SSS 2011-07-06
时间：2019-01-08 作者：英语课 分类：Scientific American(七)月
英语课
What does a bookworm have in common with a black-tufted marmoset? They both like a little quiet. Or so say scientists in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.
As urban areas continue to expand, their human inhabitants spread all sorts of pollution: air pollution, light pollution, even noise pollution. Each of these environmental encroachments affects the survival and behavior of local wildlife. And monkeys are no exception.
Scientists in Brazil were studying how marmosets in a city park cope with ambient noise. And they found that the monkeys tend to settle down in whatever part of the park is most quiet. On weekdays, the marmosets steered 1 clear of the roar of traffic, and on Sundays they shunned 2 the clamor of visiting crowds. They dodged 3 all the din 4, even when moving meant that they had to leave behind the places that offered them the most food.
It could be that the monkeys are just skittish 5 when it comes to unwelcome sounds. Or maybe they can't hear what their friends are saying when it gets too loud. Either way, next time you see a cute little marmoset, forget "oooh" or "awwww" or "ee-ee-ee." Try shhhh.
Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Karen Hopkin.
v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导
- He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
- The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )
- She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
- He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避
- He dodged cleverly when she threw her sabot at him. 她用木底鞋砸向他时，他机敏地闪开了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He dodged the book that I threw at him. 他躲开了我扔向他的书。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.喧闹声，嘈杂声
- The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
- They tried to make themselves heard over the din of the crowd.他们力图让自己的声音盖过人群的喧闹声。