英语听力精选进阶版 14419

BBC Learning English

Video Words in the News

29 January 2014

Glowing frogs

Transcript¹:

The tiny golden mantella frog; one of the most endangered animals in the world.

Scientists at Chester Zoo in the UK are injecting them with harmless, fluorescent² silicon³.

This allows them to track the amphibians⁴ in the wild, and learn more about the frogs' forest habitat in Madagascar.

They hope it will help create a bright future for these colourful creatures.

Vocabulary:

endangered (of animals or plants) at risk of disappearing from the world as very few are left alive

injecting using a needle to put liquid into a body

fluorescent glowing, brightly coloured

in the wild in an animal's natural surroundings, not in a zoo

a bright future a future in which it can be successful

Exercise:

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from news reports.

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

endangered / injecting / fluorescent / in the wild / a bright future

1. Researchers found the vaccine⁵, which is being developed in the US, protected 12 out of 15 patients from the disease, when given in high doses. The method is unusual because it involves __________ live but weakened malaria⁶-causing parasites⁷ directly into patients to trigger immunity⁸.

2. There are about 1,700 tigers left __________ in India. It is estimated India had 100,000 tigers a century ago, but their numbers have declined sharply since then, due to poaching and rapidly shrinking habitats.

3. Birds and animals, including some of the UK's most __________ species, have increased by more than 100 at a Norfolk wildlife reserve in the past year.

4. Mr Jenkins said he had now started spraying the name of the company that has bought the timber on individual logs using __________ orange spray paint, in an attempt to prevent the timber being stolen.

5. Miss Siddiqi said: "Aamir was a beautiful person with __________. If he was still with us he would be looking forward to turning 21 this year and completing his law degree."

Answers:

1. Researchers found the vaccine, which is being developed in the US, protected 12 out of 15 patients from the disease, when given in high doses. The method is unusual because it involves injecting live but weakened malaria-causing parasites directly into patients to trigger immunity. Source: Malaria vaccine shows early promise in clinical trials

2. There are about 1,700 tigers left in the wild in India. It is estimated India had 100,000 tigers a century ago, but their numbers have declined sharply since then, due to poaching and rapidly shrinking habitats. Source: 'Man-eating' tiger shot dead in India

3. Birds and animals, including some of the UK's most endangered species, have increased by more than 100 at a Norfolk wildlife reserve in the past year. Source: Pensthorpe wildlife reserve counts growth in endangered species

4. Mr Jenkins said he had now started spraying the name of the company that has bought the timber on individual logs using fluorescent orange spray paint, in an attempt to prevent the timber being stolen.

Source: Fuel prices blamed for rise in theft of dead wood

5. Miss Siddiqi said: "Aamir was a beautiful person with a bright future. If he was still with us he would be looking forward to turning 21 this year and completing his law degree." Source: Aamir Siddiqi: 'Heartbeat' of our family says sister

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 fluorescent   

adj.荧光的，发出荧光的

参考例句：

• They observed the deflections of the particles by allowing them to fall on a fluorescent screen.他们让粒子落在荧光屏上以观察他们的偏移。
• This fluorescent lighting certainly gives the food a peculiar color.这萤光灯当然增添了食物特别的色彩。

3 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

4 amphibians   

两栖动物( amphibian的名词复数 )； 水陆两用车； 水旱两生植物； 水陆两用飞行器

参考例句：

• The skin of amphibians is permeable to water. 两栖动物的皮肤是透水的。
• Two amphibians ferry them out over the sands. 两辆水陆两用车把他们渡过沙滩。

5 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

6 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

7 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

8 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。