在线英语听力室

VOA科学技术2024--Colombian Scientists Develop Substance to Protect Bees from Chemicals

时间：2025-01-09 02:07:46

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号：tingroom，领取免费英语资料大礼包。

（单词翻译）

Scientists in Colombia say they have developed a new food substance that protects bees from dangerous chemicals used in farming. They claim it will protect the insects' brains from neurological damage caused by chemicals called pesticides2.

As pollinators, bees are extremely important in the preservation3 of natural ecosystems5 and food production.

The plant-based food substance enables bees to deal with neurotoxins commonly used in agriculture. It protects their motor system and memory harmed by the chemicals.

Researchers at Colombia's Rosario University in Bogota developed the substance. They partnered with scientists from the Colombian Universidad Javeriana and the University of Arizona in the United States.

"This is a nutritional6 solution to the problem bees face when exposed to pesticides," said Andre Riveros, a professor at Rosario University. Riveros explained that the food substance causes the bees to develop protection against pesticides.

The substance is created with flavonoids, which are known for their health benefits. Flavonoids come from plants and are a kind of secondary metabolite. Secondary metabolites are substances made by plants that make them competitive in their environment.

During the first round of testing, scientists put the bees to sleep and placed them into small laboratory tubes. Then, they fed the bees the substance one by one.

Testing has now moved to real-world situations in a bee colony at the university, said Juan Jose Ovalle. He is a natural science student at Rosario University.

"We already know that there are molecules7 that improve the bees' health. We already know that there are molecules that prevent neuronal damage caused by pesticides," Ovalle said.

He added it was important to continue the work to increase the effectiveness of these methods to support bees.

I'm Anna Matteo.

Camilo Cohecha reported this story for Reuters from Bogota, Columbia. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.

_______________________________________________

Words in This Story

neurological - adj. of, relating to, or affecting the nervous system

pesticide1 - n. a substance used to destroy pests

pollinator - n. something (as an insect) that pollinates flowers

preservation - n. the activity or process of keeping something valued alive, intact, or free from damage or decay

ecosystem4 - n. a system made up of an ecological8 community of living things interacting with their environment especially under natural conditions

motor - n. of, relating to, or being a motor neuron or a nerve containing motor neurons : of, relating to, concerned with, or involving muscular movement

exposed - v. not shielded or protected


分享到：


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 pesticide OMlxV     
n.杀虫剂，农药
参考例句：
  • The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
  • This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。
2 pesticides abb0488ed6905584ea91347395a890e8     
n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物
参考例句：
  • vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
  • There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 preservation glnzYU     
n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持
参考例句：
  • The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
  • The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。
4 ecosystem Wq4xz     
n.生态系统
参考例句：
  • This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
  • We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。
5 ecosystems 94cb0e40a815bea1157ac8aab9a5380d     
n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句
6 nutritional 4HRxN     
adj.营养的，滋养的
参考例句：
  • A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
  • The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。
7 molecules 187c25e49d45ad10b2f266c1fa7a8d49     
分子( molecule的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
  • Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。
8 ecological IrRxX     
adj.生态的，生态学的
参考例句：
  • The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
  • Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交，仅供参考，部分栏目没有内容，如果您有更合适的内容，欢迎 点击提交 分享给大家。