跟读练习: What If Megalodon Met the Biggest Snake Ever - 通过视频学习英语口语
正在创建课程...
1
This is going to be a very unusual match, but I bet it'll also be spectacular and intense.
2
In the left corner, we have Megalodon.
3
This species went extinct about 3 million years ago, but there are good reasons why it's now a legendary animal.
4
It's the biggest shark that ever existed, and it was a super powerful predator in its time.
5
And a round of applause for our contender in the right corner, Titanoboa.
6
This one's way bigger than any other snake.
7
It lives in the swamps of Colombia, and it's the real boss of the area.
8
Titanoboa can eat absolutely any animal it decides to hunt, and it faces no competition.
9
It can swallow a giant turtle or even a crocodile.
10
It looks like a modern boa but behaves like an anaconda, and that's a very scary mix!
11
But can it stop a giant shark?
12
Let's start by looking at their sizes.
13
We still don't know about Megalodon's exact size, because the only remains of them that have survived are just fossilized backbones and teeth.
14
But scientists generally think this monster was about 50 feet long.
15
So it wasn't just the biggest shark that ever existed, but also one of the biggest fish of its time.
16
Its closest rival is the modern whale shark, but they're only about 40 feet.
17
The giant Titanoboa got so big thanks to a lucky coincidence since.
18
Snakes are cold-blooded animals, so they need a warm climate to live and grow in.
19
Northeastern Colombia is perfect.
20
It was about 90 degrees when Titanoboa was alive.
21
This helped it grow to an incredible 42 feet in length.
22
Titanoboa could easily swallow the longest snake registered in the Guinness Book of Records, which is only about 25 feet long.
23
And that's a big gulp!
24
So we have 50 feet versus 42.
25
The first point goes to Megalodon.
26
What about weight?
27
Titanoboa is about 2,500 pounds.
28
That's heavier than a small car, including the passengers.
29
But it might be even heavier if you run into Titanoboa after it's had lunch.
30
In that case, you can add a few hundred pounds more from the turtle or the alligator that it just swallowed.
31
If you put Titanoboa on some very large scales, you'd need 5 giant anacondas on the other side to balance them out.
32
But Megalodon is an incredible 50 times heavier than Titanoboa.
33
The average adult female weighs between 27 and 59 tons.
34
That's as much as an empty Boeing 737 airplane.
35
And that's without carry-on luggage, either.
36
Luckily enough, Megalodon can't fly.
37
So obviously, Megalodon wins in the weight category.
38
That's one more point to the ancient shark.
39
Although having such a large weight makes it difficult for the shark to move and also means it's a little clumsy.
40
Which leads us to our next category, speed and agility.
41
Megalodon can swim at about 16 feet per second.
42
That's enough to make it the ultimate predator.
43
But it's still slower than plenty of other species.
44
If Megalodon was swimming in a pool and Usain Bolt was running along next to it, he would be twice as fast.
45
His top speed is almost 40 feet per second.
46
Now a sailfish, which is the fastest sea creature, can reach about 100 feet per second.
47
Giant size and weight make it turn really slowly, just the same as a large truck.
48
So when it attacks, the shark has only one chance to strike.
49
If it misses, it has to go around for a second attempt.
50
This gives its prey more than enough time to run away.
51
Titanoboa isn't that fast either, especially on land.
52
But when the giant snake is in the water, it can swim at a speed of up to 12 miles per hour.
53
Not much, but enough for it to escape from Megalodon if it needs to.
54
It's learned to swim so well because water is its main hunting ground.
55
And because Titanoboa is a snake, duh, it also has incredible mobility.
56
It can wriggle around and change direction very quickly.
57
So it can easily dodge Megalodon's bite.
58
So here's the first point for Titanoboa.
59
The score is 2-1 in favor of megalodon.
60
Next section, fighting skills.
61
Megalodon is incredibly smart.
62
It can change tactics depending on what kind of prey it's hunting.
63
Scientists have found teeth markings from megalodon on some whale fossils.
64
These show that the giant sharks aim their bites at their prey's vital body parts to take them out quickly.
65
Other remains of Megalodon's victims have multiple fractures.
66
This is because Megalodon performs a super-powerful ram attack that can knock almost anything out.
67
In fact, this 50-ton beast can easily smash through concrete walls.
68
So, Megalodon's opponents don't really stand a chance.
69
Some of them prefer to first damage the tails and fins of the whale they're hunting.
70
This stops it from escaping, letting the huge predator finish off its defenseless victim.
71
Now, what can Titanoboa do in response?
72
The giant snake isn't poisonous, but this doesn't stop it from hunting prey up to 4 meters long.
73
Its bite has a very special design.
74
The structure of its teeth and jaws lets Titanoboa really clamp down on the body of its prey, so there's no escape.
75
When hunting, Titanoboa uses similar tactics to an anaconda or a boa.
76
By that, I mean it uses its powerful muscles and weight to stop its prey from moving.
77
It deploys all of its strength to take away the animal's energy, making it helpless.
78
So Titanoboa is not only really speedy and agile, it can also fight its corner pretty well.
79
It's definitely earned a point in the fighting skills section.
80
The score is now 2-2!
81
That's a tie going into the final round!
82
We've got one more section before we find out which of these ancient monsters will win!
83
Up now is Fighting Tools!
84
Apart from its ramming power, Megalodon has something else up its sleeve, even though it really doesn't have arms or wears a coat.
85
Let's take a look at its jaw.
86
Its teeth are about 7 inches long.
87
an absolute record for all known shark species in the world.
88
Megalodon has about 250 of these deadly pointy things arranged in 5 rows.
89
They're also really sharp, which helps it penetrate the thick skin of big animals like whales.
90
Megalodon's jaws are 6.5 feet wide, and it has one of the strongest bites of any animal on the planet.
91
Not only are Are they super dangerous?
92
Megalodon's teeth are also really valuable.
93
One of these ancient incisors was once found in Western Australia.
94
The location where it was dug up was kept secret, but this didn't stop intruders from stealing it.
95
It's probably in someone's private collection by now, and sadly, scientists missed the chance to learn something new about Megalodon.
96
Titanoboa also has a mean set of teeth.
97
They're thin and pointed like needles.
98
They bend inwards in the snake's jaw like fishing hooks.
99
This little feature helps Titanoboa get a grip on its prey and prevent the slightest chance of it running or swimming away.
100
If the animal tries to pull itself free, it will only hurt itself even more.
101
And remember that Titanoboa is incredibly agile, so it can strike with that bite at an incredible speed.
102
Now it's time for the fight itself!
103
but never swims in the open sea.
104
But here Megalodon has gotten lost and ended up in a shallow swampy area off the coast of Colombia.
105
In water like this, Megalodon finds it even harder to move around.
106
It could bite Titanoboa just once and the fight would be over.
107
But because the shark moves so much slower than the snake, for now, he doesn't get the chance to snap those enormous jaws.
108
Titanoboa starts attacking Megalodon, but it can't do much damage to that thick skin with its sharp but very short teeth.
109
Eventually, Megalodon gets its chance and ends the fight with a single bite.
110
It turns out that those huge teeth were what really mattered in this competition.
111
Chew on that for a while.
112
That's 3 to 2 and a victory to the giant shark!
📺 同频道
✨ 推荐视频
本课的词汇与口语要点
这段视频共有 112 个句子、1339 个单词可供跟读。 讲话部分时长为 8:42。 说话人语速自然,每分钟约 154 个词,接近日常对话。 只有 79% 的单词属于英语最常用的 3,000 词,词汇难度较高。
视频中的重点词汇
视频中 15 个值得学习的单词,附发音和释义:
| 单词 | 发音 | 释义 |
|---|---|---|
| bite 动词 | /baɪt/ | 咬 |
| snake 名词 | /sneɪk/ | шә, чончун |
| swim 动词 | /swɪm/ | 游泳 |
| prey 名词 | /pɹeɪ/ | 獵物 /猎物 |
| whale 名词 | /ˈweɪl/ | 鯨魚 /鲸鱼 |
| scientist 名词 | /ˈsaɪəntəst/ | 科學家 /科学家 |
| jaw 名词 | /d͡ʒɔː/ | 顎 /颚, 下顎 /下颚 |
| swallow 动词 | /ˈswɑ.loʊ/ | 吞, 咽 |
| predator 名词 | /ˈpɹɛd.ə.tɚ/ | 掠食者, 天敵 /天敌 |
| sharp 形容词 | /ʃɑɹp/ | 銳利 /锐利, 尖銳 /尖锐 |
| thick 形容词 | /θɪk/ | ху, 厚 |
| skill 名词 | /skɪl/ | 技巧, 技能 |
| tactics 名词 | /ˈtæktɪks/ | 戰術 /战术 |
| turtle 名词 | /ˈtɝtl̩/ | 龜 /龟, 烏龜 /乌龟 |
| earn 动词 | /ɝn/ | 掙 /挣, 賺 /赚 |
视频中出现的短语动词
| 单词 | 释义 |
|---|---|
| find out 动词 | 找出, 查明 |
| run away 动词 | 逃跑 |
| turn out 动词 | 原來 /原来 |
需要注意的发音
说话人用了 18 次缩略和弱读形式,例如 they're, doesn't, can't。请按听到的简短形式来说。
- “th” 音: thick /θɪk/, thin /ˈθɪn/, northeastern /ˌnorˈθiː.stɚn/
- “sh” 和 “zh” 音: sharp /ʃɑɹp/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, smash /smæʃ/, shallow /ˈʃæloʊ/, sailfish /ˈseɪlˌfɪʃ/
- 长单词——注意重音位置: incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, legendary /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənˌdɛɹ.i/, spectacular /spɛkˈtæk.jə.lɚ/, mobility /mə(ʊ)ˈbɪlɪti/
如何用这段视频练习
- 先完整听一遍视频,不要开口,记下不认识的单词。
- 先用 0.75 倍速逐句跟读,熟练之后再回到正常速度。
- 录下自己的声音并与原声对比,特别注意 bite, snake, swim 这类单词。
视频中的语法
说话人最常用的结构,并附上视频中的原话:
| 结构 | 视频中的用法 |
|---|---|
| 现在完成时 have/has + 过去分词 — 过去发生但与现在仍有关联的事 | have survived · have found · has gotten lost |
| 被动语态 be + 过去分词 — 强调发生了什么,而不是谁做的 | are just fossilized · was dug |
| 定语从句 who / which + 从句 — 补充说明人或事物 | Records, which is · sailfish, which is |
什么是跟读法?
跟读法 (Shadowing) 是一种有科学依据的语言学习技巧,最初开发用于专业口译员的培训,并由多语言者Alexander Arguelles博士普及。这个方法简单而强大:您在听英语母语原声的同时立即大声重复——就像是一个延迟1-2秒紧跟说话者的影子。与被动听力或语法练习不同,跟读法强迫您的大脑和口腔肌肉同时处理并模仿真实的讲话模式。研究表明它能显着提高发音准确性,语调,节奏,连读,听力理解和口语流利度——使其成为雅思口语备考和真实英语交流最有效的方法之一。























![[Unit 3.5] The Amazing Amazon - Listening English Through Dictation](https://img.youtube.com/vi/B9kaeOTrhBY/mqdefault.jpg)