国家地理 水母为何如此迷人(1)

Moon jellies, which are found in shallow bays around the world, look like small, not entirely¹ friendly ghosts.

分布范围遍及全球浅海湾的海月水母，看起来像个个子娇小而不太友善的幽灵。

They have translucent² bells fringed with pale tentacles³, and as they pulse along, it almost seems as if the water itself has come alive. At the National Aquarium⁴ in Baltimore, when visitors are invited to touch moon jellies, their first reaction is usually fear. Assured the jellies won't hurt them, the visitors roll up their sleeves and hesitantly reach into the tank.

它们的钟状体是透明的，边缘的触手颜色浅淡，而它们搏动时，周围的水似乎活了起来。在巴尔的摩国家水族馆，每当游客受邀触摸海月水母时，他们一开始的反应往往是恐惧。经确保海月水母不会伤人以后，他们才会卷起袖子，犹豫地把手伸进水池里。

"They're squishy!" I hear one boy squeal⁵.

“它们黏糊糊的！”我听到一名男孩尖声叫着。

"They're cool!" a girl exclaims.

“它们好酷！”有个女孩大声地说。

"I think they're just mesmerizing," Jennie Janssen, the assistant curator who oversees⁶ the care of the aquarium's jellyfish, tells me. "They don't have a brain, and yet they're able to survive -- to thrive -- generation after generation."

“我觉得它们着实让人着迷。”该馆负责照管水母的助理研究员珍妮·杨森告诉我。“它们没有脑，却能够一代代生存下来，繁衍旺盛。”

1 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

2 translucent   

adj.半透明的；透明的

参考例句：

• The building is roofed entirely with translucent corrugated plastic.这座建筑完全用半透明瓦楞塑料封顶。
• A small difference between them will render the composite translucent.微小的差别,也会使复合材料变成半透明。

3 tentacles   

n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛

参考例句：

• Tentacles of fear closed around her body. 恐惧的阴影笼罩着她。
• Many molluscs have tentacles. 很多软体动物有触角。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

5 squeal   

v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音

参考例句：

• The children gave a squeal of fright.孩子们发出惊吓的尖叫声。
• There was a squeal of brakes as the car suddenly stopped.小汽车突然停下来时，车闸发出尖叫声。

6 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网