英语听力文摘 English Digest 491、蜜蜂也吃肉？

Carnivorous Bees
蜜蜂也吃肉？

I guess you never heard of Trigona hypogea, a South American bee that not only collects meat from animal carcasses, but has more recently been discovered to have a taste for live prey¹ as well.

Scientists have seen the bees swiftly raid recently abandoned wasp nests, carrying off wasp eggs, larvae², and pupae until the nest is empty. They’ve observed the bees collecting toad³ eggs too.

All developing, young bees need protein. Pollen⁴ is actually very rich in protein. The adults of most bee species feed predominantly on nectar and save the pollen for their younger colony members. These South American bees simply require a different source of protein. Their anatomy reflects their different eating habits.

The leg modifications⁵ that enable most bee species to transport pollen are largely diminished on these bees. Their mouthparts are sharper, sort of tooth-like.

The bees prepare the meat for later consumption by the younger members of the colony by chewing it and then mixing it with sugary liquids, perhaps collected from fruit. Microbes break the mixture down into a viscous goo, which delivers important nutrients⁶ to the young bees.

你也许从未听过一种南美洲的蜜蜂，它们不仅吃动物尸体，而且最近科学家发现它们还喜欢吃活的动物。

蜜蜂迅速地袭击被遗弃的蜂窝，拿走蜂卵，幼虫和蛹，把蜂巢搬空。科学家们观察发现蜜蜂还会收集蟾蜍卵。

所有的小蜜蜂都需要蛋白质。花粉是蛋白质含量很高。大多数的成年蜜蜂主要以花蜜为生，并且将花粉留给幼蜂。这些南美蜜蜂只是需要不同的蛋白质出处。解剖学反应出它们不同的饮食习惯。

蜜蜂腿上那些能帮助它们运输花粉的装饰物在这些南美洲蜜蜂上大部分已经消失了。它们的口器变得更锋利，有点像牙齿。

蜜蜂为幼蜂准备的肉是通过咀嚼，然后将肉与含糖的液体，大概是从水果中提取的。微生物将混合物分解成一种粘稠物，这种粘稠物将重要的营养输送给幼蜂。

 

1 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

2 larvae   

n.幼虫

参考例句：

• Larvae are parasitic on sheep.幼虫寄生在绵羊的身上。
• The larvae prey upon small aphids.这种幼虫以小蚜虫为食。

3 toad   

n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆

参考例句：

• Both the toad and frog are amphibian.蟾蜍和青蛙都是两栖动物。
• Many kinds of toad hibernate in winter.许多种蟾蜍在冬天都会冬眠。

4 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

5 modifications   

n.缓和( modification的名词复数 )；限制；更改；改变

参考例句：

• The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型，然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》