节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-06-11
难易度:High
关键字:primate, inhabit, offspring, adorable, pygmy marmoset, tawny, sap
Hello, friends.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
My name is Steve.
I'm so happy that you've joined us today to study English.
Now I have to warn you because the animals we are about to talk about today are
really, really cute, and I think you're all going to want one.
They're called finger monkeys.
Their name comes from the fact that they're really small, small enough to cling
to your finger, and because they're... well, they're monkeys, really!
Let's open our Studio Classroom magazines now to page 24 and learn about these
cute creatures that live in the forests of South America.
(Music).
Finger Monkeys.
These cute creatures thrive in South American forests.
Pygmy marmosets spend their days climbing along tree branches, but they are
small enough to wrap their arms around your finger as well.
Also called finger monkeys or pocket monkeys, they are among the world's
smallest primates.
Adults weigh only 120-190 grams with bodies between 11 and 15 centimeters long.
Finger monkeys' dark-ringed tails are longer than their bodies - 17 to 22
centimeters, to be precise.
Their tawny color and the fur around their faces have also earned them the
nickname "tiny lions." Pygmy marmosets inhabit forests and the edges of farmers'
fields in South America.
Hello, everyone.
Thank you for joining us.
My name is Ryan.
And my name is Kaylah.
And today we are looking at a very special animal in our Studio Classroom
magazines.
That's right.
Today we are talking about monkeys.
But we're not just talking about any kind of monkeys, are we, Kaylah?
No. We are talking about a monkey called a finger monkey.
Now Ryan, that sounds very weird.
Yeah. It's a very strange-sounding name, but we're going to learn why they are
called finger monkeys a little later in this article.
These cute creatures thrive in South American forests.
OK. So we know where they live; they live in South America.
And they're from the jungle, from the forest of that area.
Now another name for them is a pygmy marmoset.
That's right.
And "pygmy marmoset" is their official name, but we're going to break that name
up a little bit and define it for you.
First, the first part is pygmy.
And that means something that is smaller than most of the other of its kind are.
It is very small.
That's right.
So if you have a pygmy dog, that means that kind of dog is the smallest of the
dogs.
Exactly. And so here we're talking about very small marmosets.
What is a marmoset?
Well, a marmoset is a kind of monkey.
They're already a small moneky.
They have very large eyes, thick fur and a long tail that curves.
And they are found in the jungles.
That's right. They're found in jungles.
And right now we're talking about how they thrive in South American jungles.
And if you thrive, that means you live very well.
That's right.
So a pygmy marmoset then would be a very small marmoset.
So they're going to be really tiny because a marmoset is even described as a
small monkey.
Yeah. These are very, very tiny monkeys, and so what we call them finger
monkeys.
Well, pygmy marmosets spend their time climbing along tree branches, but they're
small enough to wrap their arms around your finger as well.
OK. So they climb just like most monkeys in the trees, but they are so small,
they can wrap their arms around your finger.
That's right. They're very tiny.
They're also called finger monkeys or pocket monkeys.
They are among the smallest... the world's smallest primates.
OK, so. "Primates," this word is the name of a group of animals that includes
monkeys and apes and even humans.
That's right.
So we all have "thumbs" is what makes us primates.
So... they... these are tiny, tiny little monkeys.
They're so small they can be wrapped around your finger as well as fit in your
pocket.
They are among some of the world's smallest primates.
Yeah, they're so tiny, they're so cute.
You can see a picture of one of these pygmy monkeys on page 24 of your Studio
Classroom magazine.
And indeed, Ryan, they are very cute.
They're so small that adults weigh only 120-190 grams with bodies between 11 and
15 centimeters long.
OK. So you can get an idea now of how small they are and how light they are,
just 120 to 190 grams, not too heavy.
Now that's important to know that they say the adults are that size.
That means the babies are even smaller.
So this is the biggest they can get.
The very largest they could be, Ryan, is 190 at about 15 centimeters long.
That's really small, not very big at all.
And so these, like it says in the article, are among the smallest monkeys that
you can find.
And if you're among a group of something, that means that these are pretty much
the most, or the smallest monkeys you can find.
Now finger monkeys have dark-ringed tails that are longer than their bodies - 17
to 22 centimeters, to be precise.
So their tails are longer than their bodies.
OK. And we're being precise here.
That means we're trying to be exact.
And so their tails are longer than their bodies.
And what else do we know about them?
Well, their tawny color and the fur around their faces also have earned them the
nickname "tiny lions." Now "tawny" color means a light brown, almost the color
of a lion.
Yeah, a little bit yellow, almost brown.
And so they look like tiny lions.
Well, pygmy marmosets inhabit forests and the edges of farmers' fields in South
America.
Now to "inhabit" a place means to live there.
They live on the edge of the forest and the fields.
So that's where the... the field runs into becoming wild forest.
And that's where they tend to live, right along that line.
All right. That's where they live.
And they're so cute, I can't wait to learn a little bit more about these tiny,
little monkeys right after we visit the Chat Room.
Hey, Ken.
Hi, Bryan.
How was lunch?
It was delicious, but I think I ate too much again.
You ate too much?
Yes, way too much.
Maybe I should skip dinner.
So how much weight do you have?
Ken, you don't ask that question.
It's personal!
Oh, sorry.
And plus, you don't say, "How much weight do you have?" You should say: How much
do you weigh?
How much do you weight?
No, not "weight," weigh, W-E-I-G-H.
That's the verb form of "weight." Let me give you an example.
I weigh myself once a week.
This week I weighed 60 kilos.
So my weight was one kilogram less than last week.
You weigh 60 kilos?
Is that all?
Um, not really, Ken.
I was just giving you an example of how "weigh" and "weight" should be used.
Oh, thanks for the example.
So "weight" is the noun, and it refers to how heavy something is.
Does it have any other meanings?
Well, why don't we go to Doris and find out.
OK.
Besides meaning heaviness, "weight" can also refer to importance or authority.
The words of an experienced doctor can carry a lot of weight.
And that means what he says has a lot of influence.
People pay attention to what he says.
In contrast, the opinions of the poor often carry little weight.
People tend not to pay any attention to them.
Oh, interesting.
So can I say your teaching carries a lot of weight?
Sure, if you think it helps you improve your English.
It sure does.
Well, I'm glad.
But I don't plan on carrying this weight for too long.
I think I should start to lose weight.
OK. Good luck.