科学美国人60秒:植物为何长刺?
日期:2014-10-21 16:43

(单词翻译:单击)

eBGIUG858WJJF#(luM^&,JOw-Yk_

中英文本

Yr75ojwK4p

Plants thrive all over the planet, despite the fact that many animals love to snack on them. Various hypotheses account for all those plants. One is that predators kill enough plant-eating animals to give vegetation a chance. Another is that plants develop physical and chemical means to defend themselves.

,w;p5vSR!~tBh7#a_8

尽管事实上有许多动物喜欢以植物为食,但地球上的植物仍然欣欣向荣*opQG1Hv|9#r。关于这些植物,有许多假说,he+UcK4GWV。一种假说称,捕食者杀死了大量的植食动物,为植物的生存提供了机会Jp,VpWFAAgv。另一种假说称,植物使用物理和化学的手段来保护自己R&tsRX*cFg!1,@DNt1.

NO0)L_1Pcv

Now researchers have teased out some of these factors in an East African savanna.

xpbUCM8Kce%5DFWi)3+

如今,科学家已在东非草原筛选出了真正的影响因素wK%YQuXUe!YzThBC*ej

q0#yBHF53QOG,^+8!

金合欢树.jpg

QL6RkxO]+=g

The impala—an African antelope—eats grasses and trees and is itself eaten by wild dogs and leopards. Impala often munch on a tree called the acacia. Some acacia have thorns, and some don't.The researchers found that the impala—perhaps not surprisingly—prefer thorn-free acacia. Also, the animals avoid woody areas where predators are more likely to hide.

[=J%~poMd(G_

黑斑羚是生活在非洲的一种羚羊,以草和树木为食,是野狗和豹口中的猎物zivWKbK*Z4。黑斑羚经常津津有味地咀嚼一种叫金合欢的树Ylsc|mJd4vR8l.ih]f;o。有些金合欢树长着刺,但有些没有wT72~BlQkoFrNPtF22Z。科学家发现,黑斑羚更喜欢没有刺的金合欢树——也许这没什么令人惊奇的^Y;5[h*l4i.#zXO_%oew。同时,这种动物不喜欢生存在林木茂盛的地方,因为那里更可能藏着它们的捕食者.bqYP,6ar33gh5;7pii

No%j8O%cp2J]SEZ

And as a result, the thorn-free, vulnerable acacia are more plentiful in woody areas with plenty of predators. But the thorny acacia are more numerous on the open savanna, where they need to defend themselves. The study is in the journal Science.

M|CXAXgl[u6fVB9Sgx

结果显示,没刺的、易受攻击的金合欢树更多地生长在林木茂盛的地方,且那儿聚居着大量捕食者ow+;qwA*D878d6t+]。而有刺的金合欢树更多地长在开阔的热带草原中,在那,它们需要保护自己^j^lZ9KhXSz(Bu[#U。该研究发表在《科学》杂志上fDT-0-dRMbdngqHuPqV

308ZO5t3LL9p#|

The researchers say their findings show that both plant defenses and carnivorous predators help plants thrive. They also say that when humans influence—in part by eliminating large predators—we disrupt longstanding, complex systems. And that we should really try to better understand such systems, and our effects on them.

gxE2=GQA--

科学家称,他们的研究表明,植物防御和肉食性捕食者对植物的繁茂都有促进作用HzKel-Uc]M。他们还说,当人类参与消灭大型食肉动物时,人类扰乱了长期存在的、复杂的系统n*MV1N~Q@(。人类真应该试着去更好地理解这一系统,以及人类对这一系统的影响A_S)z.Q!Hxb)lIlmR4L

EKB#bknAFfJEj)d#W,

词语解释

gkF+s])qE6

1.snack on吃;当作快餐、零食吃

!hH@Qm9(2nEH1ZNHI]

People also tend to snack on unhealthy fattening foods when under tension.

s-_3aqdb|.XI=03!wH_U

在压力之下的人倾向于吃那些不健康的增肥食品.

m@-qJqd9RrH8V

2.account for 说明;解释

SBQ2!rv6.q

How do you account for the company's alarmingly high staff turnover?

aXg.v8ha-2nocx

你怎么解释这家公司高得惊人的人员流动率?

zDUa]7kJ.]0n*Q

3.tease out 梳理;提取

Gasbcx%j6UUho

CT scans are used on birds to tease out the hidden physics of flying.

IOY]Q#CUYN0DS!mp;0!

研究人员利用电脑断层扫描来梳理出所隐藏的飞行机理Q,L9S-N^6bsv;Y

y5uUU])8)ktHi*n5,I

4.munch on 津津有味地咀嚼

~luFmaP_h,].]

We eat while watching TV, we munch on something at our desk at work, we crunch on something while driving and drink something (sugary of course) while reading or waiting.

#0n-KpEhcT)s=~|N[1pj

看电视时吃点小零食,工作时嘴里嚼嚼东西,开车时吃点东西,阅读或者等候时也会来点喝的(当然又是含糖的)Ds;I@(GV*a7Vva;z

z,B4XC6GFZfIIQ~CNH%~I;*+F3]Z4N.^d(JY0wh(8k^WG5*e-de=4IhD
分享到
重点单词
  • tensionn. 紧张,拉力,张力,紧张状态,[电]电压 vt. 使
  • complexadj. 复杂的,复合的,合成的 n. 复合体,综合体,
  • understandvt. 理解,懂,听说,获悉,将 ... 理解为,认为
  • disruptvt. 分裂,干扰,打断,妨碍,使破裂
  • defendv. 防护,辩护,防守
  • tendv. 趋向,易于,照料,护理
  • avoidvt. 避免,逃避
  • numerousadj. 为数众多的,许多
  • plentifuladj. 丰富的,多的,充裕的
  • vulnerableadj. 易受伤害的,有弱点的