Good morning everyone. So today we’re going to look at an important creative activity and that’s hand knitting. Ancient knitted garments have been found in many different countries, showing that knitting is a global activity with a long history.
When someone says the word ‘knitting’ we might well picture an elderly person – a grandmother perhaps – sitting by the fire knitting 【Q31】 garments for themselves or other members of the family. It’s a homely image, but one that may lead you to feel that knitting is an activity of the past – and, indeed, during the previous decade, it was one of the skills that was predicted to vanish 【Q32】 from everyday life. For although humans have sewn and knitted their own clothing for a very long time, many of these craft-based skills went into decline when industrial machines took over – mainly because they were no longer passed down from one generation to another. However, that’s all changing and interest in knitting classes in many countries is actually rising, as more and more people are seeking formal instruction in the skill. With that trend, we’re also seeing an increase in the sales figures for knitting equipment. 【Q33】
So why do people want to be taught to knit at a time when a machine can readily do the job for them? The answer is that knitting, as a handicraft, has numerous benefits for those doing it. Let’s consider what some of these might be. While many people knitted garments in the past because they couldn’t afford to buy clothes, it’s still true today that knitting can be helpful if you’re experiencing economic hardship 【Q34】. If you have several children who all need warm winter clothes, knitting may save you a lot of money. And the results of knitting your own clothes can be very rewarding, even though the skills you need to get going are really quite basic 【Q35】 and the financial outlay is minimal.
But the more significant benefits in today’s world are to do with well-being. In a world where it’s estimated that we spend up to nine hours a day online, doing something with our hands that is craft-based makes us feel good. It releases us from the stress of a technological, fast-paced life.
Now, let’s look back a bit to early knitting activities. In fact, no one really knows when knitting first began, but archaeological remains have disclosed plenty of information for us to think about.
One of the interesting things about knitting is that the earliest pieces of clothing that have been found suggest that most of the items produced were round 【Q36】 rather than flat. Discoveries from the 3rd and 4th centuries in Egypt show that things like socks and gloves, that were needed to keep hands and feet warm, were knitted in one piece using four or five needles. That’s very different from most knitting patterns today, which only require two. What’s more, the very first needles people used were hand carved out of wood and other natural materials, like bone 【Q37】, whereas today’s needles are largely made of steel or plastic and make that characteristic clicking sound when someone’s using them. Ancient people knitted using yarns made from linen, hemp, cotton and wool, and these were often very rough on the skin 【Q38】. The spinning wheel, which allowed people to make finer yarns and produce much greater quantities of them, led to the dominance of wool in the knitting industry – often favoured for its warmth.
Another interesting fact about knitting is that because it was practised in so many parts of the world for so many purposes, regional differences in style developed 【Q39】. This visual identity has allowed researchers to match bits of knitted clothing that have been unearthed over time to the region from which the wearer came or the job that he or she did.
As I’ve mentioned, knitting offered people from poor communities a way of making extra money while doing other tasks. For many centuries, it seems, men, women and children took every opportunity to knit, for example, while watching over sheep 【Q40】, walking to market or riding in boats. So, let’s move on to take a …
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
听前预测：提示词 someone、like、a，此处应填表示人、辅音开头的单数名词。
题目解析：本题无较好的定位词，可根据上句题干中的信息 long history 提前定位，接着录音中出现 picture 这个词，对应题干中的 image，可锁定出题句。录音中提到“we might well picture an elderly person – a grandmother perhaps – sitting by the fire knitting …”，可判断出 grandmother 符合题干要求。注意不能填写 elderly person，因为超过题干的字数要求，且空白处前冠词为 a，其后不能接元音开头的单词 elderly；另外也不可省掉 elderly 直接填写 person，根据空白处前的逻辑词 like（例如）可知，空白处应为表示人的具体名词。
听前预测：定位词：disappear；提示词 A、ago，此处应填表示时间、辅音开头的单数名词。
题目解析：本题难度较大，在录音中答案出现在定位词之前，考查学生的瞬时记忆能力。 完成第 31 题后，接着听到时间信号词 the past、previous，对应提示词 ago， 即可锁定出题句“… during the previous decade, it was one of the skills that was predicted to vanish from everyday life.”，其中 was predicted 和 vanish 分别对应题干中的 was expected 和 disappear，因此答案为 decade。
听前预测：定位词 people、buy；提示词 more、for knitting，此处应填名词。
题目解析：根据 notes 结构可知，题干中的“The number of knitting classes is now increasing.” 与本题所在句存在并列关系。在录音中听到 formal instruction（对应 knitting classes）和并列逻辑词 also 后，即可锁定答案句“we’re also seeing an increase in the sales figures for knitting equipment.”，其中 an increase、the sales 分别对应题干中的 more、buying，这两组替换词难度不大，听出替换后答案词 equipment 随即出现。
听前预测：定位词 support、difficulty；提示词 in times of，此处应填形容词。
题目解析：本题可先通过小标题 Benefits 提前定位，接着录音中提到“knitting can be helpful if you’re experiencing economic hardship.”，其中 helpful、hardship 分别对应题干中的 support、difficulty，答案词 economic 不难抓取。
听前预测：定位词 skills、little money；提示词 only，此处应填形容词。
题目解析：题干定位词 skills 在录音中原词重现，快速锁定出题句“the skills you need to get going are really quite basic …”，修饰 skills 的形容词 basic 不难听出。题干中另一个定位词 little money 对应录音中的“the financial outlay is minimal.”，其中 outlay 意为“必要的费用，开支”，minimal 意为“极少的”。
听前预测：定位词 Findings、early、items；提示词 be，shape，此处应填表示形状的形容词。
题目解析：本题定位词 early、items 原词出现，快速锁定答案句“the earliest pieces of clothing that have been found suggest that most of the items produced were round rather than flat.”，其中 were found 对应题干中的 Findings，抓取表示形状的词汇 round 即可。注意通过表示否定的短语 rather than 排除干扰词 flat。
听前预测：定位词 first needles、natural materials、wood；提示词 made of、such as、and，此处应填表示材料且与 wood 并列的名词。
题目解析：本题答案句由 What’s more 引出，定位词 first needles、wood、natural materials 全部原词出现，随后抓取表示材料的词汇 bone 即可。注意之前录音中提到的 steel 和 plastic 指的是现在的针的材料，跟题干中的 first needles 矛盾。
听前预测：定位词 Early yarns；提示词 felt、touch，此处应填表示触感的形容词。
题目解析：本题定位词 yarns 原词出现，快速锁定答案句“Ancient people knitted using yarns made from linen, hemp …, and these were often very rough on the skin.”，其中 Ancient 对应题干中的 Early，on the skin 对应题干中的 felt、touch，因此答案为 rough。
听前预测：定位词 Geographical；提示词 their own，此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题定位较难，根据 notes 结构可知，题干“Wool became the most popular yarn for spinning.”与本题所在句存在并列关系。在录音中听到 dominance of wool （对应“Wool became the most popular”）和并列表达 Another interesting fact 后，即可锁定答案句“… regional differences in style developed.”，其中 regional、differences 分别对应题干中的 Geographical、their own，因此答案为 style。
听前预测：定位词 Everyday、tasks；提示词 like、looking after，此处应填与日常事务有关的名词。
题目解析：定位词 tasks 在录音中原词重现，快速锁定答案句“For many centuries, it seems, men, women and children took every opportunity to knit, for example, while watching over sheep, ”，其中 for example、watching over 分别对应题干中的 like、looking after，因此答案为 sheep。
