节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-04-14
难易度:High
关键字:superb, acute, snatch, plummet, talon, grizzly bear
Welcome back.
In the first section of our lesson we learned that birds of prey are the rulers
of the sky.
They have a well-deserved reputation for inspiring wonder.
One special thing about birds of prey is their keen eyesight.
They can see much better than humans and are able to spot their prey from
several kilometers away.
Let's continue learning about these birds in the next part of our lesson.
(Music).
Rulers of the Sky.
Once a bird spots its prey, it dives at speeds near 200 kilometers per hour in
an attempt to snatch its meal.
America's national bird, the bald eagle, can plummet at speeds of up to 322
kilometers per hour.
But in spite of the eagle's keen eyesight and extreme speed, only one out of 18
attempts to catch food succeeds.
These birds have great strength, too.
Eagles can fly with prey that weighs as much as they do.
And harpy eagles have been known to carry away a small sheep.
This bird's talons are as big as the claws of a grizzly bear!
(Music).
(Chinese).
And now let's go to our teachers.
Thanks, Michelle.
Wow, each bird of prey seems to have its own unique characteristics.
Before the break we were talking about the golden eagle's ability to see a small
rabbit from several kilometers away.
And in this section we learn how fast they can fly.
Well, how fast can they dive through the air?
Two hundred kilometers per hour.
It's hard to believe how fast they are able to swoop out of the air to catch
their prey.
It sure is.
But despite the speed, we read that it is done in an attempt to snatch its meal.
And we should look at that phrase.
What does it mean if something is done in an attempt?
That means that it might not succeed.
You try to do something, you make an attempt.
But you don't know if it will be successful or not.
So you do something in an attempt to make something else happen.
Right.
For example, Shirley stayed late at work in an attempt to finish the project.
She wanted to finish the project, so she stayed late.
But she still might not have enough time to complete everything, so we should
use the phrase in an attempt to.
Another example would be: In an attempt to make his parents happy, Jimmy
finished his homework and cleaned his room.
So he doesn't know if those things will make his parents happy or not, but he is
going to try to make them happy by doing those things.
That might make some parents happy.
Well, back to our lesson, the eagle swoops down in an attempt to snatch its
meal.
So it isn't always successful at catching its prey.
And that's because they are trying to catch live prey.
Steve and Ken would like to tell us more about the word "live" in the
Information Cloud.
So let's join them now.
Today let's take a look at something quite basic but very important nonetheless
- and that is the word live, or is it live?
And therein lies our teaching point.
Live, L-I-V-E, can be pronounced either live or live depending on how it's used.
The rule to remember is that when this word is a verb, it's pronounced live.
But as an adjective, it's pronounced live.
OK, simple enough.
Our lesson today mentions the live prey hunted by eagles, meaning they are not
dead.
Now besides the word live, there is another word that has the same meaning:
alive.
And here's another easy rule we can remember:
When talking about animals, use "live" when it comes before the noun, but
"alive" when it comes after it.
So we should say that farm has live chickens, but that farm's chickens are
alive.
"Live" can also mean performed in person as in live music, which is music played
by real musicians on a stage.
"Live" has a similar meaning when we talk about a live TV show, which is a show
that gets broadcast while it's happening.
"Live" can also be used as an adverb.
A football game might be broadcast live.
And if news is reported live, the reporter is speaking from where the events are
actually taking place.
(Chinese).
Thank you, gentlemen.
Well, golden eagles are very impressive birds with great eyesight and the
ability to dive at very high speeds.
Right, but they aren't the only birds of prey that can dive that fast.
And we'll learn a little bit more about that as we continue to read this
section.
But first, let's talk about something very special about the bald eagle.
Our lesson says that the bald eagle is America's national bird.
And what does this mean, Carolyn?
Well, if something is chosen as the national bird, that means that it is a
symbol of that country.
There are many national symbols.
For... for America, the bald eagle was chosen as the national bird because it is
a symbol of strength and majesty.
What other national symbols are there?
Well, probably the most recognized symbol is the national flag.
Nations and states around the world all have flags.
In fact, each of the 50 states in the United States has its own flag.
Yes, they do. And each state also has their own state bird, tree, flower and
many other symbols that have a special meaning to the people there.
For example, West Virginia's state bird is the cardinal, and the state tree is
the sugar maple.
And each state has their own list of symbols.
Now one national symbol for America is the bald eagle.
And this is certainly a very powerful animal.
Earlier we read that golden eagles can dive at speeds of almost 200 kilometers
per hour.
But how fast can a bald eagle dive?
A great question.
And we see here that they can dive at speeds of up to 322 kilometers per hour.
That's incredible.
You would think that if the bald eagle can plummet to the ground that quickly,
they should have no problem catching their food.
But that's not true.
We see that only one out of 18 attempts is successful.
And this is another good way to express information.
For example, you can say one out of 10 people could have a tablet computer by
the year 2016.
That's a lot of tablet computers and a lot of people using them.
Another example could be almost 47 out of 100 people own a dog in America.
That means that almost half of Americans own at least one dog.
And that's great.
There are a lot of dogs out there that do need a good home.
Well, back to eagles, only one out of 18 attempts succeeds for bald eagles
catching their prey.
But when they do succeed, they are able to catch and carry animals that weigh as
much as they do.
Now this might sound impressive, but despite their large size, bald eagles
actually don't weigh very much.
As with most birds, the bones of eagles are hollow.
Bald eagles usually weigh less than six kilograms.
Whoa, that's not heavy at all.
But they're still very powerful creatures.
Well, friends, right now it's time for us to join Linda for the Editor's
Summary.
They're big, they're powerful, and they soar high above the Earth and cause
those of us looking up to wonder at them.
What are they?
Well, they're eagles and other birds of prey.
They are skilled hunters and take their prey live mostly because they can see
eight to ten times better than humans.
Some of these birds can dive up to 129 kilometers an hour to snatch its prey.
And America's national bird, the bald eagle, plummets to the earth at speeds of
322 kilometers per hour.
And their strength?
Well, eagles can carry things that weigh as much as they do.
Think of this -- a harpy eagle has been seen carrying off a small sheep.
Thank you, Linda.
Today we have learned a little bit about the majestic rulers of the sky -
eagles.
Well, not only eagles, but all birds of prey.
Well, you are right about that.
There is more than one ruler of the sky.
There are many different kinds of birds of prey, and we will continue learning
about that tomorrow.
That's right.
So be sure to come back right here at Studio Classroom.
(Music).