万花筒 2008-09-09&09-10 利物浦的大蜘蛛

It’s 50-foot high and can move up to 2 miles an hour. This giant spider must be many people’s worst nightmare. And it’s on the loose at Liverpool for the next three days. La Princess's built as the largest piece of street theater ever staged in the UK.

 

She’s been created by a French company and apparently¹ cost 1.8 million to bring to Liverpool, part of the city’s Capital of Culture celebrations. She is made of steel and wood and operated by 12 engineers strapped² to the frame. Between them, they operate her eyes, legs, and abdomen³. The creators say the spider has 50 axes of movement so that its 8 legs will move as realistically as possible. But not content with letting La Princess roam the streets, the creators will also be carrying out a series of experiments on the creature, using water, fire and artificial snow.

 

Apparently the spider has already claimed one victim－a motorist who crashed their cars. The spider understandably distracted them.

 

Charlotte Fisher, ITV news

 

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 abdomen   

n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)

参考例句：

• How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫？
• He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。