节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-07-13
难易度:High
关键字:cactus; cacti, inflammation, nutrient, cholesterol, suppress, nopal
cactus, antioxidant
Hi, friends.
Thanks for joining us here at Studio Classroom Worldwide.
My name is Steve.
Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to study English with us.
Well, whether it's a cure for cancer or a remedy for a common cold, it is
believed that everything we need for healthy living can be found in nature.
Now take the cactus, for example.
The prickly cactus isn't something we normally get too close to, but we should.
We should embrace it because it has many health benefits.
Let's open our magazines now to page 30 and begin learning about some of the
many surprising ways cacti are used.
The Benefits of Cactus.
The many surprising ways cacti can be used.
Cactus plants appear both beautiful and strange looking, prompting some people
to photograph them and decorate with them.
But other people value cacti for their more practical uses, ranging from perfume
to medicine.
Health benefits.
Traditionally, Native Americans and Mexicans used cacti as a common vegetable
and medicine,
while the Chinese used it to treat inflammation, pain and snake bites.
Only recently, though, has the scientific community gained an appreciation for
the many health benefits provided by cacti.
The plant naturally contains a wide range of nutrients including vitamins C, E,
A, calcium and more.
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for joining us here in the studio.
My name is Kaylah.
And my name is Ryan.
And now we're looking at our HEALTH article this month where we're talking about
a certain kind of plant.
But we're not just talking about any kind of plant today.
We're looking at cactus.
That's right.
We're looking at the benefits of cactus and how they can help our health.
Now Ryan, what is "cactus"?
Well, that's a fantastic question.
We're going to spend today and tomorrow talking about this plant.
It's a desert plant.
Most of the time you find cactus in very dry environments.
And they don't look like most plants.
They're kind of thicker.
And they have uh, rounder shapes, and they have a lot of sharp spines on them.
That's right.
You do not want to just touch a cactus.
They are very prickly, and they can hurt you.
And if you look on page 30 in your Studio Classroom magazine, you can see a
variety of all different kinds of cactus.
So you now know what it looks like, let's talk about the benefits that it has.
Right. Let's take a look at how cacti can be used.
Now before we do that, though, Kaylah, I just used the word "cacti." What is
that?
Well, Ryan, cacti is the plural form of the singular word "cactus." So you have
one cactus, but you have three cacti.
This is a weird way we... when we work in English, sometimes our plurals change
strange.
You don't get to just add an "S" or "ES" here.
It is like the word "octopus," you say "octopi." So cactus, cacti.
Exactly. All right, everyone, you've probably seen cacti before.
They appear both beautiful and strange looking.
And that might prompt some people to photograph them and decorate with them.
That's right.
They're both strange and beautiful.
They have a very special and unique look to them.
So people often take pictures of them, and use them for decoration.
Well, that is a well-written and interesting opening sentence.
So let's visit Liz with Grammar on the Go.
Hello, friends.
My name is Liz.
And it's time for Grammar on the Go.
I'm here in Arizona's Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and I'm surrounded by
cactus plants.
Speaking of cactus plants, that's what our article is all about today.
And here is our Grammar Tip sentence.
Cactus plants appear both beautiful and strange looking, prompting some people
to photograph them and decorate with them.
Our focus is on the sentence pattern: Situation 1, prompting Situation 2.
Notice the verb "prompting." Here it means to cause or to lead to.
So in the case of today's sentence, we have Situation 1 that cactus plants
appear both beautiful and strange looking.
And this has led to Situation 2 - some people take pictures of them and use them
for decorations.
Let's have a look at some other examples.
Let's suppose a strange disease has caused a large number of people to be
hospitalized.
And this has caused health officials to investigate and find out what is causing
these people to be sick.
So we can say:
A lot of people have been hospitalized because of this disease, prompting health
officials to form a special team to find out what is causing this disease.
Or let's suppose a certain tragic car accident was the result of a drunk driver.
Because of this unfortunate accident, lawmakers decided to pass a various... a
very serious law against drunk driving.
So we can say:
Many people died in the tragic car accident, prompting lawmakers to pass the new
law against drunk driving.
Be sure to check out today's Grammar Tip section for more example sentences.
And that's all the time we have for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go signing off.
Bye-bye.
All right. Thank you very much, Liz.
All right.
Well, cacti are beautiful, and that might prompt some people to use them in
their declarations.
Now what does the word prompt mean?
"Prompt" means it's going to inspire or give them the idea to do something.
OK.
So what are some of the values we have in cactus other than just decoration?
Yeah. Some people want to do more with cacti.
And they actually value cacti for their more practical uses.
And that might range from perfume to medicine.
Now when you walk by a cactus, you don't often think of it as being a very
beautiful smelling plant.
But it does have lots of uses, including perfume.
That's right.
Many cacti do have flowers.
So maybe that's where they get the perfume from.
But they're also used in medicine.
Well, let's look at the health benefits of cactus.
OK. Cactus can be very healthy.
Now traditional Native Americans and Mexicans used cacti as a common vegetable
and medicine.
OK. So Native Americans are the original people in America.
So there are tribes.
And then Mexicans as well because they lived in that desert part of the Northern
American, Mexico, Central America part of the world, which is very dry.
So not very many vegetables can grow.
And they found that using cactus was useful.
Yeah, there are certain kinds of cactus that you can eat.
And so they used them as vegetables.
They ate them, and also used them as medicine.
Now we're also going to see some other groups that use cacti as well.
That's right.
All the way on the other side of the world, the Chinese used it to treat
inflammation.
Now "inflammation" is when it... something is on your skin, is swollen.
It has a lot of... it's grown in size.
It's usually red and is often very painful.
And... it really hurts.
And it needs to be treated so it gets better.
Well, the Chinese found this: The cactus could help treat that.
As well as pain and snake bites.
Now only recently, though, has the scientific community gained an appreciation
for the many health benefits provided by cacti.
So even though it was used traditionally, just recently, science is recognizing
it.
Exactly.
Now cacti naturally contains a wide range of nutrients including vitamins... the
vitamins C, E and A as well as calcium and more.
That's right.
Now "nutrients," we say it has a lot of nutrients.
That is any substance which plants or animals need in order to grow.
So they have to have nutrients.
You get that from food and water; and cactus has that.
That's fascinating.
All right. We're going to find out more after the skit.
Ladies and gentlemen, see what I have here.
It's both beautiful and strange.
Yes siree!
This here is a cactus plant.
I want to paint a picture and decorate this in my home.
Well, hey, cacti have more practical uses than that.
They do?
Oh yes, sir.
You can use them for perfume... and medicine and all kinds of stuff.
Medicine?
Yes siree.
Cacti can be used to treat inflammation, pain and even snake bites.
Says who?
Says the scientific community.
It appreciates its health benefits.
Such as?
Cacti naturally contain a wide range of nutrients - vitamins C, E, A and
calcium.
Is that a fact?
It is, indeed.
And it is used for... to lower blood pressure.
Oh, I like that.
It's also used to treat obesity and high cholesterol.
Well, my horse is a little overweight.
The stems and fruits are rich in antioxidants and hold promise as anti-cancer
agents.
Whoo, you don't say.
I do say.
But we need to study that a little bit more to be sure.
Oh, well. So how about un, I try a little bit of this cactus juice.
Well, I don't mind if I do.