by Nick Bryant in Sydney, Australia

Some of the finalists in the competition for 'the best job in the world'

Background: 一名英国男子荣获‘世界头等美差’。他的职责包括在澳洲旅游景点大堡礁地区旅游休闲，游泳和探索周边美景以便撰写博客宣传该地区。

Questions: 请在听下面录音的时候试着回答这些问题。这是一个用来帮助你提高听力技能的练习。

1. How many people applied for 'the best job in the world'?

2. Which of Ben’s skills might not be as good as it needs to be?

3. When was the recruitment drive launched?

4. How long will Ben have this job?

Click here for answers

The Best Job in the World 世界头等美差

Listen to Nick Bryant's report 点击此处下载录音材料

"It gives me great pleasure to introduce the new caretaker of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, from the United Kingdom, Ben Southall." [Tourism Queensland]

A global recruitment drive with the trappings of a TV reality show that was truly a tourism marketing campaign.

'The best job in the world' competition finally has a winner, Ben Southall, a 34-year-old charity worker from Britain. He beat 34,000 candidates from 200 countries in an online competition that became something of an internet phenomenon.

"To go away now as the island caretaker for tourism Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef is an extreme honour. I hope I can fill the boots as much as everybody is expecting, my swimming hopefully is up to standard and I look forward to all of the new roles and responsibilities that the task involves." [Ben Southall]

For an Australian tourism industry currently in the doldrums, this has been an unexpected boost. Tourism Queensland deliberately chose the midst of the northern winter to launch the campaign back in January, but didn’t expect anywhere near the global response. They think the only countries where people didn’t visit their website was North Korea and a few African nations.

What’s purported to be the best job in the world comes with a $110,000 (about 750,000 yuan) contract for six months' work, a luxury beachside home and a plunge pool.

For the losers meanwhile, there's the worst of long-haul journeys home.

GLOSSARY 词汇表 (收听发音, 请单击英语单词)

caretaker 管家

recruitment drive 工作招聘活动

tourism 旅游业

candidates 候选人

phenomenon 轰动现象

fill the boots 接任，胜任

up to standard 达标

roles and responsibilities 角色和职责

in the doldrums 萎靡不振

boost 提升

launch the campaign 发起运动

purported 被声称的

long-haul 长途

Answers

1. How many people applied for 'the best job in the world'?
More than 34,000 candidates applied for the job.

2. Which of Ben’s skills might not be as good as it needs to be?
Ben hopes his swimming is up to standard.

3. When was the recruitment drive launched?
It was launched in January, in the midst of the northern winter.

4. How long will Ben have this job?
Ben is initially contracted for six months.

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