(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
How do you attract a mate?
If you're a male mouse, you take the Frank Sinatra approach—you sing.
Scientists have known about crooning male mice for years.
And past experiments showed that if you leave male mice alone with an unconscious female or even with just a trace of her urine, the males will sing.
If you reverse roles, the females do not sing.
So scientists believed that in courtship, males made all the noise.
Until now.
“The problem with the field is that we've never had a way to figure out who's vocalizing.”
Neuroscientist Josh Neunuebel at University of Delaware.
He realized that researchers needed better listening tools.
So Neunuebel built a mouse sized recording studio.
His team lined a small closet with nylon mesh and foam, which absorb sound rather than reflect it.
And they installed ultrasonic microphones, because mice make sounds at a frequency that's above the range of human hearing.
That's some mouse singing slowed down so we can hear it.
Neunuebel's set-up made it possible for the researchers to determine that some songs were in fact coming from female mice.
The gals that sang back to the males pursuing them also slowed down their pace, as if to say:
“Hey! I'm interested in you. Catch me if you can.”
The study is in the journal eLife.
Neunuebel still wants to work out more details about how these interactions occur.
But with improved technology, maybe the researchers can pick out pick-up lines.
At least the ones that sound nice…to mice.
参考译文
你会怎样吸引异性?
如果你是一只公老鼠，你可以采用弗兰克?辛纳屈的方法—通过唱歌打动异性芳心。
多年以来，科学家们就已经知晓公老鼠会通过叫声吸引异性。
而过往的研究表明，如果让一只公老鼠与一只无意识的母老鼠独处，或仅留下对方的尿液痕迹，公老鼠就会唱歌。
如果角色互换，母老鼠则不会唱歌。
因此科学家们认为处于求偶阶段的公老鼠会发出声音吸引异性。
直到现在为止是这样。
“这个领域的问题是我们从没有搞清楚是谁在唱歌。”
特拉华大学的神经科学家约什纽贝尔说道。
他意识到研究人员需要更好的听力工具。
于是纽贝尔依照老鼠的体型大小建造了一间录音室。
他的团队用尼龙网和泡沫制做了一个小柜子。这个小柜子不会反弹声音，而会将其吸收。
而且他们在里面放置了超声波麦克风，因为老鼠的声音频率超出了人类的听觉范围。
这样我们就能听到老鼠的声音。
纽贝尔这样的设置让研究人员能够确定一些声音实际上是母老鼠发出。
对于雄性配偶的追求，母老鼠会用歌声回应，同时也会放缓自己的脚步，似乎是在说：
“嘿!我很中意你。来追我啊!”
这项研究已经在《eLife》杂志上发表。
纽贝尔仍想要研究更多关于这些交流的细节。
但是随着技术进步，也许研究人员会找出老鼠间搭讪的话语。
至少，那些对于老鼠来说是甜言蜜语。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
重点讲解
1.figure out 找出
例句:And who knows, maybe it will finally figure out how to have Sony Music content benefit its electronics businesses.
后事难料，或许索尼最终能想出一个让其音乐内容业务惠及电子业务的办法。
2.slow down 慢下来
例句:We turned to see the approaching car slow down.
我们转身看见驶近的车慢慢停下。
3.want to 想要
例句:Do ring if you want to talk about it.
你要是想谈谈，一定给我打电话。
4.work out 解决
例句:Heyzer says the countries would also have to work out cross-border problems, including technical and legal standards and customs procedures.
海泽女士表示，各国还需要解决包括技术和法律标准以及海关程序在内的边界通关问题。
