听力文摘：寄生蝇的耳朵给人类的启示

Most flies don't havethe ability to hear.

大多数蝇类其实并没有听觉能力。

Certain parasitic¹ flies have a hearing system that is so exact inpinpointing a sound's origin that it rivals the exceptional ears of owls² and cats.

然而寄生蝇却拥有能够与猫头鹰和猫媲美的听觉系统，可以精确定位声音来源。

This fly's superb hearing surprised scientists because its tiny body is too small to use the same kindof hearing system that larger animals use.

寄生蝇的这种超强听力让科学家十分吃惊，因为它的身躯太小，按常理来说应该无法像较大型动物那样使用同样的听觉系统。

And yet they discovered that the fly was using its hearing to locate the chirps³ of crickets in order to then deposit parasitic larvae⁴ onto the crickets'bodies.

但是科学家们发现，寄生蝇可以通过自己的听觉定位蟋蟀的叫声，然后将寄生卵注入其体内。

What they found was unlike any other known ear structure, this fly's eardrums are connected bya bridge of stiff material.

科学家们发现寄生蝇的耳朵结构与其他生物不同，它们的耳膜由一种硬质材料链接。

Vibrations⁵ that travel between the two eardrums enable the fly to pinpointthe origin of a sound as accurately⁶ as any other sound system we know of.

耳膜间的震动使寄生蝇能够定位声音来源，其效果堪比我们知道的任何其他声音系统那样精确。

And what's more, this fly's exceptional hearing system is influencing microphone and hearing aidtechnology.

不仅如此，寄生蝇超凡的听觉系统对扩音器和助听技术也能产生影响。

For instance, it could lead to hearing aids that hide within a person's ear canal and yetare able to gather sound primarily from the direction the listener is facing.

比如，科学家可以借此研制出放在人类耳朵的助听设备，使其能够接收听者所面对方向的声音。

1 parasitic   

adj.寄生的

参考例句：

• Will global warming mean the spread of tropical parasitic diseases?全球变暖是否意味着热带寄生虫病会蔓延呢？
• By definition,this way of life is parasitic.从其含义来说，这是种寄生虫的生活方式。

2 owls   

n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 'Clumsy fellows,'said I; 'they must still be drunk as owls.' “这些笨蛋，”我说，“他们大概还醉得像死猪一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The great majority of barn owls are reared in captivity. 大多数仓鸮都是笼养的。 来自辞典例句

3 chirps   

鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的第三人称单数 )； 啾； 啾啾

参考例句：

• The linnet chirps her vernal song. 红雀吱喳鸣叫着她春天的歌。
• She heard nothing but the chirps and whirrs of insects. 除了虫的鸣叫声外，她什么也没听见。

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 vibrations   

n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动

参考例句：

• We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
• I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。