RULERS OF THE SKY (1)

The approximately 420 species of birds of prey come in many sizes and shapes.

There is something about a big and powerful eagles soaring in the sky that gives people a sense of wonder. Eagles, along with hawks and other birds of prey, have a well-deserved reputation for inspiring wonder. They are superb hunters, extremely skilled at taking live prey. Their keen eyesight is one of the reasons for this. It is up to eight times better than a human with the most acute eyesight.

A golden eagle can see a 46-centimeter rabbit from 3.22 kilometers away!

Once a bird spots its prey, it dives at speeds near 200 kilometers per hour in an attempt to snatch its meal.

America's national bird, the bald eagle, can plummet at speeds of up to 322 kilometers per hour. But in spite of the eagle's keen eyesight and extreme speed, only one out of 18 attempts to catch food succeeds. These birds have great strength, too. Eagles can fly with prey that weighs as much as they do. And harpy eagles have been known to carry away a small sheep. This bird's talons are as big as the claws of a grizzly bear!


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Different Meanings of Live
1. live v. /ˈlɪv/
- He lives in Taipei.
2. live adj. /ˈlaɪv/
- live TV show; live music
3. live & alive
live 通常放名詞前面
- That farm sells live chickens.
alive 放在名詞的後面
- That farm's chicken's are alive.

本文講到老鷹 taking live prey,
意思就是捕捉活的臘物


Grammar Gym
There is something about...
- There is something about a big and powerful eagles soaring in the sky that gives people a sense of wonder.
- Even though the restaurant's food isn't so great, there is something about its atmosphere that makes people want to come back again.
- Although Lisa doesn't know Paul well enough, there is something about his personality that she finds attractive.
- Even though the movie was highly recommended, there was something about it that made me uncomfortable.


Language Lab
superb adj.
/sʊˈpɚb/
extremely good [= excellent]
- Maggie's superb acting impressed the audience.
- Claire is a superb financial consultant. She helps many companies cut their expenses.

acute adj.
acute senses such as hearing, taste, touch etc are very good and sensitive
- As a professional recording engineer, Peter has incredibly acute hearing.
an acute problem is very serious
- The food shortage at the area affected by the typhoon is acute.

plummet v.
to fall suddenly and quickly from a very high place
- The airplane suddenly exploded and plummeted to the ground.
- The company's stock price plummeted by 10 percent after the CEO announced his retirement.

talon n.
a sharp powerful curved nail on the feet of some birds that catch animals for food
- The raven grabbed its prey with sharp talons.
- The eagle can use its formidable talons to carry large animals while flying.

formidable adj.
very powerful or strong: deserving serious attention and respect


*RULERS OF THE SKY=征服天空的羽翼族