听力文摘：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.

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。

Scientists have seen the bees swiftly raid recently abandoned wasp² nests, carrying off wasp eggs, larvae³, and pupae until the nest is empty. They’ve observed the bees collecting toad⁴ eggs too.

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。

All developing, young bees need protein. Pollen⁵ 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 anatomy⁶ reflects their different eating habits.

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。

The leg modifications⁷ that enable most bee species to transport pollen are largely diminished on these bees. Their mouthparts are sharper, sort of tooth-like.

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。

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 viscous⁸ goo, which delivers important nutrients⁹ to the young bees.

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 wasp   

n.黄蜂，蚂蜂

参考例句：

• A wasp stung me on the arm.黄蜂蜇了我的手臂。
• Through the glass we can see the wasp.透过玻璃我们可以看到黄蜂。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。

7 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》

8 viscous   

adj.粘滞的，粘性的

参考例句：

• Gases are much less viscous than liquids.气体的粘滞性大大小于液体。
• The mud is too viscous.You must have all the agitators run.泥浆太稠，你们得让所有的搅拌机都开着。

9 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》