中英文本

They're the big, hairy spiders of our nightmares. And it's no wonder we are afraid. Tarantulas are the biggest of all the arachnids. These spiders are killing machines perfectly adapted to their habitats. And the biggest and battiest of them all is the Goliath. It can grow to nearly a foot across with fangs an inch long. The Goliath makes itshome in the remote rainforests of South America.

它们是我们噩梦中又大又多毛的蜘蛛。难怪我们害怕。食鸟蜘蛛是所有蛛形纲动物中最大的。这些蜘蛛正在杀死完全适应它们栖息地的机器。其中最大最坏的是歌利亚。它可以长到近一英尺宽，长出一英寸长的尖牙。歌利亚蜘蛛在南美洲偏远的雨林中安家。

Night is when the Goliath is most active. But for these ambush predators, hunting means lying in wait. Near the entrance to her burrow, she lays down a silk welcome mat. It acts like a tripwire letting her know when something has ventured within range. Even with eight eyes, Goliaths like most spiders have weak vision. They are alerted to the presence of prey by vibrations rippling across their sensitive hairs. It's only a matter of time before some hapless creature like this floor mouse wanders too close and brushes against the silk. It's like ringing a dinner bell. The Goliath's venom proves fatal to this mouse.

夜晚是歌利亚蜘蛛最活跃的时候。但是对于这些埋伏的捕食者来说，捕猎意味着埋伏等待。在她洞穴的入口附近，她铺了一块丝绸垫。它就像一根绊网，以便她知道什么时候什么东西冒险进入了射程。即使有八只眼睛，歌利亚像大多数蜘蛛一样视力也很弱。它们敏感的毛发上的震动会使它们警觉到猎物的存在。一些不幸的生物，像这个地板老鼠靠的太近，黏在丝绸上只是时间问题。就像按晚餐铃一样。歌利亚的毒液对这只老鼠是致命的。

But for most people, the tarantula's bite is no worse than a bee sting. According to researchers, there has never been a single confirmed human death from a tarantula bite. Perhaps knowing the facts about these ancient predators can help turn human fear into fascination.

但对大多数人来说，食鸟蜘蛛的叮咬没有蜜蜂的叮咬糟糕。据研究人员称，从来没有人被食鸟蜘蛛咬死过。也许了解这些远古食肉动物的事实可以帮助人们把恐惧变成迷恋。

重点讲解

1.lay down 放下
She laid down her knife and fork and pushed her plate away.
她放下刀叉，推开盘子。

2.be alert to 谨防
Be alert to existing and potential production problems and take necessary corrective action.
提防存在和潜在的生产问题，并采取必要的纠正措施。

3.no worse than 不比……
These are interpreted as equally understandable actions, and judged as no worse than anything else that is going on today.
这些都一律被解读为可以谅解的行动，还被判定为并不比当今正在发生的任何其他事件更糟。