VOA标准英语2013--Tall, Stinky Plant is a Draw At US Botanic Garden

 

Tall, Stinky Plant is a Draw At US Botanic Garden

An American royal was celebrated¹ on Monday. It's called the titan arum, more commonly known as the Corpse² Flower. It's famous for its unique odor - something like rotting flesh - which it uses to attract pollinators. Botanist³ Bob Willeby, at the U.S. Botanic Garden, says it takes a lot of energy for the plant to create such a large bloom, two to three meters tall.

“This is an unusual occurrence, it happens infrequently throughout the United States in the world in general," he said. 

It’s becoming more common, though, as colleges and universities acquire titan arums for their science programs. The plant, native to Indonesia, thrives in hot, humid climates. 

Anticipation⁴ was high when the Botanic Garden announced the imminent⁵ flowering of its titan arum last week. But it didn't bloom until Sunday. When the crowd entered the gardens Monday morning, something was missing. 

Some of the visitors were disappointed. “It’s not stinky," said one girl. 

Botanic Garden Educator Todd Brethauer said the stench occurs in cycles.

“The peak production of the chemicals, based on studies done in Germany and Japan, occurs around midnight and then it starts to taper⁶ off about four o’clock in the morning," he said. 

This is to attract pollinators, like dung beetles⁷ and flies, rather than bees and butterflies.  They frequent sweet-smelling flowers.   

Although visitors were not able to appreciate the anticipated odor, they were still content to see the incredible plant in all its glory. 

Only a few lucky people were able to witness the blooming of the titan. The plant collapses⁸ after 24 to 48 hours. 

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 corpse   

n.尸体，死尸

参考例句：

• What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
• The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。

3 botanist   

n.植物学家

参考例句：

• The botanist introduced a new species of plant to the region.那位植物学家向该地区引入了一种新植物。
• I had never talked with a botanist before,and I found him fascinating.我从没有接触过植物学那一类的学者，我觉得他说话极有吸引力。

4 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

5 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

6 taper   

n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小

参考例句：

• You'd better taper off the amount of time given to rest.你最好逐渐地减少休息时间。
• Pulmonary arteries taper towards periphery.肺动脉向周围逐渐变细。

7 beetles   

n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Beetles bury pellets of dung and lay their eggs within them. 甲壳虫把粪粒埋起来，然后在里面产卵。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This kind of beetles have hard shell. 这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。