スピーキングチャレンジこんな虫には刺されたり噛まれたくない！

Welcome back, guys! This is Adam! As we approach the spring season, temperatures will begin to rise all throughout Taiwan, people spend more time outside and before you know it...bzzZZz.. We’re already being attacked by mosquitoes! Especially at night, isn’t that the worst sound to hear? It’s pretty incredible how such a small insect can keep us awake. But that isn’t the only thing these pesky bugs do. They suck our blood, and then we wake up with spots and itchy skin. Honestly, as annoying as it is, it’s still pretty tame compared to some of the bug bites mentioned in the featured video. Be sure to check it out! Some of them are horrifying! But how about we insect… I mean, inspect a few words from today’s sentence. Let’s go!

Our sentence to focus on is:

Their bite transmits a sugar molecule called alpha-gal into your body, which can trigger an immune system reaction that may lead to mild or severe meat allergies.

Pronunciation tips:
Alpha-gal (hard ‘g’ sound)
Immune
Mild (long ‘i’)
Allergies

I picked three words to look at today. Let’s start with...

transmit: v. trænsˈmɪt


Transmit can be anything we send or pass on. This can range from diseases, to feelings, or messages that can be passed on.

Example: Some diseases are transmitted through blood. Others, however, are passed on through saliva.
saliva: n. səˈlaɪ.və - you know that liquid in your mouth that helps you keep everything wet in there and helps you swallow food better.

A way to prevent certain diseases from transmitting is to use some sort of protection, which can be gloves, face masks or condoms.

trigger: v. ˈtrɪɡ.ɚ

To trigger means to cause something to start. This doesn’t always have to be intentional, or on purpose.

Example: Drinking red wine can trigger strong headaches for some people.

So, some people drink a glass of red wine and then the pain in the head begins. This can apply to many things that people can’t eat. Some people can absolutely not eat seafood. If they eat it, it will trigger, or cause, allergic reactions and maybe even death.

Okay, two down, one more word to go.

severe: adj. səˈvɪr

How about I start off with my example sentence?

Example: The aftermath of the earthquake was severe and the government needed to rely on help from overseas.

Do you have an idea what other words we could use instead of severe? If you said, “serious”, then congratulations! These earthquakes caused severe damage, or very serious damage, and it will take a long time to recover from the disaster. Remember, this word is usually used with something negative. So I wouldn’t say “severe happiness.” Nonetheless, you get my point if I decided to say, I hope you’re showered with severe amounts of happiness this year.

Okay, then let’s wrap it up here for now. Actually, Taiwan has tons of interesting insects, big and small, and to my knowledge some can be dangerous as well. Overall I find them fascinating to observe, just make sure you’re doing it from a safe distance. What bug life have you come across during your lifetime? Have you ever been bitten or attacked? Make sure to leave a comment and share your story, and your recording, of course. Alright, stay safe, everyone! Cheers!