时差N小时 原始的蚂蚁农场

Our ancestors developed agriculture about twelve thousand years ago. As they harvested the first crops, they undoubtedly¹ congratulated themselves on their cleverness—after all, cultivation² is far more efficient than hunting and gathering³. Little did they know, however, that humans were not the Earth's first farmers. Certain species of ant have been practicing agriculture for millions of years.

我们的祖先早在12000年前就开始发展农业了。想必在收获第一批粮食时，他们一定为自己的聪明才智好好庆祝了一番，毕竟耕种比打猎和采集更有效率。然而，殊不知人类并不是地球上第一群农民。某些种类的蚂蚁已有上百万年的耕种经验了。

One example is the parasol ant of South America. The workers of this species clip large quantities of leaves from the forest and bring them back to the nest. These leaves are not eaten by the ants, but buried in a huge complex of underground chambers⁴. As the leaves turn to compost, the ants seed them with their favorite type of fungus⁵. They tend this fungus crop with great care, even weeding it to get rid of less desirable species. After a while, the fungus is harvested and eaten.

其中南美洲的樵蚁就是一个例子。这类蚂蚁工人们修剪大量的树叶，在森林里拖回蚁巢。但这些树叶并不是用来吃的，蚂蚁把它们埋在一个大型复杂的地下室里。待树叶开始堆肥，蚂蚁就在树叶堆上播撒它们最爱的菌类的种子。它们精心照料呵护这些菌类作物，甚至会除草，以除掉那些长势不合人意的作物。过一阵子，菌类成熟，可以收获食用了。

Planting and harvesting is one thing, but what would a real farm be without farm animals? Actually, humans are second to ants in this respect too. Several species of ant domesticate⁶ a kind of insect called an aphid. Aphids are good at sucking nutritious⁷ juice out of plants. In fact, they're so good at it that they often suck out more than they can digest. The extra juice is secreted⁸ out the back of the aphid, where an ant can milk it like a farmer milking a cow.

种植和收获是一回事，但是没有家畜的话还算是农场吗？实际上在这方面，人类也是仅次于蚂蚁。蚂蚁驯养的几种动物中有一种就是蚜虫。蚜虫善于吸食植物的营养汁液。因为它们太擅长，以至于吸食过多不能被消化的汁液。多余的汁液储藏在蚜虫后背上，蚂蚁就可以像农夫挤牛奶一样挤出汁液。

This is a symbiotic⁹ relationship, and in exchange for the nutritious juice the ants protect their aphid flocks from predators¹⁰. Some species even bring the aphids' eggs into the safety of their own nest, and feed the aphid young until they are ready for grazing.

这是一种共栖关系，作为交换，蚂蚁保护蚜虫群不受猎食者的侵害。一些蚂蚁群甚至会把蚜虫卵带回安全的蚁巢，饲养幼小的蚜虫直至它们能够啃食绿叶。

1 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

2 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

5 fungus   

n.真菌，真菌类植物

参考例句：

• Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
• This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。

6 domesticate   

vt.驯养；使归化，使专注于家务

参考例句：

• Many thousand years ago people learned how to domesticate animals.数千年以前人们就学会了饲养动物。
• If you domesticate this raccoon,it will have trouble living in the wild.如果你驯养这只浣熊，它生活在野外将会有困难。

7 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• 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。

8 secreted   

v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 )；隐匿，隐藏

参考例句：

• Insulin is secreted by the pancreas. 胰岛素是胰腺分泌的。
• He secreted his winnings in a drawer. 他把赢来的钱藏在抽届里。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 symbiotic   

adj.共栖的，共生的

参考例句：

• Racing has always had a symbiotic relationship with betting.赛马总是与赌博相挂钩。
• Engineering completely new symbiotic relationship is obviously not an imminent possibility.筹划完全新的共生关系显然是可能性不大。

10 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》