English Fun Facts | 英语趣事听说‪堂‬ Annanova

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Photo Credit: Photo by Giovanni Calia on Unsplash
Background Music Credit: 
Happy by Mike Leite https://soundcloud.com/mikeleite
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/al_happyMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/TlwWc-6dZig

Lobster Uses Bladder to Communicate and Antenna to Smell
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:
Brie: Hey, Andrea!  Let’s go to Red Lobster for dinner tonight. The restaurant is finally open again after some of the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.  It’s been a while since the last time we went there, and I’ve been craving for their fresh and juicy lobster meat for a long while.  They always have the best fresh seafood in town. 
Andrea: What a coincidence! I’m very hungry, and so was thinking about seafood for dinner as well. But is the restaurant open for dine-in customers yet?  Either way, I think we’d better order to-go! I don’t want to risk contracting the coronavirus.
Brie:  They do take indoor diners, but we can certainly order online and do a curbside pick-up.  
Andrea:  Even if we do curbside, we’ll still have to wait in line.  I don’t want to spend all that money for a lobster just to wait around.  What if we went to the grocery store instead and just picked out a lobster from the lobster tank?
Brie:  You mean to take home and cook ourselves? You’ve got to be kidding!  That’s too much of a hassle!  Besides, how will we know which lobster is the best to select from the tank?   I’m certainly not a lobster chef, the store clerks are not lobster chefs, and it’s not like the lobsters are going to jump out and say to us, “pick me! pick me!”
Andrea:  Brie, your sarcasm cracks me up!   Though, in all reality, those lobsters are probably communicating their fear of us with each other!
Brie:  Yah, I bet that’s what they’re doing when I see them moving their little beard looking antennae.  They’re probably telling each other, “watch out!  Those humans are hungry for lobster!”
Andrea:  They might be communicating that, but I can tell you for certain it’s not by just moving their antennae!
Brie:  Then how?
Andrea: Well, it’s quite a fun fact!  Lobsters communicate by urinating on each other.  They have two bladders located on either side of their heads.  When they want to communicate their emotions to other lobsters, especially for mating or fighting, they squirt urine from a release nozzle located under their eyes that can travel up to 7 feet in front of them!  So, I guess you could say that they urinate from their faces.
Brie:  哇哦！龙虾是通过互相撒尿来进行交流的。 在它们的头两侧各有一个膀胱。 当它们想与其他龙虾交流感情时，尤其是在交配或争斗的时候, 它们会从位于眼睛下方的释放喷嘴中喷出远达7英寸，也就是1-2米距离的尿液！So you mean it’s very easy for them to see their own urine as they’re urinating?
Andrea:  Yes, and that urine contains pheromones, or chemical messages, that are used to communicate attraction, aggression, and recognition.  
Brie:  龙虾的尿液中含有费洛蒙信息素或化学传讯素，用于交流吸引力，攻击性和识别性等信息。So instead of communicating through making noise or by using gestures like other animals, they just squirt at each other?  Lobsters are so strange!  So, what is the function of their antennae then?
Andrea: Crustaceans, like lobsters and crabs, depend on their sense of smell to search out food, stay safe, and find a mate.  They use their four antennas, which are covered in tiny hairs, to smell. They also use their antennae to see.  A lobster's eyes can only detect light and shadows, but through using their antennae, they are able to see colors and images as well. 
Brie:  如同龙虾和螃蟹这样的甲壳类动物，它们通常依靠嗅觉来寻觅食物，发现危险和寻找伴侣的。 有趣的是它们的嗅觉器官是它们头部上由细小毛发覆盖的四条触须。另外，龙虾的触须还有视觉功能

Can you Hear the Difference between Hot & Cold Water?
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:
Brie: What a cold and gloomy winter this has turned out to be! I’ve been watching this commercial for Twinings® Tea, and it’s making me want a cup of hot tea right now. The sound that the hot water makes as it’s being poured into the glass makes the tea seem so warm and enticing. 
Andrea: I agree, we’ve had a real cold spell this winter.  The creators of that tea ad you’ve been watching crafted those sensory sounds to remind people of what it’s like to boil a cup of light, stimulating, and aromatic tea .  Obviously, they were quite successful in their delivery!
Brie: Indeed! I wonder how they managed to do that? The commercials must have stimulated the connection between my sense of hearing and brain.
Andrea:  You are right, Brie! That commercial is successful because it mixes brain science with auditory and multisensory product branding and marketing.  There has been a lot of research that shows that we tie sounds to memories. For example, think of the nostalgia you feel when you hear a song on the radio that reminds you of a cherished moment in your life.   In this ad, the sound of pouring hot water triggers in me a pleasant memory of brewing a fragrant cup of hot tea! 
Brie:  What do you mean by the sound of pouring hot water?  It’s obvious by looking at the steam that the water is hot, but how can you tell based on the sound? 
Andrea: Hot water has its own characteristic sound, which, I must say, is quite an interesting fun fact!  Did you know that by pouring water into a cup, people are able to tell if the water is hot or cold based only on a slight difference in sound? The sound differences are subtle but definitely distinguishable if you pay close attention.  You need to have a good sense of hearing to perceive the difference.
Brie:  热水和冷水倒入杯中产生的声音是有细微差别的。如果我们在平时生活中用心倾听，就可以只依靠倒水声音的不同来能辨别水是冷是热了！ Interesting！What is the reason for the difference in sound between hot and cold water?
Andrea:  The reason that hot and cold water sound different when poured into a cup is due to their differing viscosities.  Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid to change shape and is defined by the internal shear stress between molecules rubbing against each other.  Hot water has a lower viscosity than cold water because heat causes the molecules to become excited and energized. Cold water molecules, on the other hand, are slower moving and tend to stick to one another more.  As the temperature of a fluid increases, its viscosity decreases.  Just think of honey: As it gets warmer, it becomes more runny.  As a result of these differences in viscosity, when cold water is poured into a cup, the splashes that it makes against the sides of the cup sound different than the splashes that hot water makes.  The more we practice listening when we pour hot and cold water, the more attuned our brain becomes to the differences in sound.   
Brie:  倒热水和冷水声音的不同跟它们粘度的不同有关。粘度是流体抵抗变形能力的一个量度，是由分子之间的内部摩擦来定义的。随着水温的逐渐升高，水的粘度是逐渐降低的。由于热水的粘度低于冷水，当将冷水倒入杯中时，其在杯壁上产生的飞溅声与热水产生的飞溅声是不同的。So, what kind of sounds do hot and cold water make when poured?
Andrea:  Hot water produces a sound that has a higher pitch than cold water due to the faster movements of hot water molecules. Since it is more viscous, cold water produces fewer bubbles than hot water when it is poured.  This causes cold water to prod

How Did the Jeep Get Its Name?
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:
Brie: Hey, Andrea, the new year is right around the corner! I’m thinking about buying a new car since it’s the season when they go on sale.  Although I’m attached to my current car for sentimental reasons, I see now that it’s time to say goodbye. 
Andrea: Good idea, Brie.  You’ve probably been driving that same car for at least ten years now.  It’s definitely time to get a newer and more reliable car for the winter! Do you have any specific car models on your mind that you’d like to look at?
Brie: Well, I’m torn between the Jeep Cherokee and the Toyota RAV4 at the moment.  I like that they are both charming, small SUVs.  Jeep is an American brand and well-known for its off-roading capabilities, while the Toyota RAV4 , a popular Japanese car, just got redesigned last year.
Andrea: It sounds like you have a tough choice to make!  Buying a car is a major expense, and you should definitely consider all factors before making the final decision! I think a Jeep is a nice vehicle.   Hmm...have you ever wondered where the name “Jeep” comes from?
Brie:  I’ve never thought about it before. Well, a lot of automobile manufacturers name their brands after the names of their founders.  There’s Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Buick, Honda, and Toyota.  But I’m pretty sure there was no founder named Jeep.  I have heard that the term was used in the US military in World War I as slang to refer to untested vehicles and newly enlisted soldiers.  Could that be the origin of its name, since Jeep vehicles were used in the military?
Andrea:  You’re on the right track, Brie.  Although no one really knows where the name for the car came from, there are some interesting explanations. So, I’d say that how the name for the car Jeep came to be is actually quite a fun fact!  
Brie:  Alright, Andrea, let’s hear your theory for how the name came to be. I’m all ears!
Andrea:  Okay, well, the Ford company created the first Jeep vehicle in 1940 for use in the US military and called it a GP. That’s the letter G combined with the letter P.  Some people believe GP stood for “Government Pygmy”, while others think that GP was an abbreviation for “General Purpose”.  Either way, the acronym GP sounds a lot like the word we know today as Jeep. 
Brie: 福特在1940年制造了第一辆用于美国军事的吉普车，并将其称为GP。有一些人认为GP 是“Government Pygmy”的缩写，而另一些人则认为GP是“ General Purpose”通用的缩写。 无论哪种方式，首字母缩写GP听起来很像我们今天所熟知的吉普（Jeep）这个词。 But government Pygmy? What does that mean? It sounds strange.
Andrea:  I’m not sure, and it sounds weird to me too. But pygmy refers to a plant, animal, or human that is short in stature, so maybe it was originally a joke referring to how light and compact the government vehicles appeared to be.
Brie: I see, government pygmy 是对政府车辆中轻巧紧凑车型的一个戏谑称呼。Are there any other theories about the origin of the name of the Jeep vehicle?
Andrea: Well, a Jeep is a vehicle that drives well over rough terrain.  So, some people believe that the Jeep was named after Eugene the Jeep, a character from the popular newspaper comic strip Thimble Theatre that is now known as Popeye the Sailor. In the comic, Popeye had a magical pet that he called Eugene the Jeep who was known to be able to “go anywhere and do anything”, a motto that Ford used in its Jeep commercials.
Brie:  有些人认为吉普车是以一个颇受欢迎的报纸连环漫画《顶针剧院》，如今被称为《大力士水手》里的角色尤金尼吉普的名字来命名的。在漫画中，尤金尼吉普是大力