SPEAKING FLUENCY #220 Here are the questions with answers. Pause the recording and speak out loud. You don t have to be perfect. Just speak quickly and have fun. Remember, if you want to improve your speaking, you have to speak a lot. w w w. d e e p e n g l i s h. c o m
From the land of Pokemon, Hello Kitty, and all that is cute come some pretty dangerous creatures of the wild. What comes from the land of Pokemon, Hello Kitty, and all that is cute? Some pretty dangerous creatures of the wild come from the land of Pokemon, Hello Kitty, and all that is cute. From bears and wild boar, to centipedes and snakes, to sharks and poisonous jellyfish, there are all sorts of animals in Japan that can do you harm. Are there all sorts of animals in Japan that can do you harm? Yes, there are. From bears and wild boar, to centipedes and snakes, to sharks and poisonous jellyfish, there are all sorts of animals in Japan that can do you harm. But by far the most deadly to humans is the Japanese giant hornet. What animal is by far the most deadly to humans? By far the most deadly to humans is the Japanese giant hornet. It is the largest of its kind in the world, with adults reaching close to 5 centimeters in length. Is it the smallest of its kind in the world? No, it isn t the smallest of its kind in the world. It is the largest of its kind. Do adults reach close to 5 millimeters in length? No, they don t reach close to 5 millimeters in length. They reach close to 5 centimeters in length. The hornets are fast, aggressive and venomous, and are responsible for an average of up to 40 human fatalities a year in Japan. Are the hornets slow, peaceful, and harmless? No, they aren t slow, peaceful, and harmless. They are fast, aggressive, and venomous. How many human fatalities are they responsible for each year in Japan? They are responsible for an average of up to 40 human fatalities a year in Japan. But it isn t humans who should be most worried about the giant hornet; it s actually European honeybees, which are plentiful in Japan. Who should be most worried about the giant hornet? European honeybees should be most worried about the giant hornet. Are European honeybees scarce in Japan? No, European honeybees aren t scarce in Japan. They are plentiful. Deep English, 2011-2016 www.deepenglish.com 02
You see, giant hornets love to eat honeybees. Do honeybees love to eat giant hornets? No, honeybees do not love to eat giant hornets. Giant hornets love to eat honeybees. And since European bees did not evolve in the vicinity of giant hornets, they have no defense against their attack. Do European honeybees have a defense against a giant hornet attack? No, they don t have a defense against a giant hornet attack. Why not? They don t have a defense against a giant hornet attack because they did not evolve in the vicinity of giant hornets. The result is a scene straight out of a horror flick. Is the result a scene straight out of a comedy flick? No, the result isn t a scene straight out of a comedy flick. It is a scene straight out of a horror flick. The hornets grab each bee, decapitate it with their powerful, scissor-like jaws, rip off their limbs, and take the big juicy thorax as their prize. Do the hornets decapitate each bee? Yes, the hornets decapitate each bee. And what do the hornets take as their prize? They take the big juicy thorax as their prize. A single Japanese hornet can kill an average of 40 European bees a minute. Deep English, 2011-2016 www.deepenglish.com 03
How many European bees can a single Japanese hornet kill in one minute? A single Japanese hornet can kill an average of 40 European bees a minute. This means, a swarm of 30 hornets can wipe out a colony of 10,000 bees in just an hour. Now that s a massacre! What can a swarm of 30 hornets do in just an hour? A swarm of 30 hornets can wipe out a colony of 10,000 bees in just an hour. Is it a massacre? Yes, it is. It s a massacre. But what about the Japanese bees? Well, over thousands of years they ve developed a clever defense against these voracious predators, and it involves heat. What kind of predators are the giant hornets? The giant hornets are voracious predators. And what kind of defense have the Japanese bees developed over thousands of years? They ve developed a clever defense over thousands of years. And what does that defense involve? That defense involves heat. Japanese honeybees can survive temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius, while the giant hornet can only withstand temperatures of up to 46 degrees. Can Japanese honeybees survive temperatures of up to 150 degrees Celsius? No, they cannot survive temperatures of up to 150 degrees Celsius. They can survive temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius. And what about the giant hornet? The giant hornet can only withstand temperatures of up to 46 degrees. Can you survive temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius? When a hornet comes near, they don't attack it one-by-one like their European cousins do. Do Japanese honeybees attack hornets one-by-one? No, they don t attack hornets one-by-one. Instead, they passively lure the hornet inside the hive. What do they do instead? Instead, they passively lure the hornet inside the hive. At that point, they swarm around the hornet, enclosing it in a tight, vibrating ball of bee bodies. Deep English, 2011-2016 www.deepenglish.com 04
Do the bees dance around the hornet? No, they don t dance around the hornet. They swarm around the hornet. What do they enclose the hornet in? They enclose the hornet in a tight, vibrating ball of bee bodies. Within minutes they are able to raise the internal temperature of the ball up to 47 degrees. This roasts the giant hornet to death, leaving the bees completely unharmed. What does the vibrating ball do to the internal temperature? The vibrating ball raises the internal temperature to 47 degrees. And what does this do to the giant hornet? This roasts the giant hornet to death. And does it harm the bees? No, it doesn t harm the bees. It leaves the bees completely unharmed. It's a remarkable solution to what would otherwise be certain death. Is it a standard solution to what would otherwise be certain death? No, it isn t a standard solution to what would otherwise be certain death. It is a remarkable solution to what would otherwise be certain death. We often laud humans for their ability to solve problems in new and creative ways. Do we often scold humans for their ability to solve problems in new and creative ways? No, we don t scold humans for their ability to solve problems in new and creative ways. We often laud humans for their ability to solve problems in new and creative ways. But the solutions that nature provides can be equally, if not more ingenious. Can the solutions that nature provides be as good as the solutions humans create? Yes, they can. The solutions that nature provides can be equally, if not more ingenious. Have you ever come up with an ingenious solution to a problem? Photos / Credits: Photo #1 (cover) by Fe Ilya: https://www.flickr.com/photos/renneville/2908748583/ Deep English, 2011-2016 www.deepenglish.com 05