英语听力文摘 English Digest 466、谁在啃我的叶子！

作为一株小小的或是大大的植物(矛盾吗?),被生长在厚厚的泥土之下的根所束缚着,只能眼睁睁地看着虫子、鸟儿啃食自己的叶子,啄食自己的果实?植物也有保护自己的方法哦,一起来看看吧

Plants Arming Themselves

Yaël: Don, imagine this scenario¹. You’re a plant, and a butterfly lays its eggs on you. What do you do?

Don: What can I do Yaël, I'm a plant. I have roots, I think I'm stuck.

Y: Actually, Don, it turns out that you can do plenty.

D: Even with caterpillars³ gnawing⁴ on my leaves?

Y: Especially them, you see plants aren’t as static as you think they are. In fact, some plants are so tuned⁵ into their predators⁶ that they know exactly what kind of insect is munching⁷ on their leaves.

D: Like whether it's a caterpillar² or a beetle⁸? Amazing!

Y: And this means that individual plants can also adjust their physiology⁹ in response to their current conditions. So they may release substances that are toxic¹⁰ to the particular insect, adjust the ways they look and smell, and even adjust their growth patterns.

D: Really?

Y: And this can work both for and against the other species, depending on whether the plant needs its help. For example, plants being attacked by an insect might release scents¹¹ that attract the predators of that insect. And don’t think the insects don’t adjust in return. For example, they may adjust the balance of enzymes¹² in their stomach in order to better digest the plant.

D: So it’s like the plants and the insects are engaged in some elaborate arms race.

 

植物的自我武装

Yaël: Don，试想一下这样的情景：你是一株植物，一只蝴蝶在你的叶子上产下了很多的卵，作为植物的你会做什么呢？

Don: 你说我能做什么呢，我是株植物，我是有根的，被死死固定在泥土里。

Y: 事实上，你可以做很多事情。

D: 即使毛毛虫在啃我的叶子？

Y: 特别是这种情况，你要知道植物并非你所想的那样一直静止不动。事实上，许多植物对其天敌相当敏感，所以能很清楚地辨识出是什么昆虫在啃食自己的叶子。

D: 能辨识出是毛毛虫还是甲虫？太神奇啦！

Y: 这意味着单株植物能根据眼前的情况调整自身的生理学特征——释放对特定昆虫有毒的物质、改变自身的形态、散发不同的气味、甚至于改变自身的生长模式。

D: 真的吗？

Y: 这样的改变对其他的物种有好处也有坏处，这取决于该植物是否能获得益处。比如说，某种植物被昆虫攻击时可能会释放出能引来该种昆虫天敌的气味。但是，不要认为昆虫都是“傻子”，它们也会进行相应的调整。例如，昆虫会改变胃液中消化酶的平衡以此更好地消化植物。

D: 那这样说来，岂不是说植物与昆虫都“醉心于”一场“精锐武器”大赛！

 

1 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

2 caterpillar   

n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫

参考例句：

• A butterfly is produced by metamorphosis from a caterpillar.蝴蝶是由毛虫脱胎变成的。
• A caterpillar must pass through the cocoon stage to become a butterfly.毛毛虫必须经过茧的阶段才能变成蝴蝶。

3 caterpillars   

n.毛虫( caterpillar的名词复数 )；履带

参考例句：

• Caterpillars eat the young leaves of this plant. 毛毛虫吃这种植物的嫩叶。
• Caterpillars change into butterflies or moths. 毛虫能变成蝴蝶或蛾子。 来自辞典例句

4 gnawing   

a.痛苦的，折磨人的

参考例句：

• The dog was gnawing a bone. 那狗在啃骨头。
• These doubts had been gnawing at him for some time. 这些疑虑已经折磨他一段时间了。

5 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 munching   

v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果，但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句

8 beetle   

n.甲虫，近视眼的人

参考例句：

• A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
• He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。

9 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

10 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

11 scents   

n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉

参考例句：

• The air was fragrant with scents from the sea and the hills. 空气中荡漾着山和海的芬芳气息。
• The winds came down with scents of the grass and wild flowers. 微风送来阵阵青草和野花的香气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 enzymes   

n. 酶，酵素

参考例句：

• It was said that washing powders containing enzymes remove stains more efficiently. 据说加酶洗衣粉除污更有效。
• Among the enzymes which are particularly effective are pepsin, papain. 在酶当中特别有效的是胃朊酶、木瓜酶。