Can plants eat people? Probably not, but there are many plants that eat meat. Some of them are big. And they can eat small animals. One famous meat-eating plant is Venus Flytrap(捕蝇草). 

Venus flytrap is a very strange plant. It grows in dry parts of the United States. Its leaves are like the pages of a book. They can open and close very quickly. Inside the leaves, there are three small hairs. If a fly touches one of the hairs, the leaf closes quickly， so the fly cannot get out. In about half an hour, the leaf presses the fly until it is dead. Then, the plant covers the fly and slowly eats it.

Why do plants do that? Most plants get what they need from the sun, the air, and the ground. In some places, the ground is very poor. It doesn't have all these important things, especially nitrogen (氮). Animal meat has a lot of nitrogen, so some plants eat meat to get what they need. Let's hope that bigger plants don't get the same idea!

                                                                                      Have Your Heart in Your Mouth.

This expression means that you're really afraid or anxious about something. When your heart starts beating so much that you can feel a thumping(怦怦跳) in your throat, it may feel like you "have your heart in your mouth."
Have Butterflies in the Stomach
How did butterflies get in your stomach? Well, those really aren't butterflies in there. It is a way of describing those nervous feelings you might get before a test or a very important decision.These stomach flutters (跳动) are normal and happen to many people. Some people believe having a few butterflies might even help you perform better.
Sick as a Dog
If you've ever been very sick, you may have used this expression. Because dogs eat just about anything they find, they often get sick. So it's all right to describe someone who's not feeling well as being "sick as a dog".
Under the Weather
When it's rainy all day outside, how would you feel? This expression comes from the idea that bad weather might hurt a person's health and mood(心情).

The Smallest Life Around Us

    Tiny plants and animals live all around us．We cannot see them because they are so small，but they are everywhere. They live in the soil，in the air，and in rivers and oceans．They grow on mountains and in caves．Some live in the ice at the north and south poles; some live where it is very hot．They are found throughout cities and in the country. They grow on other plants and animals．Some are even living on you，on your skin，hair，and inside your body，in your mouth，nose，and all through your body．

    These tiny plants and animals are called microbes．The word microbe is made from two other words：micro，meaning small，and bios，meaning life．So，microbe means small life．

    Microbes have been on earth for a very long time．They may have been the first forms of life to be alive．Today there are more microbes in the world than all other living things．

    People did not know microbes had existed（存在） long．They were too small for them to see．But people did see many changes in their world﹣important changes．And they did not know what caused them．They saw food that they kept too long change color and begin to smell bad．They saw cuts and wounds grow red and painful and become worse. They saw old plants and leaves and trees crumble apart on the forest floor and disappear into the soil．Such changes were a natural part of the world，but people did not understand them．They did not know these changes were evidence(证据) of tiny plants and animals growing all around them.

    A thirsty crow(乌鸦) comes across(偶然遇到) a bottle of water, but the water level is out of its reach. The bird then drops some stones into it and gets the water.

    "It's just a story," you may think. But new research has found that crows' brains may sometimes be better than those of 6­year­old children.

In a recent experiment, American scientist Corina Logan and her team caught six crows to test them. The crows and children had to choose between two sets of tubes(试管). They had to drop stones in and get water.

    With the red set, when they dropped a stone into a wide tube, the water level raised in a connected narrow tube. The blue set of tubes, however, had no connection between them.

    Children aged 7 to 10 were able to learn the rule. Children aged 4 to 6, however, failed. Five of the six crows failed the test. But Kitty, a 6­month­old crow, passed it. She put most of the stones into the red tubes.

    So, could a bird be more clever than a kindergartner? Don't be too quick to say no.

    Can you imagine a pair of shoes that could tie themselves? All you have to do is put them on and push a button. Well, this idea is becoming a reality. The shoe company Nike created the self-tying shoe! This idea first came from the film Back to the Future II, Nike has been working for years to create a shoe that can do this in real life. They have finally done it with Nike HyperAdapt 1.0.

    So how does it work? According to Nike, the shoe is “powered by an underfoot-lacing mechanism(脚下系带装置) small motor that has the power to lace the shoes, All you have to do is put them on, and at first, the shoes are very loose(松的). But then you can push the "+" perfect fit for you. To take them off, all you have to do is push the "-" button, and the shoes will be easily off.

    They haven't been widely released to the public yet, and the price of the shoes is quite high.