Animal:BLACK WIDOW

BLACK WIDOW: She may be tiny, but the female black widow delivers one of the deadliest bites in the insect world. In fact, a single bite packs enough venom to kill a 50-pound child in a matter of hours. Practically blind, the black widow's web is her eyes and ears to the world. Insects that become entangled in the web are quickly wrapped up with silken rope and then pumped full of poison, which slowly dissolves the victim's insides. When the meal is ready, the black widow sucks out the juices then discards the shell. She is also a cannibal; if the male doesn't play the right tune on her web during courting, he may get eaten. He's also particularly vulnerable immediately after mating.

Animal:ANACONDA

ANACONDA: The anaconda is the world's heaviest snake, and nearly the longest. It averages 330 pounds and 20 feet in length, but can reach a whopping 550 pounds and 33 feet in length. The anaconda is an extremely patient ambush killer. Its eyes and nostrils are located on the top of its head, which allows it to remain almost totally submerged in shallow water. When a victim wanders by, it strikes. It then quickly wraps its muscular body around the prey and drags the struggling meal below the surface. There, the anaconda crushes the animal to death with its giant coils. This fearsome snake can unhinge its jaws to swallow prey as large as wild pigs, caimans and even deer.

Animal:CHEETAH

CHEETAH: The cheetah is quite literally built for speed. Its body is long and streamlined with a highly flexible, spring-like spine. Its spine allows the cheetah to throw its hind paws farther forward than normal, adding about 11 percent to its stride length. The spine also acts as a coil for the back legs, whipping them forward quickly for fast acceleration. The cheetah's long, slender legs, small, floating collarbones and vertical shoulder blades give it great range of motion, further lengthening its stride. Its short, wide nasal passages are designed to take in lots of oxygen quickly during sprints. It has oversized arteries and lungs to increase the amount of oxygen transferred to the bloodstream. It's no wonder that the cheetah is the fastest animal on land.

Olympics: The Flying FishContent

Content:In China he's known as 'the Flying Fish'; in America they call him 'the Baltimore Bullet'.


Phrase:
bullet子弹; household name家喻户晓的名字; tally（奖牌）总数; close shave差一点（输掉）；死里逃生;goggles游泳镜; armspan两只胳膊的长度（从一手指尖到另一手指尖）;flippers橡胶蹼， 鸭脚板;mayomayonnaise 的缩写，蛋黄酱;swimsuit（连体）游泳衣;spare a thought关心，想着;
destined to become命中注定成为;compatriot同胞;dominated the field独霸泳池;margin相差时间;physique体格;flexible joints灵活柔韧的关节;calories卡路里，热量;grits粗燕麦粉;making waves引起轰动，制造浪潮;meant to be命中注定的

The Opening Ceremony

Content:The 2008 Beijing Olympics began officially on Friday 8th August 2008 at 8pm in front of a crowd of 90,000 eager spectators in the Bird's Nest stadium.

Phrase:
eager spectators 热切的观众们;skyline天际;countdown倒数计时;intricately-choreographed复杂的编排;take centre stage;到舞台的中心thunderous reception;雷鸣般的接待;hoisted 被吊起来; predecessors 前任，;ingenuity独创性;towering高大的;
things got off to a bang 非常成功的开始;energetic充满活力的;sequence次序;vignettes 小插曲，小片断;flag bearer旗手;cauldron大锅，;outdid 超越了;synchronicity 同步性;inspirational 鼓舞人心的;pull it off 圆满完成

Duchess or Princess?

Content:The British actress Keira Knightley has rejected claims that her latest film The Duchess, a historical drama set in the 18th Century, parallels the life of Princess Diana.

Phrase:
rejected claims 否认; parallels 相似; aristocratic 贵族的; storyline 故事情节; tagline （电影的）标志性语言;play down 淡化;warrant 确保，保证;scolded 批评divorce 离婚;visual feast 视觉大餐
Duchess 女公爵;great-great-great-great aunt 上推四代曾祖母;mistress 情妇;clandestine relationship 秘密关系; highly candid 非常坦诚不公的;character 角色;doomed marriage ;注定要失败的婚姻;press conference 记者招待会; taboo 禁忌; painstakingly recreated 费尽心机重现

Return of the Heroes

Content:Members of the British Team received a heroes’ welcome in London after their best Olympic performance for over a century.

Phrases:phenomenal triumph;beyond everyone’s wildest dreams;living in a bubble ;added bonus;trademark aerobatic flypast;