20090728 -- How Sharks Work (1)

How Sharks Work

The summer beach season is prime time for shark attacks. It seems like sharks are attacking all the time. But that is something of an illusion. The number of attacks is very small (only 23 in Florida in 2006). Have you ever wondered about the sharks themselves? It turns out that sharks are absolutely fascinating creatures.

How a shark hunts
Muscles and fins give the shark its speed and maneuverability in the water. A shark's front fins act like the wings of an airplane and let it "fly" through the water. The tail acts like a high-power propeller. But the big thing that gives the shark it edge in the ocean is its sensory package. The package includes the shark's eyes, ears, skin, nose and mouth, as well as electric sensing.

A shark's nose is probably its most important sense. If you were to put a single drop of blood in an Olympic-size swimming pool, a great white shark could smell that. And they can tell the direction that the smell is coming from. Many sharks can also hear sounds of distress from miles away.



prime adj. 首要的/主要的
prime time 最黃金的時段
=> the best quality
=> the most important
=> Here means the most popular/common/best time
eg: The busy intersaction is a prime location for a convenience store.
eg: Housewives are our prime custmoers.
eg: The prime time of restaurants is between 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM.
eg: The Oscars will be broadcast during prime time.

absolutely adv. 絕對地/完全地
=> totally/completely
eg: These pictures you took of the mountains and river are absolutely beautiful!

fin n. 鰭
eg: The fins on a fish's body help it swim.

edge U. 優勢/優越的條件
=> advantage
eg: Ken's skill at playing basketball gave his team an edge during the game.
eg: Because of his language skills, he has an edge over the other applicants.
eg: Her years of experience gave her an extra edge in the field.

maneuver v. 巧妙的操縱
maneuverability n. 機動性/操縱的靈巧性
eg: Power-steering(動力方向盤) improves the maneuverability of a car.

illusion n. 錯覺/幻覺/假象
=> appear to be ture, acutally isn't

propeller n. 螺旋槳/推進器
distress n. 悲痛

//== Chat room ==//

prime time
=> TV prime time (7:00-10:00 pm) 電視黃金時段

prime time (課文) 全盛時期
=> most likely time

high time 應該立即做某件事的時刻
=> it's about time that something should be done.
eg: It's high time to clean up your room.
eg: It's high time for us to go.

//== Grammer on the go ==//

But that is something of an illusion.
=> But that is in some ways an illusion.

something of a 有幾分
=> to some extent
=> in some ways

eg: Although the performance was meant to be a high-class production, in the end, it turned out to become something of a joke.
eg: Ernesto enjoys being funny; he is something of a class clown.