学习英语，小伙伴们一定很头疼英语，尤其native speaker说话很快，我们的大脑运转速度跟不上他们的语速，很是烧脑。当然，没有捷径，凡事都需要努力的，不过好方法倒是有。

比比西为了帮英语初学者学好英语，专门录制了一些节目，他们选择热门话题，用缓慢一些的语速朗读出来，让大家听的明白，慢慢模仿。大家可以先听听录音，再对照英文段落，多来几遍，日久就会有质的突破。

今天的主题是集装箱。集装箱是一种用于存储和运输货物的大型金属容器。它容积巨大，方便长途运输大批货物，让人们有机会接触到来自世界各地的商品，对贸易全球化做出了贡献。第一遍，先听录音。

bbc_tae_shipping_containers_download.mp（没法上传，需要私）

第二遍，阅读一遍文本。

Look at many of the items around your home and some will probably have been imported from abroad by ship. Moving goods around the world by sea is the easiest and most cost-effective way to do it. But what has made it more practical is the invention of the shipping container. They're not the most amazing thing to look at, but because of their design, and especially their universal size, it means they can be loaded and unloaded on to huge vessels at any port that is big enough to accommodate them. The standardisation of these simple metal containers in the 1950s and 60s marked a turning point in world trade, driving down costs and ultimately leading to globalisation.

Inside these versatile metal boxes could be anything from nappies to cars, and they are transported on container ships that ply our seas and oceans. They have been described as 'the monsters of the seas' because of their huge size. The very biggest are almost half a kilometre long and are piled high with more than 20,000, 20-foot-long (6.06m) boxes. In fact, the world's largest, The Port of Rotterdam, has a capacity of 24,346 TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) – an exact unit of measurement used to determine cargo capacity for container ships and terminals. With around 5,500 container ships globally, it's incredible to think about the amount of goods being moved around the world.

However, because we now rely so much on these global shipments of goods, there can be problems when things go wrong. In 2021, the Ever Given, loaded with 18,000 containers, got stuck in the Suez Canal – blocking an important trade route. Countless businesses were affected by the delay in receiving their goods. One shipping company, Maersk, said the "ripple effects on global capacity and equipment" were significant.

Despite the occasional problems, our demand for goods is increasing, and so the shipping container is here to stay. George Griffiths from S&P Global Platts told the BBC: "We're seeing a lot more of the ultra-large container ships being built… the proportion of new ships that are moving over 14,000 containers is staggering." Each container can have a lifespan of up to 25 years. And even when the effects of wind, waves and loading takes its toll, some find a new lease of life as land-based storage units or even used as houses and hotels!

过一遍词汇表。

imported 进口
goods 商品，货物
cost-effective 划算的
container 集装箱
universal 通用的，广泛适用的
vessel 船，大船
port 港口
world trade 世界贸易
globalisation 全球化
versatile 多功能的，多用途的
ply 定期往返（于）
cargo （轮船或飞机装载的）货物
terminal 码头
shipment 运输
trade route 贸易路线
ripple effect 连锁反应
staggering 惊人的，令人震惊的
take its toll 造成破坏
a new lease of life “重获新生”，使用寿命延长
storage 储物，储藏

最后，再听一遍，是不是清爽了许多？