可以学习如何用地道英文介绍发生在周边的事情,用英文讨论中国话题。比如下面是CGTN关于高考的一期报道:
报道里面出现了不少与高考相关的表达,比如help senior high school students ease their minds before the big day(帮助高三学生在考前减压),see the Gaokao as the be-all and end-all to their future prospects(将高考视为他们未来前途中最重要的东西)以及conduct targeted counselling sessions for senior students as well parents and teachers(为高三学生以及他们的老师和家长提供心理咨询课程)。
除了电视频道之外,CGTN也有官网https://www.cgtn.com/ 上面有很多关于国内外事件的英语新闻报道。比如CGTN官网最近报道了在海外走红的阿木爷爷以及李子柒:
A 63-year-old Chinese grandpa's traditional carpentry skills are delighting tens of millions of viewers online as he creates woodwork without glue, screws or nails.
The Chinese master carpenter, Wang Dewen, known as "Granda Amu" on YouTube, has been dubbed as the modern day Lu Ban, a famous Chinese structural engineer during the Zhou Dynasty, thanks to his vast carpentry knowledge. His most popular video, which shows him making a fantastic wooden arch bridge, went viral on the platform, gaining more than 42 million views.
这一段对阿木爷爷的介绍里面有很多值得学习的地方,比如traditional carpentry skills(传统木工技艺),somebody is dubbed as…(某人被称为……),XX goes viral(某事物走红),gain XX views(获得了……播放量)。
文章对李子柒的介绍也写得不错:
Li Ziqi, who lives in a picturesque village of southwest China's Sichuan Province, has made a name for herself by making various Chinese dishes on YouTube since 2016.
In her videos, she gracefully works as a farmer, impressing viewers with her understanding of food, nature and Chinese culture while showcasing the charm of Chinese culture in every detail of daily life.
形容某地风景如画可以用picturesque,要表达“某人因做某事而出名”可以说somebody makes a name for himself/herself by doing XX,“展现中华文化的魅力”可以说showcase the charm of Chinese culture
如果你之前一直没有阅读英语文章的习惯,那么可以从CGTN官网上的中国话题文章开始,这些文章涉及到的背景知识我们都较为熟悉,读起来难度会小很多,非常适合作为入门英语阅读材料。
需要观看CGTN节目的同学可以直接访问官网:
https://www.cgtn.com/tv
手机端可以使用同名应用CGTN。安装了“学习强国”的同学也可以在里面找到入口,推荐各位去看一看。