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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