听力文摘：神奇的蜂王浆

The Royal Jelly

神奇的蜂王浆

According to legend, King Arthur gained the crown by pulling a sword from a rock. Queen honeybees have an equally enchanting¹ way of ascending² to the throne. Introducing… the Royal Jelly!

据说，亚瑟王当年从岩石里拔出一把剑就得到了王位。蜂王也是通过类似的方式登上王位的。那就是蜂王浆。

This special jelly is made of water, proteins, fatty acids, organic acids, vitamins and minerals. These substances are mixed with bee milk, a liquid produced by young worker bees.

这是一种特别的粘稠浆状物，由水分，蛋白质，脂肪酸，有机酸，维生素和矿物质组成。这些物质与王浆混合在一起，王浆是一种由年轻的工蜂产生的液体。

When the reining³ queen begins to show signs of old age, worker bees select her successors from among the developing queen bee larvae⁴.

到了当权蜂王开始衰老的时候，工蜂们就会从蜂王幼虫中挑选出继任者。

Although all baby bees are fed royal jelly at first, queen bee larvae receive extra helpings⁵ and continue to be fed the rich food longer than regular larvae. The jelly fed to developing queens is also packed with higher concentrations of sugar and various proteins.

虽然刚开始所有的蜜蜂宝宝都是吃的蜂王浆，但比起普通的幼虫，蜂王幼虫会得到额外的关注，并且会一直有丰富的食物。蜂王吃的东西含有更多的糖类和各种维生素。

The results are spectacular. Thanks to their super-nutritious diet, queen bees grow up to one and a half times larger than regular bees, live forty times longer than normal bees, and lay up to two thousand eggs per day.

结果非常惊人。由于超有营养的饮食，蜂王长大后的身体比工蜂长1/3，寿命是工蜂的40倍，每天产卵2000个左右。

Inevitably⁶, entrepreneurs have attempted to capitalize on royal jelly by creating jelly-infused dietary supplements that supposedly make people stronger and more virile⁷. But don't go spreading royal jelly on your toast just yet.

必然地，企业家们试图利用蜂王浆牟利。他们大量制作注入浆状物的营养保健品，大概能使人的身体更强壮和更有男子气概。但别马上把蜂王浆涂到烤面包上。

Although it does the trick for bees, there's no solid proof that the stuff will make you king or queen for even a day.

尽管它对蜜蜂管用，但并没有确凿的证据证明它能够让你成为哪怕一天的国王或女王。

1 enchanting   

a.讨人喜欢的

参考例句：

• His smile, at once enchanting and melancholy, is just his father's. 他那种既迷人又有些忧郁的微笑，活脱儿象他父亲。
• Its interior was an enchanting place that both lured and frightened me. 它的里头是个吸引人的地方，我又向往又害怕。

2 ascending   

adj.上升的，向上的

参考例句：

• Now draw or trace ten dinosaurs in ascending order of size.现在按照体型由小到大的顺序画出或是临摹出10只恐龙。

3 reining   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的现在分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• "That's a fine bevy, Ma'm,'said Gerald gallantly, reining his horse alongside the carriage. "太太！好一窝漂亮的云雀呀！" 杰拉尔德殷勤地说，一面让自己的马告近塔尔顿的马车。
• I was a temperamental genius in need of reining in by stabler personalities. 我是个需要由更稳重的人降服住的神经质的天才。

4 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。

5 helpings   

n.（食物）的一份( helping的名词复数 )；帮助，支持

参考例句：

• You greedy pig! You've already had two helpings! 你这个馋嘴！你已经吃了两份了！
• He had two helpings of pudding. 他吃了两客布丁。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

7 virile   

adj.男性的；有男性生殖力的；有男子气概的；强有力的

参考例句：

• She loved the virile young swimmer.她爱上了那个有男子气概的年轻游泳运动员。
• He wanted his sons to become strong,virile,and athletic like himself.他希望他的儿子们能长得像他一样强壮、阳刚而又健美。