Hello and welcome to today’s ‘Buyer Beware’ programme, where we give you some tips on how to spend your money wisely. Now, in today's show we're looking at beds for children and babies. Let's start by looking at baby cots, that's for children of up to three years old. We tested three different cots all in the budget price range and, as usual, we will feature the good points, the problems and our verdict.
The first cot we looked at was by Baby Safe and it had several good points to recommend it. Our testers liked the fact that it had four wheels, so it was easy to move around【Q11】. The only slight problems with this cot were that it had no brakes【Q12】, but they didn't think that mattered too much. At first they were a bit concerned about the side bar, because they felt babies could trap their fingers【Q13】 in it, but our testers felt that this was unlikely to happen so they have given this one a verdict of ‘satisfactory’【Q14】.
The next cot was by Choice Cots and this time our testers were pleased to find a cot which is simple to put together【Q15】 - unlike others we looked at. On the minus side, our testers did not like the fact that the side of the cot did not drop down, making it difficult to pick up newborn babies. However, the real problem with this cot was the space between the bars; our testers found they were too wide【Q16】 and a baby could easily trap his head. We felt this was a real safety hazard and so we have labelled this one dangerous【Q17】, I'm afraid.
And finally better news for the Mother's Choice cot. This cot was slightly different in that, although the side bar did not drop down, the base could be raised or lowered into two different positions making it safe as well as convenient. The negatives for this one were quite minor; the only niggle everyone had was the fact that it has no wheels【Q18】 and the only other problem anyone could find, was that there were pictures which were simply stuck on and so could easily become detached. The makers have now promised to discontinue this practice. As this cot will then be safe in every way, we have made the Mother's Choice cot our best buy.【Q19】 Congratulations Mother's Choice!
So, what features should you look for in a baby's cot? Well obviously safety is a very important factor as well as comfort and convenience. We recommend that, if you are buying a cot, do make sure that any metal present is not rusted or bent in any way. You should ensure your cot has only rounded or smooth edging without any sharp【Q20】 edges, this is especially important for wooden cots.
And now on to beds for toddlers…
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
通过读题，11-19 为一般表格填空，横纵轴信息结构清晰，听音时注意节奏。第 11 题答案出现前， 听到了题干中定位词“easy to”的原词重现，“the first cot we looked at was the Baby Safe and it had several…”答案为 move around。
这一纵列都是谈论关于缺点和问题，原文中说“The only slight problems with this cot were…it had no brakes.”注意“brake”和“break”是同音异义词，容易混淆，需联系上下文判断。答案为 brakes ( 刹车 , 制动器，闸 )。
题干定位词为“babies, trap”和“side bar”，录音中说“because they felt babies could trap their fingers in it.”答案为 fingers，注意名词单复数。
这道题的答案是 satisfactory，作为对第一种童床的评价。如果在听力材料开始播放之前，快速地浏览一遍要回答的问题，会对解题有很大帮助。尤其是这样的表格，只要匆匆看一眼就知道需要填的几个大项。
原文中说“The next ( 路标词 ) cot was by Choice Cot and this…which is simple to put together.”题干中的“easy”和原文中的“simple”为同义转换。答案为 put together。
在答这道题时只记住 wide 是不够的，作为这类童床必须点出 too wide，如果说 too big 或者 too large 也能得分。如果听漏了这一句话，也可以猜到应当是栏杆之间的间隔太大。
通过读题，14 题和 17 题以并列形式出现，预测答案为形容词或名词。原文中说“We felt this was a red safety hazard and so we have labeled this one dangerous.”答案为 dangerous。
从对前两类童床的分析中可以看出它们存在的问题主要是是否可以移动调节以及是否有安全隐患这两个方面，那么第三类童床存在的第一个问题很可能是有关移动性的，这里要填 wheels。
原文中说到“We had made the Mother’s Choice cot our best buy.”答案为 best buy ( 最佳投资 )，而且在录音中明显重读了，要引起注意。