节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-11-19
难易度:High
关键字:trigger, derive, mechanism, lure, venus flytrap, predator
Welcome back, everybody.
The venus flytrap is perhaps the most famous of all the carnivorous plants.
It can trap and kill flies because it's fast.
Its leaves snap shut in less than one tenth of a second, just like an animal's
muscle contraction.
But the venus flytrap doesn't have any muscles or nerves.
OK. Let's read about these fascinating curiosities of nature on line 9.
Carnivorous Plants.
Some have leaves coated with a sticky substance, which traps insects that land
on them.
Others have this substance on stems that insects bump into as they fly by.
Some carnivorous plants have leaves shaped like pits, sometimes with water
inside.
They lure insects with bright colors and fragrant scents.
The creatures then fall into the pits and either starve or drown.
One plant has leaves that suck prey inside so quickly that even high-speed video
cameras can't capture it.
Films just show an insect outside the plant one moment and inside the next!
Carnivorous plants look beautiful and intriguing to people, but to insects, they
are deadly predators.
All right.
So we're seeing some of these carnivorous plants now.
In fact, we've already taken a look at the venus flytrap, a very scary-looking
plant that eats insects.
But we've also seen that there are some that can actually eat animals as well.
So now we'll take a look at what some of the other carnivorous plants are like.
OK. So we know the venus flytrap traps with a snap fast.
The jaws quickly shut and trap the animal inside.
But all plants, they've... each have kind of a different way of trapping
animals.
For example, some have leaves that are coated with a sticky substance which
traps insects inside... traps insects that land on top of them.
Exactly.
They're coated, that means they're covered just on the surface with something
that is sticky.
So the insects land on them, and their legs get stuck on the surface of the
plant.
And the plant eats them.
Now sticky and stuck are kind of the same.
That means they can't leave, they can't move.
Sticky, if you think about glue, that would be that texture.
So it's hard, they can't lift up and fly away.
They're... they're there for good.
Yeah. They're stuck there and they get eaten.
Poor guys.
Well, there are other plants that have this substance on the stems that the
insects will bump into as they fly by.
Now you may think: It's just a bug. Don't bump into a plant while you're flying.
Well, that's how we pollinate.
That's how plants continue to grow.
Bugs serve a purpose in this.
They're supposed to brush up against them to help with making plants grow more
and more.
But this one, if you bump into it, you're going to stick next to it.
That's right.
And Kaylah, it's on the stem of the plant.
The stem is the long part that connects the plant's leaves to the ground.
OK, so now they're stuck on this.
Now they're even... how... how do you think they eat this then, if it's on the
stem?
Well, they actually can digest the bugs right there on the plant.
Some of these are very weird.
OK. Now let's look at some other traps to capture bugs.
Some carnivorous plants have leaves shaped like pits, sometimes with water
inside of them.
So what's a pit shape?
Well, a pit is kind of like a bowl shape.
It's something that you can go down into and it actually holds the water in the
pit.
In fact, you can see a picture of this plant on page 35.
That's right.
Now not all of them have water inside, but a lot of them do because you can't
really fly once you're stuck in water.
Now they lure the insects with bright colors and very fragrant scents.
Yes. If "lure" something, that means you try and get them to follow you.
You try and offer them something that they might want to take and then trick
them.
That's right. You could lure your dog with a piece of meat.
You want him to follow you so you make him follow that.
That's to lure, to get them to follow you.
And they do that by having bright colors because insects like them.
That's why flowers are so beautiful.
It brings in the animals, brings in the insects.
And they smell delicious too.
Yeah. And if you take a look at any of the pictures of these plants, they do
look very colorful and very bright.
And insects like that.
They like the very brightly colored plants so they'll go to these thinking maybe
they can find food.
But then the plant traps them, doesn't it?
Well, the creatures then fall into the pits and either starve or drown.
If I was a bug, I'd rather fall into one with water so that I could drown.
To drown means you... you die by not being able to get air because you're stuck
in a liquid.
How sad! I wouldn't want to do that at all.
I just... if I were a bug, I wouldn't fly near any of these plants.
But if they starve, then they don't get to eat.
If they drown, that means they can't breathe.
So that's how this plant keeps the insects there.
Well, Ryan, the reason I say drown instead of starve is because it's a lot
quicker.
Well, OK. I guess that's all right.
Well, friends, there is also one other kind of plant that is a little bit
different.
It has leaves that suck the prey inside them.
In fact, it does it really, really quickly.
So quickly that even high speed video cameras can't capture it.
That's incredible.
Now "to suck something in" means it pulls it into the inside from the outside.
So this... this leaf, Ryan, actually there's a bug on the outside, and all of a
sudden, (Background Noise), it's inside.
Yes. And high speed video cameras they're able to capture a lot of fast motion,
but they can't see this.
In fact, films just show an insect standing on the plant at one moment, and
then... it's inside the plant the next moment.
That's incredible.
Nature is amazing.
Now carnivorous plants look beautiful and are intriguing to people, but to
insects, they're pretty much deadly predators.
Yes. "Predators" are something that hunt and kill other animals.
So these plants really can be deadly.
Friends, you should look into getting a fun and interesting carnivorous plant to
have in your home because they're interesting to watch and fun to keep.
Well, this last sentence is our Grammar on the Go tip, so let's visit Liz, and
then go to the Chat Room.
Hello, friends. Welcome to Grammar on the Go.
My name is Liz.
So what do you think about our article today on carnivorous plants?
Aren't they interesting?
The writer ends the article with this sentence:
Carnivorous plants look beautiful and intriguing to people, but to insects, they
are deadly predators.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
It just means even though carnivorous plants look beautiful and intriguing to
people, they are actually deadly predators to insects.
However, notice the pattern in the original sentence:
Subject is something to [somebody], but to [somebody else], they are something
else.
This pattern is good to use when you want to point out that even though things
might be a certain way for most of us, there is a certain group that would
disagree.
For example:
The CEO may seem like a cold and ruthless businessman to his employees, but to
his grandchildren, he is their dearest grandpapa.
Or: The jungle may be a difficult place to live for most city dwellers, but to
the small tribe living there, it is the only home they know.
So give this sentence pattern a try.
Think of something that two different groups would think differently about, and
use this sentence pattern to describe it.
And that's all the time we have for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go signing off.
Bye-bye.
I'm sorry.
The best I can do is put you on the waiting list.
Sure. I'll let you know if he brings the book back early.
I suggest you start looking for your books earlier next time.
Goodbye.
Poor kid.
I've made mistakes like that before.
What happened?
Well, this kid needs a book for his research paper, but someone else checked it
out before he did.
Oh. That's too bad.
I guess he should have started his research earlier.
Yes, but it's easy to fall into the trap of putting things off until the last
minute.
It's easy to put things off for too long, but how is that a trap?
I thought a trap was something used to catch animals.
Well, "fall into a trap" is an idiom that means to make a mistake that gets you
stuck doing something.
Usually it means someone tricked you, but sometimes it just means getting
involved in something without knowing.
I see.
So it's very different from falling into place, right?
Yes. When things fall into place, they fit together easily.
For example, you could say: Once we had all the information, our plan fell into
place.
So that would mean that the information made it easier for you to plan all the
details?
That's right.
Another useful idiom is "fall in with." To fall in with someone is to begin
spending time with a group of people.
So could you say that someone fell into a trap by falling in with some bad
people?
You sure could.
Good job learning the idioms there, Ken.
Thanks, Bryan.
(Chinese).
(Music).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And that concludes our Language Tips today.
Goodbye and take care.
Thank you again, Michelle.
We appreciate that.
Now we know animals in the animal kingdom eat vegetation like leaves and
grasses.
Now how weird is it that the reverse is also true?
Yes, there are members of the vegetable kingdom that can and do consume the
flesh of spiders, beetles and even lizards.
Carnivorous plants use a variety of mechanisms to trap insects and other small
animals to supplement their diets.
And friends, in case you're wondering, man-eating trees and plants are pure
fiction.
So relax.
OK. Go out, make the rest of your Monday great.
And then join us tomorrow right here at Studio Classroom.
Takecare.