(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
To our knowledge, there's no correlation between a man's singing ability and his care and attentiveness as a father.
But any Pavarotti among the nightingales will serenade his mate while she sits on her eggs.
And after they hatch he will visit the nest about 16 times each hour to feed their offspring.
Because, among nightingales at least, the best singers also make the best fathers.
So finds a study in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.
Some 80 percent of birds practice biparental care, meaning both the male and female rear their offspring together.
So it's crucial for a female bird to pick as a mate the most promising father—both genetically and behaviorally.
Female birds look for signs of fitness that range from the flamboyant plumage of the peacock to the bizarre dances of birds of paradise.
And for nightingales,it's the most elaborate song that apparently wins the day.
The average male has some 180 tunes in his repertoire.
These avian Sinatras vocalize highly variable song types including buzzes, whistles and trills.
And such virtuoso singing seems to signal the female that this is a guy she can count on.
That is, when it's time to help raise the kids, he's not a flight risk.
参考译文
就我们所知，男性的歌唱能力同他能否成为一位慈爱人父并未有任何关联。
但在夜莺这个种族里，任何一位如同帕瓦罗蒂般的男歌唱家都会在配偶孵蛋时为爱鸟哼唱小夜曲。
而孵化后雄夜莺还会每小时16次探望并喂食小鸟。
因为至少在夜莺当中，顶尖歌手也会是模范好丈夫。
《BMC进化生物学》杂志上的一项研究也证明了这样的观点。
80%的鸟类都是奉行雌雄二鸟共同抚育后代的双亲抚育。
因此对雌鸟而言，不管是基因角而行为角度择偶最为关键的就是寻找一位最有前途的父亲。
雌鸟择偶的标准通常会从如孔雀般华丽的羽毛到鸟类的奇异舞蹈等等。
而至于夜莺，最精心准备的歌曲无疑能够赢得雌鸟芳心。
平均雄鸟会180首曲目。
这些鸟中的辛纳屈能够发出包括蜂鸣、哨音及颤音在内的多变音调。
而这样的艺术大师无疑是向雌鸟发出这就是终身伴侣的信号。
这也表明当需要肩负养育后代的重任之时自己不会拍拍翅膀走人。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
重点讲解
1.at least 无论如何，反正
例句:Try to eat at least four slices of bread a day.
每天尽量至少吃4片面包。
2.look for 寻找；期待
例句:They look for foods that are low in calories.
他们要找低卡路里的食物。
3.crucial for 关键是
例句:Coming on as a substitute, he scored four crucial goals for Cameroon.
作为替补队员上场的他为喀麦隆队打入了四粒关键进球。
4.range from 从…变化到…
例句:The tactics employed can range from overt bullying to subtle emotional blackmail.
从公然威吓到微妙的情感胁迫，各种战术都用上了。
