VOA标准英语2012--'Creatures of Light' Glow in New Exhibit

'Creatures of Light' Glow in New Exhibit

 

Of all the wondrous¹ survival strategies nature’s creatures have evolved, one of the most dazzling is the ability of some animals to generate light to find their prey², avoid becoming prey and to attract a mate.

A museum exhibit in New York explores this ability, known as bioluminescence.

The American Museum of Natural History’s “Creatures of Light” exhibit features jellyfish that glow green, anglerfish whose lantern-like bulbs dangle³ from their foreheads and luminous⁴ glowworms that hang mucus-like strands⁵ from cave ceilings to attract and ensnare their prey.

“Some of the stuff is just incredible,” says museum provost Michael Novacek, who's especially intrigued⁷ by the bioluminescent creatures that inhabit the deep oceans. “They are probably the most inventive of all the bioluminescent creatures because they have to be. Because it’s totally dark. So that’s probably where the greatest potential for discovery is, too. There are so many things down there we haven’t even described.”

Up to 90 percent of the habitable earth is underwater, and most of the animals that live in the pitch black water below depths of 700 meters are bioluminescent. That’s where the anglerfish and hatchetfish live. 

Exhibit curator John Sparks is a marine⁸ biologist who specializes in pony⁹ fish, which live closer to the surface. They can emit light during the daytime that matches their physical background and makes them virtually invisible to predators¹¹. 

“We’ve been able to reconstruct the evolution of the light organ system in this group from something very simple - just a simple out-pouching around the esophagus - to this elaborate system we see today," he says, "where the males shoot lights out of all different sides, their head, their flank, their gills, their mouth, and each species has a specific pattern it emits.” 

Many bioluminescent animals use light to deceive their prey. The glowing pattern on the underbelly of the large cookie cutter shark, for example, mimics¹² the rippling¹³ play of sun and moonlight on the surface of the water. From below, potential predators can mistake the small dark patches between the shark’s lights for small, edible⁶ fish. When a fish moves in for what it thinks will be a quick meal, it can become a meal for the shark instead.

Other animals, such as the tube shoulder fish, shoot bioluminescent fluid from their sides. Cardinal¹⁴ fish startle away predators by vomiting¹⁵ jets of brilliant liquid. And even bitten-off chunks¹⁶ of sea cucumbers stay luminous in the mouth of its predator¹⁰.

“So then the predator is now lit up and has to get away to avoid being eaten by something else,” Sparks says. 

Some “creatures of light,” like dinoflagellates, live on the water’s surface. Their blue-green sparkle is familiar to nighttime swimmers in the shallow bays of Puerto Rico and other tropical locales.

The exhibit also showcases some of the many bioluminescent organisms that live on land and light up in a variety of colors. Dismalite gnats¹⁷ glow blue. Brilliant mushrooms from the American northeast radiate an intense yellow. A giant model of a millipede shows off the many-legged insect’s blue-green luminescence.

And, of course, there are the fireflies. Visitors can see a sampling of the world’s more than 2,000 firefly species, including a replica¹⁸ of one common North American firefly that museum artists have rendered 210 times its actual size.

University of Florida firefly expert Marc Branham, a consultant¹⁹ for the exhibition, has been fascinated since childhood by the light of the firefly.

“It is produced in these very specialized²⁰ organs in their body that are photic organs, some of which are so highly modified that they have a reflective layer in the back, sort of like a headlight on a car and they push every photon out of the photic organ," Branham says. "It has been shaped through the millennia²¹ to be as efficient as possible.” 

Each species of firefly uses a unique flashing pattern to attract its mates. 

“But there are also other species where the female will give the flash pattern of another species to call in those males which she is not going to mate with but which she feeds on," Branham says. "So there are ‘femme fatales’ in the firefly world.”

The “Creatures of Light” exhibit continues at the American Museum of Natural History in New York until early 2013. The show is drawing large crowds, and the reviews so far have been glowing. 

1 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。

2 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。

3 dangle   

v.(使)悬荡，(使)悬垂

参考例句：

• At Christmas,we dangle colored lights around the room.圣诞节时，我们在房间里挂上彩灯。
• He sits on the edge of the table and dangles his legs.他坐在桌子边上，摆动著双腿。

4 luminous   

adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的

参考例句：

• There are luminous knobs on all the doors in my house.我家所有门上都安有夜光把手。
• Most clocks and watches in this shop are in luminous paint.这家商店出售的大多数钟表都涂了发光漆。

5 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 edible   

n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的

参考例句：

• Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。
• This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。

7 intrigued   

adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！
• He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。

8 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

9 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

10 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

11 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》

12 mimics   

n.模仿名人言行的娱乐演员，滑稽剧演员( mimic的名词复数 )；善于模仿的人或物v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的第三人称单数 )；酷似

参考例句：

• Methods:Models were generate by CT scan,Mimics software and Abaqus software. 方法：采用CT扫描，Mimics软件和Abaqus软件的CAD进行三维有限元模型的创建。 来自互联网
• Relaxing the mind and body mimics the effect that some blood-pressure pills would have. 放松身心会产生某些降压药才能产生的效果。 来自辞典例句

13 rippling   

起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的

参考例句：

• I could see the dawn breeze rippling the shining water. 我能看见黎明的微风在波光粼粼的水面上吹出道道涟漪。
• The pool rippling was caused by the waving of the reeds. 池塘里的潺潺声是芦苇摇动时引起的。

14 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

15 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

16 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

17 gnats   

n.叮人小虫( gnat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He decided that he might fire at all gnats. 他决定索性把鸡毛蒜皮都摊出来。 来自辞典例句
• The air seemed to grow thick with fine white gnats. 空气似乎由于许多白色的小虫子而变得浑浊不堪。 来自辞典例句

18 replica   

n.复制品

参考例句：

• The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.温室已按原样重建。
• The young artist made a replica of the famous painting.这位年轻的画家临摹了这幅著名的作品。

19 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

20 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

21 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。