English Fun Facts | 英语趣事听说堂

How did Black Friday Get Its Name?

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Brie:  Andrea, Black Friday is almost here!  Do you know which stores open the earliest this year?  We have to make a plan about which ones to hit first for the best deals.  Otherwise, we’ll risk getting trampled upon by the deal hungry crowds!   

Andrea:  Normally, I would say I’m on it, Brie, but this year’s gonna be different with COVID-19 ravaging our city.  I sense that Black Friday, the biggest single day of shopping in the US, is quickly morphing into “Black November”.  I say this because this year, retailers are spacing their deals over the entire month rather than the typical day or weekend after Thanksgiving.

Brie:  I think having a “Black November” rather than a “Black Friday” is a good thing.  I heard that in years prior, a few people died from being crushed in crowd stampedes during the Black Friday savings events.  Is it because of these tragedies that the Friday after Thanksgiving has earned the name Black Friday?

Andrea:  Well, while those dark events certainly tarnished the reputation of the  shopping day as a fun, winter holiday event, that is not where the term originated.  According to the History Channel, the term Black Friday was first used to describe the financial crisis of September 1869.  At that time, two Wall Street financiers had cornered the US gold market through stockpiling gold and driving its price high. When the US government caught on to the financiers scheme, the government flooded the market through the sale of government owned gold.  As a result, over the course of a single Friday, the entire market collapsed!  This “Black Friday” was certainly a dark day for the US economy. 

Brie:  原来黑色星期五名字的由来和众人抢购货品导致的踩踏事件并没有什么必然联系。黑色星期五一词最初源于1869年9月开始的美国金融危机。华尔街的两位金融家是该场金融危机的始作俑者。他们策划了一场通过大量收购黄金来“垄断” 黄金市场，从而再以高昂的价格将黄金出售以谋取暴利的阴谋。美国政府被迫下令出售大量黄金储备，以防止他们的阴谋得逞。 这导致美国黄金市场在短短的一天内彻底崩盘. That’s interesting!  So, when did Black Friday become associated with shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving?

Andrea:  Oh, well that was in the 1950s!  Every year the city of Philadelphia held an American football game on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Because of this, the city would become crowded with tourists and fans excited to watch the sport.  They would spend the Friday before the game shopping crazily, and the police had to work long hours to control the crowds.  Some shoppers even took advantage of the crowds and chaos to shoplift.  The police used the term “Black Friday” to complain about their unhappy situation, and it stuck!

Brie:  黑色星期五和美国感恩节的购物狂欢真正关联上是在1950年代！ 当时，费城每年都会在感恩节后的星期六举行一场美式足球比赛。 在比赛开始前一天的星期五，大量的游客和球迷便会蜂拥而至费城疯狂购物，然后观看比赛，使得这座城市变得拥挤不堪，一些不法分子利用混乱乘机偷盗。为了控制混乱的情形，当地警察不得不长时间超负荷工作，“黑色星期五”便开始被警察用来形容当天因购物狂欢，球赛带来的糟糕情形。It’s funny the day is still called Black Friday, because now the shopping starts on Thursday after everyone finishes their large Thanksgiving meals. 

Andrea:  That trend started in 2011.  Actually, I prefer that over when it started at midnight or in the wee hours of the morning as it used to be.  People would sleep in the parking lot so they could be the first in line when the stores opened.  The retail industry likes Black Friday to start as early as possible, as this translates into a longer Christmas shopping season and more profits. When Thanksgiving first started, it was celebrated on a different Thursday in November each year.  However, the retail industry petitioned the government to change the date.  Thus, in 1941, the fourth Thursday of November became the official holiday.  

Brie:  感恩节最初的庆祝时间是不固定的。零售业为了尽可能地延长从感恩节到圣诞节来临之前的购物时长，请求政府更改了感恩节庆祝的时间，于是乎，自1941年以来，每年11月的第四个星期四被定为了法定的感恩节假日。哇，购物竟然改变了感恩节庆祝的传统日期，I thought the Thanksgiving holiday was a national day of giving thanks. Although we need to shop a lot to prepare for the feast, the holiday really has more to do with sharing than shopping.  

Andrea:  Shopping influenced the date of Thanksgiving, but, you are right, the holiday is really about coming together with family in the spirit of sharing and giving. 

Brie:  So if the date of Thanksgiving is important for shopping, what is it that people really want to buy?  

Andrea:  Many things, from electronics to household goods to toys, but the most popular item, is, surprisingly, pajamas!  I like to get what they call “doorbusters”, which are the items that are usually only available if you go to the store right when Black Friday begins.  Once I have those in hand, I pretty much shop till I drop! 

Brie:  I get it! So essentially you’re “busting the door” to the store in order to get the best deals, and then you’re shopping until you fall to the ground from exhaustion!  I bet Black Friday must be a very tiring day for retail workers and security guards.

Andrea:  It is, but you want to know who has the busiest day?

Brie:  Who?

Andrea:  Plumbers!  It turns out that the tradition of stuffing yourself with food on Thanksgiving produces a lot of clogged toilets on Black Friday!

Brie:  Ewww, ok that’s about enough of this fun fact!  That’s not what I want to know about Thanksgiving or Black Friday.  人们在感恩节假日里通常都会胡吃海喝，导致厕所管道堵塞，所以管道工人在该节假日里是最忙碌的人了。

Close:

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary

Trample / ˈtræm pəl /  踩踏

Ravage  / ˈræv ɪdʒ /  肆虐

Morph  / mɔrf /  转变成

Retailer  /ˈri teɪlər /  零售业

Crowd  / kraʊd / 人群

Stampede  / stæmˈpid / 人群蜂拥而至

Tarnish  /ˈtɑr nɪʃ /  玷污，抹黑

Originate  / əˈrɪdʒ əˌneɪt /  起源，来源

Financier  / ˌfaɪn ənˈsɪər /  金融家

Corner (a market)  / ˈkɔr nər /  垄断

Stockpile  / ˈstɒkˌpaɪl /  奇货可居

Scheme  / skim /  阴谋

Associate  / əˈsoʊ ʃiˌeɪt /  使关联

Shoplift  / ˈʃɒpˌlɪft /  偷盗商品

Wee hours  / wi (aʊəz) /  凌晨

Translate  / trænzˈleɪt /  意味着

Feast  / fist /  盛宴

Petition  / pəˈtɪʃ ən /  正式请愿

Pajamas  / pəˈdʒæm əz  /  睡衣

Doorbuster  / ˈdɔrˌbʌs tər /  挤破门，形容开门大抢购

Plumber  / ˈplʌm ər  /  水管工人

Holidays

Black Friday  / blæk ˈfraɪdeɪ /  黑色星期五

Thanksgiving  / ˌθæŋksˈgɪv ɪŋ /  感恩节

People & Places:

Philadelphia  / ˌfɪl əˈdɛl fi ə / 费城

Phrases:

Shop till (someone) drop(s)  购物直到精疲力竭，瘫倒在地

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们，请别忘了点击订阅！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Photo Credit: Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Background Music Credit: 

Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/LightsSappheiros

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg

Some Fun Facts about Coca-Cola

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Brie:  Hey, Andrea, I’m thirsty.  I could go for a coke right about now.  

Andrea:  Alright, let me see what I have in the fridge.  One ice cold fizzy Coca-Cola coming up!

Brie:  Thank you for getting that for me.  But no ice, please.

Andrea:  No ice?  But that’s what makes Coca-Cola cool and refreshing, at least that’s what the commercials say.   That imagery of the fizz and ice is part of what makes the drink so popular!

Brie:  Well, I’m not about to let my tastes be influenced by commercials.  Coca-Cola has been around for over a century and is popular around the world.  I heard that today it is officially sold in every country except for Cuba and North Korea, and that by country, consumers in Mexico drink the most!   So, I’m sure it didn’t always have the same ingredients.

Andrea:  You’re right, Brie!  And it is quite a fun fact how the carbonated sweet drink we know as Coca-Cola came about.  John Pemberton, a pharmacist from the US state of Georgia, created the first Coca-Cola recipe in 1886.  According to the New York Times, Coca-Cola was first marketed as a “brain tonic and intellectual beverage” meant for improving health, and it contained coca with cocaine as a main ingredient.

Brie:  原来在1886年, 美国佐治亚州的药剂师 - 约翰·彭伯顿便创造了第一个可口可乐配方。根据《纽约时报》的报道，当时的可口可乐是作为一种“脑补品和智力饮料”进行推广的，旨在改善人们的健康状况，并且它包含以可卡因为主的古柯树成分。Wait, cocaine? You mean the illegal and dangerously addictive drug that kills over 166 thousand people a year?

Andrea:  Yes, that’s the one! But at the time in history when Coca-Cola was first made, cocaine was considered to be a normal, everyday medicine used to relieve pain and therefore was not illegal in the United States.  It is of course no longer an ingredient in Coca-Cola.  I may be wrong about this, but I think that might be why the term “coke” is often used to describe the drink. Coke is also the term used as slang for cocaine.

Brie:  Wow, 最早的可口可乐的确含有可卡因，但在当时可卡因并没有被认为是禁用品，恰恰相反，它是人们用来缓解疼痛的普通日常药物。然而，随着人们对可卡因危害认识的逐渐增多，可口可乐也停止了使用可卡因作为其成分之一。But Coca is still the first word of Coca-Cola.  And the coca plants are where Cocaine comes from.  So, why keep that name if the drink no longer contains Cocaine?

Andrea:  Well, a fluid extract from the coca plant leaves is still used to flavor Cola-Cola.  It does not have the narcotic effects of cocaine.  

Brie:  哦，原来是因为可口可乐虽然已不含有可卡因，但它仍然含有古柯树叶的液态提取物，用于提高可口可乐的口感，所以 “coca” 仍然是可口可乐全名的一部分。I’m glad the drink is no longer dangerous.  It was a smart move on the part of the Coca-Cola company to change the original recipe, otherwise the drink would not be as popular as it is today.

Andrea:  I agree with that. The worldwide popularity of the Coca-Cola company is also due to the excellent job the company has done to market their products.  Thanks to a Christmas marketing ad, the company is even responsible for developing the image of how Americans today recognize Santa Claus - as a big jolly man in a red outfit and with a long white beard!  

Brie:  Wow, so Coca-Cola even created a cultural icon? - 穿着红色大衣，留着一个大大白胡子的圣诞老人!

Andrea: Yes, they’ve indeed greatly influenced our popular imagination.  You know, talking about this really makes me want to go get a six-pack!

Brie:  Get a six-pack? You really think drinking coke will help you grow muscles?  Coke may not have cocaine anymore, but it contains a lot of sugar. It definitely is not good enough for your health to give you good-looking abs.

Andrea:  No, no, I mean a six-pack of Coca-Cola, silly!  Along with everything else, the Coca-Cola company invented a bottle holder that allows consumers to bring six bottles of Coke home to store in their fridge.  This promoted increased coke consumption.  Today, the container that holds six bottles is referred to as a six-pack.   Though it’s clear the Coca-Cola company has made quite a cultural impact, they unfortunately have not yet found a way to give me a sculpted abdomen!

Close:

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Coke  / koʊk /  可口可乐，也可以指可卡因

Fizzy  / ˈfɪz i /  汽水

Refreshing  / rɪˈfrɛʃ ɪŋ /  提神醒脑

Ingredient  / ɪnˈgri di ənt /  成分

Carbonated  /ˈkɑr bəˌneɪtɪd /  碳化的

Pharmacist  / ˈfɑr mə sɪst /  药剂师

Tonic  / ˈtɒn ɪk /  补品/补药

Beverage  / ˈbɛv ər ɪdʒ /  饮料

Coca  / ˈkoʊ kə /  古柯树

Cocaine  / koʊˈkeɪn /  可卡因

Addictive  / əˈdɪk tɪv /  上瘾的

Slang  / slæŋ /  俚语

Extract  /ˈɛk strækt /  提取物

Narcotic  / nɑrˈkɒt ɪk /  麻醉的

Santa Claus  / ˈsæn tə ˌklɔz /  圣诞老人

Jolly  / ˈdʒɒl i /  欢乐的

Cultural icon  / ˈkʌl tʃər əl  ˈaɪ kɒn /  文化偶像

Popular imagination  / ˈpɒp yə lər  ɪˌmædʒ əˈneɪ ʃən /  大众的想象力

Abs  / æbz /  腹部

Promoted  / prəˈmoʊtɪd /  促进

Consumption  / kənˈsʌmp ʃən /  消费

Container  / kənˈteɪ nər /  容器/箱子

Sculpted  / skʌlptɪd /  雕刻的/线条感的

Phrases:

Get a six-pack 美国俗语，既指锻炼出六块腹肌，又可指买6瓶包装的饮料

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们，请别忘了点击订阅！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Photo Credit:  Omar Elmokhtar Menazeli on Unsplash

Background Music Credit: 

Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/LightsSappheiros

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg

U.S. Democracy Fun Facts in History

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Brie:  Andrea, everyone seems to really be stressing out over the election.

Andrea:  Yes, it’s so close that I’m biting my nails.  I just want it to be over.

Brie:  I’m watching it closely myself.  I keep checking the news to see how many more votes have been counted.

Andrea:  Yes, it seems that everyone has their eyes glued to their screens hoping to find out which candidate will win the US presidency.  At my workplace, everyone is listening to the news on the radio while they work.  I can sense the anxiety in the air. 

Brie:   I know, I can’t seem to avert my eyes from my phone.  It makes me wonder, before TV and radio, how were elections reported?  Was there just as much drama and anticipation when the results were so close? Or is this just a modern-day phenomenon because of our easy access to the media?

Andrea:  For sure there was lots of anticipation, however, and this is a fun fact, the way the vote was conducted and how the results were announced were totally different in the past! Before the radio, television, and internet came to be, newspapers and other print publications were the main vehicles through which election information was distributed to US voters. From the 1850s to the 1870s, anxious residents would stand around newspaper offices in anticipation of the election results. Not because they wanted to buy newspapers, but because they knew that there the results would be written out on sheets of paper, and they couldn’t wait to see the outcome! 

Brie:  在过去没有收音机，电视，以及网络的年代，美国选民通常只能通过报纸和其他印刷出版物来获取选举信息。迫不及待的选民会聚集在报社旁等待，不是为了买报纸，而是为了第一时间知道选举结果。

Andrea:  Elections in the US have been reported in some other interesting ways as well throughout history.  According to the New York Times, to announce the 1904 presidential winner of the race between US President Theodore Roosevelt and challenger Alton Parker, the newspaper company beamed a light that could be seen from within a 30-mile radius into the sky from their building at the famous Times Square in New York City.  If the beam of light pointed to the West, residents knew that Roosevelt had been re-elected for another four years.  If it pointed to the East, then this meant his opponent had won! 

Brie:  在1904年，美国总统罗斯福与挑战者奥尔顿的总统竞选时，《纽约时报》别出心裁地在其纽约时代广场的大楼里，通过向四周发出30英里内可见的高亮光束，来向选民公布总统竞选结果。如果光束射向西边，就代表美国总统罗斯福连任成功；如果光束射向东边，那就意味着他的对手赢了。这个选举结果揭晓方式的确很有趣, but I wouldn’t want to wait for the sky to light up to find out who wins this election! 

Andrea:  Yah, I would be happy if they could just quickly bring to light the results of the election. 

Brie: From what you’ve said, there have been some interesting ways to announce elections in US history. But how about voting itself? Did US citizens all vote in private booths like they do now?

Andrea:  Actually, no!  In the very earliest days of voting, citizens were invited to voting parties.   And by parties, I don’t mean political parties.  I mean more like a carnival, where they would drink alcohol, have fun, and socialize, much like the celebratory get-togethers people have today when they find out that their chosen candidate has won.  To vote, the party-goers at these voting parties would shout out the name of their favorite candidate, so it was definitely not private at all.  

Brie:  原来在美国民主投票初期，只有拥有土地的有钱人才可以参与投票。那些名副其实的土豪们会收到类似狂欢节party的投票邀请函，在那里他们会喝酒，玩乐和社交。在投票过程中，土豪们会通过大声喊出他们最喜欢候选人的名字来进行投票。所以整个投票过程呢其实是没有任何隐私可言的，更比不上如今的匿名投票了。

Andrea: Exactly!  And at that time only white, land owning males were invited to the parties, because only they could vote.  In fact, the right to vote for women wasn’t made into federal law until 1920.  However, in 1807, the State of New Jersey became the only state to allow unmarried women to vote, but because men would dress-up as women to commit voting fraud, that right was eventually taken away.

Brie:  在1920年之前，美国女性的投票权是不被联邦法律所保护的。新泽西州是唯一一个，在1807年，开始允许未婚女性参与联邦投票的州，但是当时由于男性会打扮成女性来进行欺诈投票，该州女性的投票权最终还是被剥夺了。That’s sad that women didn’t have a chance to make their voices heard. They had to fight to eventually earn that right.

Andrea:  Yes, I’m very happy that my ancestors fought for my right to vote. This year the ballot has a lot of hot potatoes, and I want my opinion to matter!

Brie: Huh? Why would Americans care about an issue regarding hot potatoes?  I know that in the US a hot potato is a popular dish eaten by everyone, including members of all political parties! How are hot potatoes controversial?

Andrea:  When I say a hot potato, I don’t mean an actual potato.  I mean any issue that is politically sensitive, debatable, and embarrassing.  Actually, hot potato is also the name of a popular children’s game.  In that game, you pass around a potato in a circle while playing music. You don’t want to be the one caught holding the potato when the music stops!

Brie: Ah, I see what you’re trying to say!  Hot potato 在这里是指政治里那些敏感的，极具争议且令人窘迫的问题。这跟国内常说的“烫手山芋”是同一个意思。美国的Hot Potato游戏和中国民间流行的击鼓传花游戏也是非常相似的，美国游戏是放音乐传土豆，而中国游戏是击鼓传花朵！That game actually makes me think about what’s going on now.  With all the anxiety, it’s clear that for America, what’s truly stopped the music is this election! 

Close:

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Candidate  / ˈkæn dɪˌdeɪt /  候选人

Presidency  / ˈprɛz ɪ dən si / 总统职位

Avert  / əˈvɜrt /  避免

Anticipation/ ænˌtɪs əˈpeɪ ʃən /悬念

Phenomenon / fɪˈnɒm əˌnɒn /现象

Vehicle  /ˈvi hɪ kəl /  方法

Beam  / bim /  光束

Carnival  / ˈkɑr nə vəl /  狂欢节

Celebratory / ˈsɛl əˌbrətəri /  庆祝的

Get-together  / ˈgɛt təˌgɛð ər /  聚会，小聚

Party-goer/ ˈpɑr ti  ˈgoʊ ər / 参加聚会的人

Fraud  / frɔd /  作弊

Eventually  / ɪˈvɛn tʃu ə li /  最终地

Ancestor  / ˈæn sɛs tər /  祖先

Ballot  / ˈbæl ət /  选票

Controversial  / ˌkɒn trəˈvɜr ʃəl /  有争议的

People & Places:

Theodore Roosevelt  西奥多·罗斯福，美国第26任总统

Times Square  美国著名的纽约时代广场

Phrases:

Bring to light  使显现出来，使揭晓

Hot potato  烫手山芋

Stop the music  美国俗语，用来形容非常重要的事件或情况，以至于你暂停其它所有工作而将注意力仅仅专注于此。

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们的话，请别忘了点击订阅支持我们！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Photo Credit: Isabella and Louisa Fischer on Unsplash

Background Music Credit: 

Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/LightsSappheiros

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg

Zombie Ants

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Andrea:  Brie, what are your plans for Halloween this year?  Will you dress up in costume?

Brie:  Yes, I’m going as a Zombie.  I will put on some tattered clothes and paint my face grey.  I might also use some make-up to paint a few bloody wounds here and there. But I don’t plan to go out trick-or-treating in my costume.  I’ll stay home and hand out candy to all the cute neighborhood trick-or-treaters who ring my doorbell. 

Andrea:  Good idea!  Zombies are very popular these days.  They are featured in almost every horror tv show and video game.  

Brie:  Exactly, I won’t need to put in much effort at all for people to know I’m a Zombie.   If I just write the phrase The Walking Dead or The Last of Us on my shirt, everyone will know what I’m dressed as right away.

Andrea: The Last of Us? Isn’t that the video game where a fungus that turns ants into zombies jumps to humans and starts turning them into zombies as well?

Brie:  Yes, that’s the storyline. No worries, it was written that way just to give us a scare!

Andrea: Well, did you know that the fungus that turns ants into zombies is actually a real thing?

Brie:  It is?  Is this some kind of Halloween trick you are using to try to scare me?

Andrea: No, I’m serious!  It’s a very real and  interesting fun fact!  Scientists have discovered a rare parasitic fungus in Thailand, Indonesia, the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil, and in tropical parts of Australia, that can turn carpenter ants into zombies.  

Brie:  在泰国，印度尼西亚，巴西的亚马逊热带雨林以及澳大利亚的热带地区，真的有一种这样的寄生真菌，能够让木蚁变成僵尸？When you say that a fungus turns ants into zombies, you mean that it controls the ant’s behavior? 

Andrea:  Yes, the ants are first infected through contact with the spores of the fungus.  Within a week, the fungus takes control of the ant so that it enters into a zombie-like state. Without infecting the ant’s brain, the fungus forces the ant to bite into and attach to leaves and twigs in conditions that are optimal for enabling the fungus to grow.  Once the fungus has found it’s sweet spot, that is, the best conditions to grow, it kills the ant and grows out of the ant’s head.  

Brie:  木蚁首先通过与真菌的孢子接触而被感染。 在接下来的一周之内，真菌就能控制蚂蚁的行为使它进入僵尸状态。 在不感染蚂蚁大脑的情况下，真菌迫使蚂蚁首先找到一个适合真菌生长的环境，然后控制蚂蚁咬入并附着在叶子和树枝上。 一旦真菌找到最佳的生存环境，它就会杀死其寄生的蚂蚁，并从蚂蚁的头上长出来。 Eww! That sounds terribly painful! But how does a zombie ant infect other ants?

Andrea:  Well, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, after the fungus erupts out of the head of the ant, it grows a fruit that contains fungus spores.  In pictures I’ve seen, it looks like a stalk with a capsule shaped spore sack on the end has grown out of the head of the ant.  Once fully grown, the fruit disperses fungus spores into the air.  In the rainforest, the spores fall to the forest floor and infect other ants of the same species, turning them into “zombies” one by one.

Brie: 原来当真菌从蚂蚁头上长出之后，它将继续生长，直到长出一个类似球状，包含真菌孢子的水果；等到植物完全长大之后，水果就会破裂开，让真菌孢子在空气中传播开来，从而感染更多的蚂蚁，使他们变成僵尸。Stop it, Andrea. I have a creepy image of a fungus growing out of the head of an ant, and it’s going to give me nightmares!  If the fungus is able to jump to humans like in the video game, we could be in for a zombie apocalypse!  I don’t want a fruit growing from my head.

Andrea:  Ok, ok, don’t freak out!  There’s no need to worry about an apocalypse!  The fungus only attacks some species of carpenter ant, so not even every type of ant.  At that rate, the likelihood that it will one day be able to infect a human is very low.

Brie:  Well, that’s a relief.  该寄生真菌仅仅只能感染两类木蚁，对于大部分蚂蚁来说其实是无害的，对人类更是没有任何影响。But I think I will finish my Halloween plans later.  Your fun fact has made me quite drowsy.

Andrea:  So, you mean, because you’re so bored you have zombied out?

Brie:  Yah, I’ve zombied out, but not because I’m bored, you’ve just certainly made me feel like a zombie.

Close: 

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Costume  / ˈkɒs tum /  装扮

Zombie  /ˈzɒm bi/  僵尸

Tattered  / ˈtæt ərd /  破烂的

Trick-or-treater  / trɪkˈɔr tritər /  不给糖就捣蛋的人，通常指小孩

The Walking Dead  / ðə ˈwɔ kɪŋ ded /  欧美电视剧《行尸走肉》

The Last of Us  / ðə læst  əv ʌs /  网游《美国末日》

Fungus  / ˈfʌŋ gəs  菌类

Storyline  / stɔrilaɪn /  故事情节

Parasitic  /ˌpær əˈsɪt ɪk /  寄生的

Carpenter Ant  / ˈkɑr pən tər ænt /  木蚁

Infect  / ɪnˈfɛkt /  感染

Spore  / spɔr / (真菌）袍子

Optimal  / ˈɒp tə məl /  最佳的

Sweet Spot  / swit spɒt / 最佳状态，最佳环境

Erupt  / ɪˈrʌpt /  爆发

Stalk  / stɔk /  茎, 梗

Capsule   / ˈkæp səl /  胶囊

Disperse  / dɪˈspɜrs /  散播

Creepy  / ˈkri pi /   怪异的，令人毛骨悚然的

Zombie Apocalypse  / ˈzɒm bi  əˈpɒk ə lɪps /  世界末日小说中描述的场景，由于僵尸的袭击导致人类文明的崩溃。

Phrases:

To Give a Scare  使受惊吓/使害怕

Freak Out  吓坏了

Zombied Out  形容人像行尸走肉一样，无精打采，无意识地四处晃动。

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们，请别忘了点击订阅！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Photo Credit: Danny Newman

Background Music Credit: 

Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/LightsSappheiros

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg

Is Chewing Gum Illegal in Singapore?

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Andrea: Hey Brie, is that gum your chewing?  Your loud lip-smacking is kind of annoying me.

Brie: Yah, sorry.  I’m just expressing my enjoyment of the taste.  Lately, I’ve been reading an article that says chewing gum can help people focus better when they perform tasks.   Thus, I went to the store and bought up every type of gum flavor so that I can improve my concentration at work and figure out which one’s my favorite.  So far, I like the wintergreen, peppermint, and spearmint flavors the most, because they make my mouth feel very clean, minty, and fresh.   I must’ve purchased at least 30 packs!

Andrea:  30 packs?  It’s a good thing then that you live in the US and not in Singapore.  

Brie:  Huh? Why is that?

Andrea:  In Singapore, it is illegal to sell or import chewing gum.  

Brie:  Well, that’s an interesting fun fact! But why would the Singaporeans want to restrict the sale of something as tasty and harmless as chewing gum?

Andrea:  Well, I think it’s because they like to keep the environment clean.  Actually, they restrict a lot of things that most other countries do not for this very reason.  Before the ban on chewing gum was put into place, chewed up gum could be found stuck to everything, from the pavement of the sidewalks to underneath desks and chairs.  Sometimes wads of gum were even jammed between the doors of public subway trains causing them to fail to open as a result. 

Brie:  So, the doors were literally gummed up?   Well, honestly, it’s about just as bad here in the United States, especially in crowded urban cities. 老实说，我还是很赞同新加坡政府为了确保公共环境的干净整洁，颁发的这项禁止向国民出售以及进口口香糖的法律的。

Andrea:  Now that you mention it, it is said that some of the creators of the 1992 Singaporean law banning gum studied abroad in the United States and were disgusted to find chewed gum in public places such as in movie theaters and schools.  That may have contributed to the implementation of the law.

Brie:  原来还有这样一种说法，新加坡立法人员当初在美国留学期间，也看到了美国公共场所到处是丢弃的口香糖，觉得十分恶心，所以回国之后，就极力推进立法禁止向新加坡公众出售口香糖。So what would happen to me if I chewed gum in Singapore?  Would I be locked up in jail?

Andrea: No, no, it’s not illegal to chew gum in Singapore, just to import and sell it.  However, don’t spit out your gum and litter.  If you do that, you will pay a fine which is about 10,000 Chinese renminbi, and go to court - even if it’s your just first time!  

Brie:  所以在新加坡嚼口香糖并不违法，只有贩卖和进口口香糖是违法的。另外，如果你随地丢弃口香糖被发现，是会被罚款10,000元人民币并法庭传唤。

Andrea:  However, in 2004, the law was relaxed a little so that certain types of gum with health benefits can now be purchased from a doctor or pharmacist. You must register your name in order to buy chewing gum.

Brie: 所以现在，如果新加坡人想要买一包口香糖，他们必须在医生或者药剂师那里注册自己的名字?

Andrea:  That’s right!  Chewing gum is treated like a controlled substance on par with a drug in Singapore! 

Brie:  Well, I’ll be sure to behave myself if I ever go to Singapore, especially when it comes to my gum chewing habit. 

Andrea: Yes, you should do that. After all, you want to avoid getting into a sticky situation!

Brie:  A sticky situation?  

Andrea:  I mean, you should be careful with your desire for gum chewing, as it may get you in a situation that makes your life difficult.  

Close:

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Lip-Smacking  / lɪp ˈsmæk ɪŋ /  咂嘴

Concentration  / ˌkɒn sənˈtreɪ ʃən  /  专注力

Illegal  / ɪˈli gəl /  非法的

Restrict  / rɪˈstrɪkt /  禁止

Wads  / wɒd /  一团

Disgusted  / dɪsˈgʌstɪd /  感到恶心的

Litter  / ˈlɪt ər /  丢(垃圾）

Relaxed  / rɪˈlækst /  放松的

Pharmacist  / ˈfɑr mə sɪst /  药剂师

Register   / ˈrɛdʒ ə stər /  注册

Controlled Substance  / kənˈtroʊld ˈsʌb stəns /  管控药物

Phrases:

Gum (something) up 美国俗语，既指将口香糖粘到某物上，又指破环某物，使其不能正常运行

On par with (something) 与...相当

Get into a sticky situation 陷入困境

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们的话，请别忘了点击订阅支持我们！如果有什么疑问, 可以给我们留言，我们会在第一时间给你答复！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Photo Credit: Matthew Brodeur on Unsplash
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg

Background Music Credit: 

Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/LightsSappheiros

Why the Computer Keyboard is not Arranged in Alphabetical Order

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Andrea: What’s up, Brie? You seem stressed out.

Brie:  Ugh, I sure am.  I totally forgot that I had a final essay due next week, and now I’m trailing far behind.  I have a minimum of 10,000 words to type in order to meet just one of the requirements. 

Andrea:  Sorry to hear that, Brie, I guess you’ll just have to increase the speed of your typing to be able to make your deadline on-time. 

Brie: I wish it was that easy.  

Andrea:   Here’s a fun fact about typing that might cheer you up!  Have you ever wondered why the computer keyboard is not laid out in alphabetical order?

Brie: I know it’s in the QWERTY layout. I’m guessing the reason is because that layout makes it easier and more efficient for us to type.  

Andrea: Mmm, that’s debatable.  The keyboard layout that we recognize today, called the QWERTY keyboard, was designed in the US in the late 1860s.  At the time of its invention, typewriters were in popular use.  Unfortunately, if a typist typed too quickly on these early typewriters, they would jam up.  So, some historians claim the QWERTY keyboard was designed to find a solution to the mechanical failures of these early typewriters.  The inventor, they say, intentionally spaced commonly used letters in hard to reach places to make typers less efficient typists.

Brie: 你是说早在19世纪60年代， 当打字机还相当流行的时候，由于打字员的打字速度相对于当时打字机能够处理文字的速度太快，打字机经常出现机械卡壳的问题。为了解决这个问题，QWERTY 键盘就应运而生了。 键盘设计师巧妙地将常用字母排布在了相隔较远的地方，从而达到减缓打字员打字速度的目的。That’s indeed a fun fact.  Technologies are generally designed to make human tasks easier to perform and more efficient, but that’s not the case for the keyboard.

Andrea: Well, not all historians agree with that explanation of how the QWERTY keyboard design came about.  In 2011, researchers at Kyoto University argued just the opposite -- that the typist came before the keyboard.  They claim that the first users of the QWERTY keyboard were telegraph operators who needed to quickly translate the sound signals of Morse Code into the English alphabet.  The telegraph operators found it very inefficient to translate using a keyboard design that was in alphabetical order. 

Brie:  哦， 原来QWERTY键盘的设计初衷还有另外一个解释，就是为了帮助电报员更有效地翻译莫尔斯电码！电报员发现,要在按照字母顺序排列的键盘上,高效地翻译实时电码很困难。

Andrea: Yes, but what’s not debatable is why this keyboard design is still popular today. The inventor of the keyboard worked with a gun making company to introduce the keyboard design to the masses.  They provided special training courses that taught a lot of people how to use their product.  They want to get their buyers hooked!

Brie:  So, that’s the key reason as to why I’m stuck typing out my essay on this inefficient QWERTY keyboard!  

Andrea: Yes, although better keyboard designs have since been invented that might increase your typing speed, that’s the key to your typing misery! 

Close:

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Ugh  /ʌg/   啊！

Essay  /ˈɛs eɪ/  论文/短文

Requirement  /rɪˈkwaɪər mənt/  要求

Alphabetical Order  /ˌæl fəˈbɛt ɪ kəl  ˈɔr dər/  字母顺序

Debatable  /dɪˈbeɪ tə bəl /  有争议的

Typewriters  / ˈtaɪpˌraɪ tərs/  打字机

Typists  /ˈtaɪ pɪsts/  打字员

Telegraph  /ˈtɛl ɪˌgræf/  电报

Morse Code  /mɔrs koʊd/  莫尔斯电码

Masses  /(ˈmæsɪz)/  群众/大众

Hooked  /hʊkt /  上瘾的

Misery  /ˈmɪz ə ri /  苦难/苦痛

Phrases:

Stressed out 压力过大的，过于劳累的

Trailing far behind 远远落后

Cheer you up 让你高兴起来

Jam up 阻塞

That’s the key 那是主要原因

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们的话，请别忘了点击订阅支持我们！如果有什么疑问，想法，或者建议，请给我们多多留言，多多赐教，我们会在第一时间给你答复！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Photo Credit: Clint Patterson on Unsplash

Background Music Credit: 

Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/LightsSappheiros
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg

Pandas Have the Right Moves!

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

 Dialogue:

Andrea: Hey, Brie. Have you ever watched a Kung Fu Panda movie? There are three Kung Fu Panda movies, the first of which premiered in the United States in 2008. 

Brie: Yep, I’ve watched all of them.  The creators did a fantastic job animating the panda with some pretty wild martial arts skills.

Andrea:  I also think the graphic design was well done.  Here’s something interesting: Did you know that real life pandas have kung fu style moves of their own? 

Brie:  现实生活中的熊猫也会拳脚功夫？How so?

Andrea: Pandas tend to be very solitary animals by nature.  However, during their short mating season, male pandas look for any way possible to attract suitable mates, including performing handstands to “leave their scent” in locations that are easy to find. 

Brie: 你是说公熊猫为了在短暂的交配季节中提高交配机率，会通过倒立来把它们独特的求偶气味，散播到容易被发现的地方吗？

Andrea:  Yes, they pee at the same time as they do their handstand.  They do it everywhere, but for wild pandas, wide trees with rough bark are the go-to locations.  This is where they like to pee the most.

Brie:  我有两个疑问，第一，熊猫为什么要倒立着朝树小便？ 第二，熊猫为什么首选树皮粗糙的树来小便呢？ 

Andrea:  Male pandas aim themselves towards trees while performing a handstand in order to ensure that their urine is sprayed as high above the ground as possible.  By aiming at the tree, pandas maximize the distance with which their urine scent can travel. This acrobatic handstand move is where the kung fu comes in.  The reason why pandas prefer trees with rough bark is because this way their scent can permeate even in the smallest crevices, ensuring that it will linger for a long period of time.

Brie:  原来熊猫倒立朝树小便是为了让小便播洒到离地面更高的地方,从而使其气味可以覆盖更远的距离，而选择树皮粗糙的树是为了让气味留存地更久。

Well, that certainly isn’t the kung fu I was thinking about, and I don’t remember any scene in the movie where the pandas are wildly spraying up-side down.

Andrea: Of course you don’t!  People want to watch things that are cute!  I don’t think pandas peeing are cute.

Brie: I guess you have to appreciate the mysteries of nature. Pandas are an endangered species.  I think they are cute no matter what.  If this improves their ability to breed, then I guess they’re doing something right. 

Andrea: Yes, when it comes to attracting mates, male pandas have really got the right moves!  

Brie: What do you mean by “got the right moves”?

Andrea: I mean that pandas are both athletically able to perform moves like handstands and also do the right things to attract their mates. 

Close: 

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Kung Fu Panda  / ˈkʌŋ ˈfu /  功夫熊猫

Premiere  / prɪˈmɪər /  首映

Creator  / kriˈeɪ tər/  创作者

Animating  / ˈæn əˌmeɪtɪŋ /  动画制作

Martial Arts  / ˈmɑr ʃəl ɑːts/  武术

Solitary  / ˈsɒl ɪˌtɛr i /  独居的

Handstand  / ˈhændˌstænd /  倒立 

Pee  / pi /  小便

Bark  / bɑrk /  树皮

Urine  / ˈyʊər ɪn /  小便

Maximize  / ˈmæk səˌmaɪz /  使....最大化

Acrobatic  / ˌæk rəˈbæt ɪk /  体操运动的

Permeate  / ˈpɜr miˌeɪt /  渗透

Crevice  / ˈkrɛv ɪs /  缝隙，裂缝

Linger  / ˈlɪŋ gər /  萦绕

Appreciate  / əˈpri ʃiˌeɪt /  欣赏

Mystery  / ˈmɪs tə ri/  神秘，谜

Endangered  / ɛnˈdeɪn dʒərd /  濒临灭绝的

Athletically  / æθˈlɛt ɪkəli /  运动上地

Phrases:

Go-to 首选

Got the (right) moves 一语双关，即指具有运动员的风范，又指能做出正确的行动

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们的话，请别忘了点击订阅支持我们！如果有什么疑问，可以给我们留言，我们会在第一时间给你答复！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Photo Credit: Bruce Hong on Unsplash

Background Music Credit: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/LightsSappheiros
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg

Pringles Aren’t Chips

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Brie: Hey Andrea, wanna have a movie night this weekend?  I miss those days when we got to do nothing but binge on our favorite Netflix shows and movies.

Andrea:  That sounds like a good plan to me!  It’s been a crazy week, and we all deserve a break from time to time.

Brie: Let’s also buy some snacks for our movie night!  How about we get some popcorn and chips?  Do you like Pringles?  We can get those for the potato chips.   There are so many tasty flavors including barbeque, sour cream & onion, pizza, jalapeño, and salt & vinegar.  Oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Andrea:  Okay, I can tell you are really getting the munchies. But, and here’s a fun fact, did you know that Pringles aren’t actually “potato chips?”

Brie: They aren’t?  What are they then?

Andrea:  They are a “potato crisp”, at least that’s how they’re marketed.  If you take a close look at a can of Pringles, you won’t see the word “chip” anywhere on the packaging.

Brie: Really?! 品客不是薯片，而是薯脆？我以为那些由马铃薯做成的脆片都是薯片呢！What’s the difference then between a potato chip and a potato crisp?  

Andrea:  They seem very similar to me, and most people I’ve talked to can’t tell the difference either.  However, the US Food and Drug Administration, the governing body that regulates public health and safety in the United States, has a rule that says that in the US, if a food is to be defined as a chip, then it must be made out of a thinly sliced potato fried in deep fat.  Pringles are not considered to be real potato chips because they are dehydrated, that is, they are dried potato flakes combined with other ingredients.  These Pringles are then processed under pressure into their unique signature parabolic shape.

Brie:  I see. So, a potato crisp and chip aren’t legally defined as the same thing in the US.  美国食品和药物管理局认为，薯片必须是由削的很薄的马铃薯片，经过深度油炸制成，而品客的薯脆是由马铃薯粉与其它成分混合，然后经过脱水，高压加工处理后制成的抛物线形状的薯脆！So, what do they do in the UK?  The British refer to all chips as “crisps”.

Andrea:  That’s true, what is generally referred to as a chip in American English is called a crisp in British English.  For tax reasons, the company that owns Pringles did not want their snack to be considered a potato product in the UK. However, ultimately, a British court determined that they would legally be called potato chips.

Brie:  所以从法律定义上来看，品客在美国叫薯脆，但在英国又叫薯片了？

Andrea:  Yes, but in everyday usage, Americans tend to say chips and the British tend to say crisps when referring to every kind (not just Pringles) of those tasty, crunchy, and salty snacks!

Brie:  They can argue about it in court all they want.  I don’t care what they’re called. I just want to eat them.  

Andrea:  Well, I’m glad to hear you don’t hold a chip on your shoulder.

Brie:  Hold a chip on my shoulder?

Andrea:  I mean, I’m glad you don’t hold a grudge about whether to call them crisps or chips. 

Brie:  Ha! Trust me, I have no reason to have a chip on my shoulder.  They will all be in my stomach.

Close:

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Netflix  / nɛtflɪks /  网飞，在美国非常流行的一个付费视频网站

Deserve  / dɪˈzɜrv /  值得/应该得

Popcorn   / ˈpɒpˌkɔrn /  爆米花

(Potato) Chips  / tʃɪps /  薯片

Barbeque   / ˈbɑr bɪˌkyu /  烧烤

Sour cream & onion  /ˈsaʊ ər  krim nd ˈʌn yən /  酸奶油洋葱

Jalapeño  /ˌhɑ ləˈpeɪn yoʊ/  墨西哥辣椒

(Potato) Crisp  / krɪsp /  薯脆

Packaging  / ˈpæk ə dʒɪŋ /  包装

Administration  / ædˌmɪn əˈstreɪ ʃən /  行政管理

Regulates  / ˈrɛg yəˌleɪts/  调节/校正

Dehydrated  / diˈhaɪ dreɪtɪd /  脱水的

Potato Flakes  / pəˈteɪ toʊ fleɪk /  马铃薯粉

Signature  / ˈsɪg nə tʃər /  标志性的

Parabolic  / ˌpær əˈbɒl ɪk /  抛物线的

Crunchy  / ˈkrʌn tʃi /  松脆的

Grudge  / grʌdʒ /  怨恨

Phrases:

Binge on  不停地刷剧/刷电影

Get the munchies  突然很想吃零食

Governing body  管理机构

Hold a chip on your shoulder  对某些事情生气，耿耿于怀

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们的话，请别忘了点击订阅支持我们！如果有什么疑问，想法，或者建议，请给我们多多留言，多多赐教，我们会在第一时间给你答复！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Background Music Credit: 

Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/LightsSappheiros
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg

Dolphin Force

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Andrea:  It’s scorching hot outside, Brie.  I want to go swimming.

Brie:  Me too! Wouldn’t it be nice to get away for a while, and take a dip in a pool? How about we go to Florida? A tourist brochure I read said that for 50 bucks we can go swimming with dolphins. 

Andrea:  Swimming with dolphins sounds like so much fun!  Actually, I know a fact about dolphins that you might find interesting.

Brie:  What’s that?

Andrea: Dolphins are a highly trainable and very intelligent species.  So intelligent, in fact, that countries across the world have put their skills to work for their militaries, employing them to carry out a variety of tasks that are difficult and dangerous for humans. 

Brie:  Ahh, I see. 我也听说过海豚非常的聪明但是从没听说过海豚在军事方面的贡献。It’s because of their bio-sonar capabilities, am I right?

Andrea:  Bingo!  Dolphins have amazing acoustical abilities.  Using echolocation, a dolphin can detect the difference in density between a golf ball and a ping pong ball.  During the Vietnam War and Cold War eras,  the militaries of the former Soviet Union and the United States used dolphins to help them find sunken ships, locate underwater mines, bring equipment to divers, and even guard submarines.

Brie:  No way!! 早在美苏冷战和越南战争的时候，美国和前苏联就已经开始研究海豚的生物声纳能力并训练海豚来寻找失踪的船只，探测地雷，给潜水员运送装备，寻找丢失的装备和保护潜水艇。

Andrea:  Dolphins are also very talented mimics. They are self-aware, know how to problem-solve, and are empathetic.

Brie:  它们还很善于模仿，有一定的自我意识，知道如何解决问题，而且还很善解人意。Wow, they certainly are amazing animals.  However, I’m sure that their use in the military does not sit well with animal rights groups.

Andrea:  That’s true, but it may not be an issue in the future.  Scientists and engineers are currently working to create robots that have the same skills as dolphins.  Although the technology is not there yet, I can see a future in which we may no longer need to depend on Dolphins. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Brie:  如果机器人可以取代海豚来帮助人类做一些比较危险的活动就再好不过了！I’m looking forward to that day.  In the meantime, I want my trip to Florida.  Thanks for taking a deep dive into this fun fact!

Close:

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Scorching   / ˈskɔr tʃɪŋ /  灼热的

Bucks  / bʌks /  美元

Dolphins  / ˈdɒl fɪns /  海豚

Trainable  / ˈtreɪ nə bəl /  能被训练的

Military  / ˈmɪl ɪˌtɛr i /  军事/军用

Employing   / ɛmˈplɔɪŋ /  使用/雇佣

Bio-sonar  / ˈbaɪ oʊ ˈsoʊ nɑr /  生物声纳

Capabilities  / ˌkeɪ pəˈbɪl ɪ tiz /  能力

Bingo!   / ˈbɪŋ goʊ /  答对了！              

Acoustical  / əˈku stɪk /  声学的

Echolocation  / ˌɛk oʊ loʊˈkeɪ ʃən /  回声定位

Density  / ˈdɛn sɪ ti /  密度

Sunken  / ˈsʌŋ kən /  沉没的/下沉的

Underwater mines   / ˈʌn dərˈwɔ tər maɪnz /  水雷

Submarines  / ˌsʌb məˈrinz /  潜艇

Mimics  / ˈmɪm ɪks /  模仿

Self-aware   / sɛlf əˈwɛər /  自我意识

Empathetic  / ˌɛm pəˈθɛt ɪk /  善解人意的

Phrases:

Take a dip in a pool  在泳池里游一圈

Carry out  执行

Sit well with (someone)  能被某人接受的/同意的

Win-win  双赢

In the meantime  于此同时

Take a deep dive into  深入地阐述

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们的话，请别忘了点击订阅支持我们！如果有什么疑问，想法，或者建议，请给我们多多留言，多多赐教，我们会在第一时间给你答复！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Photo Credit: Silviu Georgescu on Unsplash

Background Music Credit: 

Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/LightsSappheiros
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg

Super Spider Webs

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Andrea:  Good morning Brie, how's it going? 

Brie:  It’s going. I was jogging in the park earlier today and not watching where I was going. Suddenly, I realized that there were strands of a sticky spider web in my hair.  I've been afraid of spiders since I was a kid.

Andrea: Sorry to hear that, Brie.  Would you like to hear a new fun fact that might lift up your spirits a bit.

Brie: Alright. Shoot!  I’m all ears!

Andrea: In ancient Greece and Rome, people actually wore spider webs.

Brie:  Gross! 在古希腊和古罗马，人们没事穿着蜘蛛网干什么？

Andrea:  They didn’t wear it as an everyday accessory.  They wore it for medical purposes.  In Rome and Greece, the antiseptic and anti-fungal properties of spider web silk were used to make medical bandages. Spider webs are a natural source of vitamin K, so they were also used to help wounded people stop bleeding.   

Brie: 啊，原来如此，蜘蛛网含有天然的杀菌剂和抗真菌剂，可以用来防止伤口感染。另外由于蜘蛛网富含维他命K，它能有效地促进伤口的修复。所以早在古希腊和古罗马，医生便用蜘蛛网来为受伤的病人包扎伤口。 I never thought an unappealing spider web could be so useful in treating open wounds. 

Andrea: A spider web is essentially made out of a solid silk protein. It is said to be so strong that a single pencil width strand can stop a Boeing 747 airplane mid flight!   Thanks to its other unique properties, spider web silk is today being researched for its potential use in bandage dressings for people with diabetes and other diseases that cause their wounds to heal slowly.

Brie: Impressive.  蜘蛛丝真的好神奇! 它竟有这么坚固，一根铅笔宽度的蜘蛛线就可以停止一架正在飞行的波音747飞机！而且它还可以帮助糖尿病患者加快伤口愈合。

Andrea:  Exactly!  Anyways, after your incident with the spider web, I think you should do some activity other than running through the park to blow away the cobwebs!

Brie:  There’s no way I’m going to blow away spider cobwebs.  If I get any more on me, I’m going to wash it off with water right away.

Andrea: No, no, I don’t mean to literally blow away spider webs!  I mean, the next time you want to do an activity to enliven or energize yourself, you might consider going somewhere else! 

Brie: 哦，我明白了，blow away the cobwebs 不是真的指吹走蜘蛛网，它是一个美国成语，用来指做一些让自己精神满满，活力十足的活动。

Close:

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Spider Web  / ˈspaɪ dər wɛb /  蜘蛛网

Gross  / groʊs /  恶心的

Accessory  / ækˈsɛs ə ri /  装饰/配件

Antiseptic  / ˌæn təˈsɛp tɪk /  杀菌剂/防腐剂

Anti-fungal  / ˌæntɪˈfʌŋɡəl /  抗真菌剂

Properties  / ˈprɒp ər tis /  属性

Unappealing  / ˌʌnəˈpiːlɪŋ /  缺乏吸引力的

Wounds  / wundz /  伤口

Strand  / strænd /  一缕

Mid flight  / mɪd  flaɪt /  在飞行中

Bandage Dressings  / ˈbæn dɪdʒ ˈdrɛsɪŋs /  绷带敷料

Diabetes  / ˌdaɪ əˈbi tiz /  糖尿病

Cobweb  / ˈkɒbˌwɛb /  布满灰尘的蜘蛛网

Enliven   / ɛnˈlaɪ vən /  使精力充沛/使精神抖擞

Phrases:

It’s going  就一般般/还凑合

Shoot (Go for it!) 问吧

I’m all ears  我洗耳恭听

Blow away the cobwebs（通过呼吸新鲜空气或锻炼）消除疲劳，振作精神

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们的话，请别忘了点击订阅支持我们！如果有什么疑问，想法，或者建议，请给我们多多留言，多多赐教，我们会在第一时间给你答复！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Photo Credit: engin akyurt  on Unsplash