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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Voice 1
Voice 2
And I’m Mike Procter. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
It is stronger than steel. It is more difficult to break than rubber. It is one of the strongest natural substances2 on earth. Yet it comes from a very small creature. Today’s Spotlight is on spider silk.
Voice 2
The spider is not the world’s most popular creature. In fact, it is probably one of the most disliked creatures. Many people are even afraid of spiders! But why is it that people do not like spiders? Most house spiders are not even very big. Very few spiders ever grow bigger than the size of an adult’s hand.
Voice 1
Maybe it is their eight long hairy3 legs. Maybe it is the way they move quickly across the floor. Maybe it is their dark colours and small shiny4 eyes. Of course some spiders are poisonous. It makes sense to be careful around those spiders. And this may make some people afraid of ALL spiders.
Voice 2
No matter how you feel about spiders, they are still amazing creatures. One of the most amazing things about spiders is what they produce – soft, strong silk!
Voice 1
When you think of silk you probably imagine beautiful silk clothes. This soft, fine material is very popular. In the past only royal people wore silk. And silk still costs a lot of money today. However this kind of silk does not come from spiders. Some of it is man-made5. And some of it comes from silkworms. These small insects are easy to farm. So companies can make large amounts of silk.
Voice 2
But it is not so easy with spiders. They do not make silk the way silkworms do. Silkworms produce just one kind of silk. But spiders can produce more than seven kinds!
Voice 1
To make silk, spiders produce substances called ‘proteins’. Spiders ‘weave6’ or ‘spin’ these silk proteins to make their webs8. They turn the protein into long thin pieces of silk. Spiders create different kinds of silk for different parts of their webs. For example, they use sticky9 silk to weave the top part of their web7. This is the part that helps them catch insects for food. Spiders make the main structure10 of the web from dragline silk. Dragline silk is one of the strongest natural substances on the earth!
Voice 2
This sounds a little strange at first. How could a spider’s silk be so strong? Imagine a spider’s web. Sometimes they are so fine that we do not even see them. The web is so thin it moves around in the wind. Spider’s silk is one-tenth the thickness of a human hair. Who would have known11 it could be so strong?
Voice 1
People discovered the strength of spider silk many years ago. The tribal12 people in the South Pacific used spiders’ webs as tools. They used webs to make fishing lines and nets to catch fish. In the past, people have also used spider webs to make clothes. These clothes protected them from the rain. They have even used webs as bandages13 to cover wounds14!
Voice 2
Over the past 200 years, scientists have studied spider silk. They have tried to find ways to make large amounts of silk. But so far they have not succeeded. Scientists have had more success in copying spider silk using other materials. It has influenced materials for use in medicine, cloth, electronics15, and other industries. They have had success by following the nature of the spider.
Voice 1
A spider’s nature is just like their silk - strong! In fact, some old writings say that the spider’s nature has encouraged great kings! One of these kings was Robert the Bruce. In the early fourteenth Century the Scottish16 army fought with England for control of Scotland17. King Edward the first of England led a strong army. They defeated Bruce and his army in battle.
Voice 2
The story of Bruce and the spider is famous in England and Scotland. But no one knows if it is true or not. The story says that after the Scottish defeat, Bruce escaped. He ran and hid in an opening in the hills. Bruce was very troubled in his mind and spirit. The English army had defeated the Scots in battle. And Bruce felt defeated in his mind too. It was the lowest point of his life. He considered leaving the country - and not returning. He lay on the ground. And he looked up. He saw a spider among the rocks. It was weaving18 its web. The spider had almost finished. It just needed to hang the last silk piece. Bruce watched the spider try. The long silk piece kept falling. The spider made six failed attempts. On the seventh, it succeeded. The web hung, complete. Bruce said,
Voice 3
‘Now shall this spider teach me what I am to do, for I also have failed six times.’
Voice 2
Bruce stood up. He returned to his army. He gathered together some more followers19. He told his men, ‘If at first you do not succeed, try try again.’ Bruce and his army won their next battle.
Voice 1
A spider’s web is much stronger than it looks. And a spider’s nature is to never stop trying. Who would have thought that a king could learn so much from a spider? Nature is full of surprises like this.
Voice 2
The business of life often does not give much time to look around us. But the world of nature is producing some wonderful things, often right in front of us! The spider is only one example. Great teachers throughout20 history have pointed21 their students to nature to learn about life. Jesus taught his followers using the birds as an example. The Christian22 Bible23 records his words:
Voice 4
‘Look at the birds of the air. They do not plant or gather crops. They do not keep crops in storerooms. But God in heaven feeds them. Are you not worth more than they are? Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying?’
Voice 1
Nature is full of messages like this - and surprises like the spider. It can teach us many things, if we are willing24 to learn.
Voice 2
The writer of this program was Marina Santee. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United25 States and the United Kingdom. All quotes26 were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘Spider Silk’.
Voice 1
You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at radio at radioenglish dot net. You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
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收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
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spotlight
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| n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目 | |
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substances
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| n.物质( substance的名词复数 )；实质；物体；[哲学]1)。 本质 | |
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hairy
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| adj.多毛的，毛状的，长毛的 | |
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shiny
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| adj.有光泽的，发光的，辉煌的 | |
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man-made
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| adj.人造的，合成的，人为的 | |
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weave
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| n.编法，织法，编织；vt.编织，组合，编排，使迂回前进；vi.纺织，迂回行进，摇晃 | |
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web
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| n.网，蛛丝，蹼，织物，圈套，卷筒纸；vi.生蹼，形成网；vt.织蜘蛛网于，使落入圈套 | |
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webs
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| n.（蜘蛛等的）网( web的名词复数 )；周密的布置；网状物；圈套 | |
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sticky
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| adj.粘的，闷热的，困难的，令人不满意的 | |
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structure
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| n.结构，构造，建筑物；v.构成； | |
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known
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| adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的 | |
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tribal
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| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
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bandages
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| n.绷带( bandage的名词复数 ) | |
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wounds
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| n.创伤( wound的名词复数 )；伤口；伤痕；（心灵上的）伤v.使受伤，伤害( wound的第三人称单数 )；使（心灵）受伤，伤感情；偷盗( swipe的过去式和过去分词 )；卷绕 | |
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electronics
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| n.电子器件，电子学，电子技术 | |
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Scottish
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| adj.苏格兰(人)的；n.苏格兰(人)；苏格兰语 | |
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Scotland
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| n.苏格兰 | |
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weaving
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| v.编，织，织成( weave的现在分词 )；编排；杜撰；（把…）编成 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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throughout
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| adv.到处，自始至终；prep.遍及，贯穿 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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bible
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| n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍 | |
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willing
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| adj.愿意的，自愿的，乐意的，心甘情愿的 | |
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united
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| adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的 | |
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quotes
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| v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价 | |
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