节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-06-08
难易度:Medium
关键字:urban, terrify, conceal, constrict, slither, antivenin
Well, we've been learning more about snakebites today.
And there's another snake we talked about that you... you should try to stay
away from.
This is the Russell's viper.
Now if you do see a Russell's viper, just stand back and let it slither away.
But remember, this can be found in some urban areas, and it causes more deaths
than any other snake in the world.
Definitely a dangerous snake.
Well, we're learning more about what to do if you see a snake.
Let's do that right now in the second part of our reading for today.
(Music).
Snakebites.
Wear shoes, or better yet boots, when walking outside where snakes might be
concealed.
Never put your hand somewhere you cannot see.
If a snake bites you, try to get back so it doesn't bite again.
And try to identify it if you can do so safely.
Remove any jewelry that could constrict the bitten area.
And avoid moving the affected limb to slow the venom's spread.
Most importantly, go to an emergency medical center immediately to get
antivenin, a medicine that will stop the venom's effects.
Even the most dangerous bites can be cured with quick medical treatment.
Well, that is very good to know with quick medical treatment, you can recover
from snakebites.
Well, going back to the beginning of this section:
Wear shoes, or better yet boots, when walking outside where snakes might be
concealed.
This sounds like some pretty good advice, Gabe.
Well, I think so, too.
Wear shoes, or there's an even better idea - better yet - boots.
Let's take a look at that phrase: better yet.
So maybe you have a suggestion.
You suggest one thing, and then you could say, "Actually, better yet," and then
you suggest something else.
What's one way you could use that phrase, Carolyn?
Well, you might say:
Oh, I have a great idea! Let's go to the movies.
OK.
Wait! Better yet, let's rent a movie and order pizza.
Oh, better yet, let's watch a movie, order pizza and then play games.
That sounds great.
Those are some better ideas.
So when the first thing you say is a good idea, but you have a second idea that
is even better, you can say: Better yet, this other thing.
That's right.
So wear shoes. No wait, better yet, boots.
That will protect your feet even more.
All right.
Let's look at that word from the Word Bank. It is: concealed, or conceal.
If you conceal something, that means you hide it.
If something is concealed, that means it is hidden and you can't see it.
That's right.
So maybe you like to conceal things so that other people can't find them.
That's a fun game.
Yes. Well, it's not quite like hide and seek.
But maybe you have a lot of money.
You just got paid.
You want to conceal your money so that no one else will find it before you can
take it to a bank, and then it will be a little bit more safe.
That's right.
Well, what are some other things that you want to conceal?
You don't want other people to see.
You could talk about ideas as well, or maybe your emotions.
Maybe you're really angry about something, but you're trying to keep cool.
So you conceal your emotions; you conceal your anger.
Well, we have some more good advice about being in areas where snakes might be
concealed.
Never put your hand somewhere you can not see.
So if you are walking through the woods, and you see a hollow area or a hole,
don't put your hand in it because there might be a snake inside.
That's true.
Sometimes you do see little holes in the ground.
You might be curious.
But yeah, don't put your hand there, especially if you don't know what's inside.
Let's continue.
If a snake bites you, try to get back so it doesn't bite again.
Well, that seems like pretty good advice.
I might think about that myself.
I mean, if I'm bitten once, I don't want to get bitten again.
I would step back.
That's right.
It is good advice, especially if you are bitten by a viper because they can bite
multiple times very quickly.
You want to get as far away as possible.
But don't run because you don't want the blood to flow too quickly.
Well, and you should try to identify it if you can do so safely.
So if you can see what kind of snake it is without getting too close so that you
get bitten a second or third time, you should do so.
That's right, but do so safely.
Um, I think I would just try to run away as fast as I could, but I think this is
good advice, too.
Maybe it's not a horrible snake.
Maybe you got bitten, but it's not a venomous snake.
Anyway, try to identify the snake.
Right now it's time for us to learn something new with Liz in the Grammar Gym.
Hi there, friends.
Thanks for joining me here at the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
We see this sentence in today's article: "... try to identify it if you can do
so safely.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Our focus today is on the phrase: do so.
It's an expression that means "do this." So what the writer is saying is:
If you're ever bitten by a snake, try to identify the snake if you can do it
safely.
We normally use "do so" in formal situations to talk about an action that is
already mentioned.
Also, the subject needs to be the same.
For example, let's say Julia's boss asked her to send out some letters, and
Julia has already done it.
Then we can say:
Julia's boss has asked her to send out the letters, and she has already done so.
Or let's say Thomas waited for a long time to quit his job, and this is
something that Thomas should have done sooner.
So we can say:
Thomas waited too long to quit his job; he should have done so sooner.
And that's it for today.
Keep practicing your English.
Doing so will help you to become more confident with your English.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Thanks, Liz.
Continuing talking about what to do if you are bitten.
Remove any jewelry that could constrict the bitten area.
Now "constrict" is a word from our Word Bank.
If something constricts, then it squeezes or it prevents things from moving.
Gabe, why is it important to remove something that could constrict the bitten
area?
Well, you want to avoid moving the affected limb to slow the venom's spread.
All right.
So if you do have something constricting you, that's not good.
You could use that word in other areas of life, too.
You might feel constricted.
If someone is not giving you freedom to do something, you feel constricted.
But here, of course, we're talking about snakebites and constricted areas of
your skin.
That's right.
So we want to try to slow the venom's spread, not allow it to move more quickly,
so.
Avoid... and avoid moving the affected limb to slow the venom's spread.
That would be very helpful.
And most importantly, go to an emergency medical center immediately to get
antivenin, a medicine that will stop the venom's effects.
All right, because even the most dangerous bites can be cured with quick medical
treatment.
All right, something like antivenin, that will help stop the effects of these
snakebites.
So this is good news.
We learned about some good news yesterday.
We have some good news now.
A lot of snakebites can be cured with quick medical treatment.
Well, we have more good news.
It's time for us to learn something with Michelle in the Language Lab.
OK.
(Chinese).
And now back to our lesson.
The past two days we've learned a lot about snakes and how dangerous they can be
if they have venom and can bite you.
Well, we've talked about some of the things you could also do if you are bitten
or if you see a snake.
But how would you react if you saw a snake when you were walking outside?
Gabe, what would you do if you saw a snake?
Well, I have seen snakes on many occasions.
And usually I stop and appreciate them because they are quite beautiful
creatures.
Some of them were just resting there right on the road or on a ledge as I was
walking through.
I usually do like to appreciate snakes, but I don't get too close.
Well, it is a good idea to not get too close and just back away slowly so that
they don't feel afraid and you don't get bitten.
Well, we have lots more to learn here on Studio Classroom in our next lesson.
And we will see you then.
See you next time.