Snakebites (2)

Russell's viper
This snake lives throughout Asia, including India, southern China, and on the island of Taiwan. It prefers grassy fields but can be found in forests and urban areas. It bits more people and causes more deaths than any other poisonous snake.

What to do
Snakes may be terrifying, but most are more afraid of you than you are of them. So if you see a snake, stand back and let it slither away. Wear shoes, or better yet boots, when walking outside where snakes might be concealed. Never put your hand somewhere you cannot see. 

If a snake bites you, try to get back so it doesn't bite again. And try to identify it if you can do so safely. Remove any jewelry that could constrict the bitten area. And avoid moving the affected limb to slow the venom's spread. Most importantly, go to an emergency medical center immediately to get antivenin, a medicine that will stop the venom's effects. Even the most dangerous bites can be cured with quick medical treatment.

Language Lab

Is an animal poisonous or venomous?

Using these two adjectives interchangeably is, strictly speaking, incorrect.

So what’s the difference? First, we must look at how the animal’s toxin is transferred.

Right. Venomous creatures transfer their toxin actively – that is they intentionally deliver it, usually through fangs or a stinger.

This means all the snakes in our lesson are venomous, not poisonous.

Because poisonous creatures will only transfer their toxins passively, like when they are ingested or touched.

An example of this is the poison dart frog. If some larger animal eats it or even touches it, the poison on the frog skin will get into the animal’s system and kill it.

Which leads us to the second distinction between poisonous and venomous – and that is how does the creature use its toxin? Poisonous creatures, like the dart frog, use their toxin for defensive purposes whereas venomous creatures use their toxin for offensive purposes.

In other words, a poisonous creature’s toxin serves as protection against predators whereas a venomous creature uses its toxin to kill its prey.

Correct. So, the blowfish, poisonous or venomous?

Poisonous.

And the scorpion?

Venomous.

You got it.

Grammar Gym

Hi there, friends. Thanks for joining me here at the Grammar Gym. My name is Liz. We see this sentence in today’s article: “… try to identify it if you can do so safely. That’s our Grammar Tip sentence. Our focus today is on the phrase: do so. It’s an expression that means “do this.” So what the writer is saying is: If you’re ever bitten by a snake, try to identify the snake if you can do it safely. We normally use “do so” in formal situations to talk about an action that is already mentioned.

Also, the subject needs to be the same. For example, let’s say Julia’s boss asked her to send out some letters, and Julia has already done it. Then we can say:
Julia’s boss has asked her to send out the letters, and she has already done so.
Or let’s say Thomas waited for a long time to quit his job, and this is something that Thomas should have done sooner.
So we can say:
Thomas waited too long to quit his job; he should have done so sooner.

And that’s it for today. Keep practicing your English. Doing so will help you to become more confident with your English. This is Liz from the Grammar Gym. See you next time.

Language Lab
terrify- v. 使害怕, 使恐怖
- An outbreak of the highly contagious disease terrified the country.
terrifying adj.可怕的。
- The terrifying experience of being bullied still lingers Jr. Vance's mind.
被霸凌的可怕經驗還留在Vance的腦海中

slither vi.(不及物動詞) 連走帶跑地滑; 滑溜
/ˈslɪðɚ/
always followed by an adverb or preposition : to move smoothly, quietly, or secretly like a snake [no obj]
- We saw a snake slither across the path in front of us.
- We tripped and slithered down the bank.

conceal vt.(及物動詞) 隱蔽, 隱藏; 隱瞞[(+from)][+wh-]
to hide (something or someone) from sight
- The girl put on very thick foundation to conceal her scar.
conceal 隱藏, 掩飾
to keep (something) secret
- The secret agent concealed his true identify for years.

constrict vt. 壓縮; 束緊
/kənˈstrɪkt/ 
to make something narrower or tighter, or to become narrower or tighter;
to limit someone's freedom to do what they want
- Mark doesn't like wearing any kind of tie because he hates the feeling of being constricted.
- Even though Helen was constricted by her disabilities, her story impacted many people's lives.

better yet - you suggested some idea first, while you are saying, the second idea come out even better than the first one. you can use " better yet " to give out the second suggestion.


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