英语听力精选进阶版 14205（在线收听）

BBC Learning English 

Video Words in the News  

1  May   2013 

Jellyfish on show  

Transcript: 

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

imaginations.  

Visitors to this new aquarium 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 apparently 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 unearthed 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 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  ___________ ___," 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.