ALL+互動英語[有聲版]：【進階、應用】聽說讀寫全面升級 2024年6月號第235期 (電子雜誌)

Deadly Oddity: Some Strange Facts about the Portuguese Man-of-War
獨特卻致命的僧帽水母
6/12
Floating along on the surface of the ocean, a beautiful yet deadly creature drifts with the current. With its long tentacles and gas-filled bladder, it looks like a jellyfish. However, it’s actually a siphonophore, a strange colony of genetically identical individuals. Yes, unlike a jellyfish, a Portuguese man-of-war isn’t a single organism. Rather, it’s a collection of countless tiny organisms that must work in concert to survive. Read on to learn some other amazing facts about this bizarre and interesting creature.
It was named after a type of ship.
The odd name Portuguese man-of-war probably came from the creature’s resemblance to 16th-century Portuguese warships known as “men-of-war.” In particular, its gas bladder, which resembles a sail, likely led to the name. Another theory suggests that the name derived from the bladder’s similarity to the helmets worn by 16th-century Portuguese soldiers.
Its tentacles can be as long as an Olympic-size swimming pool.
While they’re typically around 30 feet in length, the tentacles of some Portuguese men-of-war can extend to a staggering 165 feet. Armed with venom-containing cells, these tentacles can supply an agonizing sting. Worse yet, the tentacles remain dangerous even when separated from the rest of the creature, capable of stinging unsuspecting swimmers or beachgoers.
一種美麗卻會致命的生物漂浮在海面上，隨著洋流漂流。有著長長的觸鬚和充滿氣體的鰾，牠看起來就像水母。然而，牠其實是管水母目動物，是一種由基因相同的個體組成的特殊群體。沒錯，與水母不同，僧帽水母（又稱為葡萄牙戰艦）並不是單一的生物體。更確切地說，牠是由無數個必須共同合作才能生存的微小生物體所組成的群體。繼續讀下去來了解這種奇特又有趣的生物一些其他令人稱奇的事實。
牠是以一種類型的船來命名。
葡萄牙戰艦這個奇怪的名字可能源自於該生物與十六世紀被稱為「戰爭之人」的葡萄牙軍艦的相似之處。尤其牠的鰾看起來像帆，可能因此而得名。另一個看法則說此名源自於其鰾與十六世紀葡萄牙士兵所戴的頭盔類似。
其觸鬚可以和奧運規格的游泳池一樣長。
雖然僧帽水母的觸鬚通常長約三十英尺，但有些可以延伸到驚人的一百六十五英尺長。這些觸鬚帶有含毒液的細胞，能夠造成痛苦的刺傷。更糟的是，即使脫離水母的其他部位，觸鬚仍具有危險性，能夠螫傷毫無戒心的泳客或海灘客。

6/13
It feeds on fish that get too close.
The man-of-war’s tentacles are used to attack its prey, which consist mainly of tiny fish, plankton, and shrimp. The sting delivered by the tentacles paralyzes the prey, and the tentacles then reel the meal upwards to be digested.
As dangerous as it is, it’s not invincible.
Despite its deadly sting, some creatures do manage to turn the tables on the man-of-war, with its many predators including sea turtles, sunfish, and sea slugs. In fact, while eating a man-of-war, a sea slug can even store the man-of-war’s toxic cells in its own skin to use in its defense. In contrast, the skin of loggerhead turtles, including that on their tongues and throats, is simply too thick for man-of-war stings to penetrate, allowing the turtles to gobble men-of-war down without injury.
While it’s got some enemies, it also has friends.
Some fish are partially immune to man-of-war stings, which enables them to gain protection by hiding among a man-of-war’s tentacles. Meanwhile, their presence benefits the man-of-war by attracting other fish that it can eat.
The man-of-war is pretty peculiar, and the above facts are actually just scratching the surface. If you take a closer look at these unusual animals, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the wealth of information available.

牠以靠近的魚類為食。
僧帽水母的觸鬚用於攻擊獵物，主要包括小魚、浮游生物和蝦子。觸鬚所發動的刺擊會讓獵物癱瘓，然後觸鬚會將食物捲起來消化。
雖然危險，但牠並非所向無敵。
儘管僧帽水母的刺會致命，但有些生物卻有辦法扭轉局勢，其中包含海龜、翻車魚和海蛞蝓等眾多僧帽水母的掠食者。事實上，海蛞蝓在吃掉僧帽水母時，甚至可以將僧帽水母的毒細胞儲存在自己的皮膚中用於防衛之用。相較之下，赤蠵龜的皮膚（包括舌頭和喉嚨的皮膚）只不過是太厚了，僧帽水母的刺無法穿透，這使得赤蠵龜能大口吃僧帽水母而不受到傷害。
儘管有一些敵人，但牠也有朋友。
有些魚類對僧帽水母的刺有部分免疫，這讓牠們能夠躲在僧帽水母的觸鬚之間而獲得保護。與此同時，這些魚的存在對僧帽水母有好處，因為會吸引其他僧帽水母會吃的魚。
僧帽水母相當奇特，而上述事實其實只觸及皮毛而已。如果你更仔細觀察這些不尋常的動物，你會對獲得的豐富資訊感到驚喜。

LiveABC互動英語教學集團創立以來持續研發數位學習內容，累積了豐富數位出版經驗，並成為經濟部『中堅企業重點輔導對象』唯一數位出版廠商，同時也是台灣第一家獲得『數位學習教材品質認證AAA級』最高榮譽的出版廠商，LiveABC擁有先進的技術與多媒體製作團隊，搭配專業的國內外教材編輯團隊，精心研發互動式多媒體語言學習產品，為數位學習的領導品牌，讓學習者能夠體驗「Learning Is Very Easy with LiveABC」

Unit 1 News Report 看新聞學英語
Taiwan Election Ushers In New President
臺灣大選迎來新總統

Unit 2 Travel  繞著地球玩
Walking the Path of the Incas
印加古道健行記

Unit 3 History  歷史事件
Beyond the Beaches: The Legacy of D-day 80 Years Later
諾曼第登陸八十週年紀念日

CNN主播教你說英語
Zero-Waste Fine Dining in London
倫敦的零廢棄精緻餐飲

Unit 4 綜合測驗
The Mystery of the Mary Celeste
瑪麗．賽勒斯特號之謎

Unit 5 Dialogue Focus  情境對話
Popular Houseplants
超人氣室內植物
Growing Your Green Thumb
培養園藝技能

Unit. 6 Animal  動物知識
Deadly Oddity: Some Strange Facts about the Portuguese Man-of-War
獨特卻致命的僧帽水母

Unit 7 文意選填
Feeling the Burn: Everything You Need to Know about Chili Peppers
辣椒：火辣滋味的祕密

Unit 8 Writing  寫作練習
Translation Practice
翻譯寫作

Unit 9 People  人物側寫
Shohei Ohtani: A Player like No Other
大谷翔平：投打俱佳的棒球明星

Unit 10 混合題型
Tipping Trends: A Global Perspective
小費文化面面觀

Unit 11 Reading Skill 讀門祕笈
The Patient Cat
〈有耐心的貓〉

Unit 12 Plus Talk  會話百分百
Air-Travel Complications
搭機英語
1. A Late Arrival  報到遲到
2. A Problem at Check-In  報到遇到問題
3. A Dietary Difficulty  機上飲食出錯
4. An In-Flight Health Issue  在機上感到身體不適

Unit 13 篇章結構
Why Climate Change May Be Causing Slower Winds
為何氣候變遷會讓風速變慢？

Unit 14 Topic Writing 主題式寫作
Writing about Pets
探討養寵物熱潮