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(单词翻译)
This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute?
Toss a piece of leaf onto a spider web. The spider is indifferent. Because leaves don't squirm like captured flies. But Australia's "assassin bug1" turns the tables on spiders. It exploits their keen sense for vibrations2 by mimicking4 the movements of prey5—luring unwitting spiders into striking range.
Researchers observed how spiders reacted to various visitors to their webs—like leaf fragments, courting males, prey like flies and the assassin bugs6. The spiders ignored leaves, and assumed mating position for males. But they approached assassin bugs just as if they were investigating a juicy fly.
Then the researchers analyzed7 the frequency, duration and amplitude8 of each visitor's vibrations. And they found that assassin bug's vibes most closely matched some of those of prey. When prey struggle violently, spiders rush to subdue9 them—a potentially dangerous situation for assassin bugs. So the bugs have learned to gently pluck the silk strands10, to mimic3 only the unthreatening leg twitches11 of exhausted12 prey. The research is in the journal Proceedings13 of the Royal Society B.
The assassin bug's choice of vibrations maximizes the chances that the spider, while still behaving like the hunter, becomes the hunted.
Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Christopher Intagliata.
1 bug | |
n.虫子;故障;窃听器;vt.纠缠;装窃听器 | |
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2 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 | |
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3 mimic | |
v.模仿,戏弄;n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
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4 mimicking | |
v.(尤指为了逗乐而)模仿( mimic的现在分词 );酷似 | |
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5 prey | |
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨 | |
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6 bugs | |
adj.疯狂的,发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 );病菌;虫子;[计算机](制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的)错误 | |
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7 analyzed | |
v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 );分解;解释;对…进行心理分析 | |
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8 amplitude | |
n.广大;充足;振幅 | |
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9 subdue | |
vt.制服,使顺从,征服;抑制,克制 | |
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10 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 ) | |
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11 twitches | |
n.(使)抽动, (使)颤动, (使)抽搐( twitch的名词复数 ) | |
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12 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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13 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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