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(单词翻译)

This is Scientific Americans' 60-Second Science. I’m Cynthia Graber. This’ll just take a minute.

When is an ant like a piece of fruit? When it’s infected by a parasite1. Researchers affiliated2 with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute discovered this bizarre occurrence in Central America as they were studying the gliding3 ability of a certain species of ant. They found some colony members with bright red swollen4 abdomens5. The scientists took specimens6 back to the lab and discovered they were full of hundreds of nematode eggs. The bright red bellies7 look suspiciously like the brilliant red and pink berries that proliferate8 in the rainforest. Researchers think that the nematode makes the ant look like fruit to get birds to eat the ants. Birds usually keep the ants off their menu because of armor and a bad chemical taste. The birds then spread parasite eggs in their droppings. Ants forage9 through bird droppings for seeds. They feed the infected droppings to ant larvae10 beginning the infection process all over again. The red-bellied ant is the first known case of a parasite causing fruit mimicry11. One of the researchers was surprised to that something dumb as a nematode can manipulate its host in such a sophisticated way, but evolution works no matter how dumb organisms are.

Thanks for the minute for Scientific Americans' 60-Second Science, I’m Cynthia Graber.
 


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1 parasite U4lzN     
n.寄生虫;寄生菌;食客
参考例句:
  • The lazy man was a parasite on his family.那懒汉是家里的寄生虫。
  • I don't want to be a parasite.I must earn my own way in life.我不想做寄生虫,我要自己养活自己。
2 affiliated 78057fb733c9c93ffbdc5f0ed15ef458     
adj. 附属的, 有关连的
参考例句:
  • The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
  • All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。
3 gliding gliding     
v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的
参考例句:
  • Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
  • The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。
4 swollen DrcwL     
adj.肿大的,水涨的;v.使变大,肿胀
参考例句:
  • Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着,她的双腿已经肿了。
  • A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她,她的手臂肿起来了。
5 abdomens b9e50973be51757dee66d69ffb4312e6     
n.腹(部)( abdomen的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The women especially disliked their stomachs or abdomens, hips, thighs and legs. 这些妇女特别不喜欢自己的胃部,腹部,臀部,大腿,腿部。 来自互联网
  • They danced not with their legs or arms, but with their entire bodies, undulating their abdomens. 他们跳舞不是用腿和臂,而是用整个身子,腹部一起一伏地扭动着。 来自互联网
6 specimens 91fc365099a256001af897127174fcce     
n.样品( specimen的名词复数 );范例;(化验的)抽样;某种类型的人
参考例句:
  • Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
  • The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 bellies 573b19215ed083b0e01ff1a54e4199b2     
n.肚子( belly的名词复数 );腹部;(物体的)圆形或凸起部份;腹部…形的
参考例句:
  • They crawled along on their bellies. 他们匍匐前进。
  • starving children with huge distended bellies 鼓着浮肿肚子的挨饿儿童
8 proliferate uisyE     
vi.激增,(迅速)繁殖,增生
参考例句:
  • We must not proliferate nuclear arms.我们决不能扩散核武器。
  • Rabbits proliferate when they have plenty of food.兔子有充足的食物就会繁衍得很快。
9 forage QgyzP     
n.(牛马的)饲料,粮草;v.搜寻,翻寻
参考例句:
  • They were forced to forage for clothing and fuel.他们不得不去寻找衣服和燃料。
  • Now the nutritive value of the forage is reduced.此时牧草的营养价值也下降了。
10 larvae w2CxP     
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。
11 mimicry oD0xb     
n.(生物)拟态,模仿
参考例句:
  • One of his few strengths was his skill at mimicry.他为数不多的强项之一就是善于模仿。
  • Language learning usually necessitates conscious mimicry.一般地说,学习语言就要进行有意识的摹仿。

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