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Sharks
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Sharks
鲨鱼

Learn English with this sharks English lesson

Date: Jul 17 2013

Grammar: Comparatives and Superlatives

Intro

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We’ve all seen the movie. Two people, sitting on a lifeboat, many days at sea. Hot, thirsty, hungry, and delirious. Suddenly, one of them shouts “Shark!” and they reach for each other. Is it a hallucination, or is it real? Did they just survive a shipwreck to be eaten by the most terrifying predator in the ocean?

People enjoy being scared by sharks. There’s no other way to explain our love of movies like Jaws and Open Water. Somehow it’s exciting to know that there’s a chance that we’re swimming with dangerous, deadly creatures. Some of us get a kick out of knowing our lives are at risk.

What’s your opinion? Devan and Jeff share theirs in this lesson about sharks.

我们都看过这部电影。两个人在救生船上度过了多日。饥渴疲惫,炎热晕眩。突然,其中一人大喊“鲨鱼!”,然后两人彼此紧抱。这是幻觉,还是现实?他们刚刚幸免于海难,之后是否会被海洋中最可怕的肉食动物所吞食?

人们喜欢鲨鱼带来的恐惧感。没有别的方法能够解释我们对电影《大白鲨》(Jaws) 和《颤栗汪洋》(Open Water) 的喜爱之情。莫名其妙地,知道我们有机会和危险致命的生物一起畅游,这真让人兴奋不已。我们中的有些人就是很享受生活中充满风险。

你对此有何看法?在这节以鲨鱼为主题的英语课上,德凡和杰夫会分享他们的看法。

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Devan

Devan

Jeff

Jeff

Devan:  So, did you catch “Shark Week”?

Jeff:  I don’t own a TV.

Devan:  It’s my favorite week of television! Sharks are so exciting.

Jeff:  I hear that from a lot of people.

Devan:  Do you not like them? Are you scared of them?

Jeff:  I’d say I have a pretty somewhat reasonable fear of them. Just surfing, and stuff, and hearing those kinds of stories first-hand from people. At the same time, I also see people swimming with certain types of sharks.

Devan:  I mean, they are deadly creatures. Do you fear all predators or are those the scariest to you?

Jeff:  I think it’s only natural to feel fear when you know something can eat you. So, yes.

Devan:  That’s true. And they are kind of at the top of the food chain. At least, in the ocean.

Jeff:  I think it’s important to respect that. You know, once you do that, you can go from there.

Devan:  So, I take it you won’t be cage diving with sharks anytime soon.

Jeff:  I would totally do that. Yeah.

 

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Discussion

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Devan is really excited because “Shark Week” was just on TV. It’s her favorite week of television all year because it only shows programs about sharks. Devan shares her enthusiasm with Jeff, but his response isn’t what she was expecting. It turns out that Jeff is afraid of sharks.

Jeff’s argument is a good one: Sharks attack surfers. Sharks can eat you. Sharks are at the top of the food chain. It’s reasonable to be afraid of sharks. Devan still finds them exciting, though. It sounds like sharks are her favorite animal even though they’re dangerous. Perhaps because they’re dangerous!

Jeff may say he’s scared of sharks, but when Devan asks if he would like to dive with sharks, he says yes. What’s up with that? Jeff sounds like he has a “love-hate relationship” with sharks. He can’t decide if they’re incredible or terrifying.

Why are people so interested in something so deadly? Do you think sharks are exciting? Would you go cage diving with them? Have you ever seen one up close?

 

Comments

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loverflower

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I like shark and other animals .I like touching them and I degree with embay them

09:49 PM Jul 19 2013 |

haitham4vip

Egypt

dangerous types

11:59 PM Jul 17 2013 |

mansoormansoory

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I think sharks are the powerful creatures with forceful jaws that are top of the food chain mean very frightening also I myself have seen some people with no hand or a leg that causes of involvement with a shark, very dangerous kind of animal!

08:12 PM Jul 17 2013 |

Irene Forever

Ukraine

I agree with both Jeff and Devan. Sharks are gorgeous creatures which can terrify and admire us simultaneously.


People are always interested in something unusual. Many of us have never seen a shark closely, and for sure, I’d like to try her look at myself.


I’m not sure if I could go cage diving with sharks, but now I feel I want it. Can you imagine the feeling of being next to its grasping snap? It must be terribl, but it’s such an animal which has right for life. Just be careful, keep away of it and a shark will be very calm.:)

05:26 PM Jul 17 2013 |

1 person likes this

yanock0

France

I have to say that i never saw a shark in my life. I’m not really afraid of them since i’d never been confront to one of them.


I don’t think they are the most dangerous predators, maybe under the sea and i’m not sure about that. A lot vicious animals live there.


And on earth there are a lot of terrible things too, like snake or lions. You can even be killed by a moskito…


Maybe we see them as dangerous animal because in the water we are like destitute.

02:48 PM Jul 17 2013 |

princessanika

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i think they are very funny and Off Course dangrous but i watched many movies about sharks and they were very fantastic movie.

02:05 PM Jul 17 2013 |

Eduardo Runner

Brazil

I don´t know the name in English but my daughter and I touched a shark in a Aquarium… a pacific breed of shark….

01:51 PM Jul 17 2013 |

naira71

naira71

Azerbaijan

Sharks are relly exciting .But I have never seen sharks in real life and honestly wouldnt come close to them.they are the most terrible  predators among all animals.

11:45 AM Jul 17 2013 |

erls

erls

Uzbekistan

I think there are some people are interested in sharks, we are so different. I am afraid of cats for example :) although the most of us love them.  I think it’s effect of my childhood. Mama told they feel rancour towards who harmed them. 

09:56 AM Jul 17 2013 |

houstonboo

Hong Kong

Sharks are incredible creature in the world. Undoubtedly, they are the strongest animal in the sea, which no other animals could easily defeat them. However, their predator is human because of their prestigious fins.


Peope are interested in cage diving so deadly because they thought they can manage doing something with those sharks. In fact, sharks are the predator in the sea. People could be at risk if the cage is broken.

09:24 AM Jul 17 2013 |

drallon

drallon

China

It is hard to say if I love shark,but I love dolphin for shape and nature and it is humman’s friend.I also love shark’s shape ,but it is so dangerous that we cannot near them.If let me dive with shark, I think I wont do that,but I would like do it with dolphin.Though I am scared of sharks, I think we humman should protect them.We humman should eat shark fin as little as possible.

09:12 AM Jul 17 2013 |

eleneva

eleneva

Hungary

I haven’t seen a single shark in life… but I’m afraid all of them…I think they are really beautiful creature, but they are the king of the oceans like the leon in the savanna… and yes, all of predators which can eat the people is dangerous…

08:36 AM Jul 17 2013 |

am.h768

am.h768

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

they are beautiful just like other creature but I definitely don’t wanna swim next to them :)


that would be enough to just watch them.

07:10 AM Jul 17 2013 |

whipiry

whipiry

South Korea

‘Shark week’ is a kind of contributor to killing so many sharks for food or unreasonable hostility. Unseen fear and anmosity can make so many sharks die in ocean.


Do you know how many sharks is being killed in Hongkong and Other Asian cultures for their fins.


Our fear against a shark is like bubble…too small comparing to their danger and fear to human being.


human being is the biggest fear to them and the top of the food chain…..


05:41 AM Jul 17 2013 |

hery_rachman

Indonesia

I like beach, sea, ocean, n water. But I don’t really like a deep water,cz I feel there’s a shark under my legs..:D

05:25 AM Jul 17 2013 |

1 person likes this

The_beetle

The_beetle

Thailand

I’m  scared of sharks !

05:10 AM Jul 17 2013 |

1 person likes this

Arghavan

Arghavan

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

like all you guys,I am scared of shark and i realy respect them.They act in a secretly way to catch their bait.


I really like tuning into document of sea and its events.


in my dream,I wish to travel under the sea and watch the wonderful creature that God makes for us.and then die in it.

04:13 AM Jul 17 2013 |

shaerwan

shaerwan

Syrian Arab Republic

sharks are very exciting


i love them


and wanna have cage diving with them


04:02 AM Jul 17 2013 |

Masbarar

MasbararSuper Member!

Turkey

I saw the sharks just at the aquariums.When seeing at the aquariums,I don’t afraid them.But when I’m in the sea,when I see to deep of the sea and if I swim at the deep,I afraid to find a shark in my facing.At the beginning the reason was just the movie ” JAWS ”.But now when I read the news,I afraid more.Two days ago also I read that a girl has been killed by a shark at 3 meters distance from the sea at Reunion Island.Because of that I can never swim at the beaches where there is the shark attack risk.Maybe it can happen 1 in 100,000 persons,but I don’t want to be one of them if to avoid this risk is in my hands.


In any case I like the sharks,I like their movies.I like the movies of all the dangerous animals.We have to save their lifes even if they can be dangerous sometimes.

01:57 AM Jul 17 2013 |

Ngubo Sixtus

South Africa

i only watch it on tv. i do like to see them up close.

01:49 AM Jul 17 2013 |

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