英语听力精选进阶版 14205

BBC Learning English 

Video Words in the News  

1  May   2013 

Jellyfish on show  

Transcript: 

With their graceful¹ movements, jellyfish have long captured people' s 

imaginations.  

Visitors to this new aquarium² in Fushun, northeast China, can get up close and 

personal  with the colourful creatures from a safe distance.  

Their  sting  can be very painful.   

More than 3,000 are on show in 11 tanks.  

Jellyfish have roamed  the seas for at least 500 million years.      

Vocabulary: 

graceful 

smooth and elegant  

captured people's imaginations 

made people  very interested and excited about something 

get up close and personal 

experience closely, from a short distance 

sting  

skin wound caused by piercing,  for example from a bee  

roamed 

wandered, moved apparently³ aimlessly  

Exercise: 

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete e ach of these sentences from 

news report s.   

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence 

correctly.  

graceful/ captured people' s imaginations/ get up close and personal/ 

sting/ roamed 

1.  On Saturday 16 March, there will be a "waste workshop" to create a giant 

shamrock out of waste and recycled materials. Belfast City Council said 

visitors would also have the opportunity "to ____________ with a snake 

and find out more about these fascinating creatures which are a central part 

o f St Patrick's story". 

2.  Dinosaur fossils unearthed⁴ in Madagascar are of a new species that 

____________ the Earth about 90 million years ago, say US researchers. 

3.  While the African elephant -  the largest living land animal  -  defies its size by 

running  at speeds of up to 25mph, its legs are so heavy they cannot change 

direction fast, which means the animal is not so good at more _________ 

or intricate moves. 

4.  Honey- bees are known for their  ____________,  but scientists have now 

discovered they can als o bite. Bees resort to biting when faced with pests, 

such as parasitic⁵ mites⁶.  

5.  The concept is called "future casting"  - and aims to drive future technology 

uses, rather than simply responding to market forces.  

     "If we can give people a vision of the future  -  and do it through science 

fiction  -  we can  ___________ ___," said Mr Johnson.  

Answers: 

1.  On Saturday 16 March, there will be a "waste workshop" to create a giant 

shamrock out of waste and recycled materials. Belfast City Council said 

visitors w ould also have the opportunity "to get up close and personal with 

a snake and find out more about these fascinating creatures which are a 

central part of St Patrick's story".  

2.  Dinosaur fossils unearthed in Madagascar are of a new species that roamed 

the Earth about 90 million years ago, say US researchers. 

3.  While the African elephant - the largest living land animal  - defies its size by 

running at speeds of up to 25mph, its legs are so heavy they cannot change 

direction fast, which means the animal is not so good at more graceful or 

intricate moves. 

4.  Honey-bees are known for their  sting , but scientists have now discovered 

they can also bite. Bees resort to biting when faced with pests, such as 

parasitic mites.  

5.  The concept is called "future casting"  - and aims to drive future technology 

uses, rather than simply responding to market forces.  

"If we can give people a vision of the future - and do it through science fiction 

- we can  capture people's imaginations ," said Mr Johnson.  

1 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

2 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

3 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

4 unearthed   

出土的（考古）

参考例句：

• Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

5 parasitic   

adj.寄生的

参考例句：

• Will global warming mean the spread of tropical parasitic diseases?全球变暖是否意味着热带寄生虫病会蔓延呢？
• By definition,this way of life is parasitic.从其含义来说，这是种寄生虫的生活方式。

6 mites   

n.（尤指令人怜悯的）小孩( mite的名词复数 )；一点点；一文钱；螨

参考例句：

• The only discovered animals are water bears, mites, microscopic rotifers. 能够发现的动物只有海蜘蛛、螨和微小的轮虫。 来自辞典例句
• Mites are frequently found on eggs. 螨会经常出现在蛋上。 来自辞典例句