时间:2019-02-24 作者:英语课 分类:英语听力文摘 English Digest


英语课

  D: Oh, no, Yeal, it is starting to rain, and I left my ant farm outside.Now my ants would drown and die.

Y: Come on, Don. I am guessing plenty of ants drown everytime it rains, which makes me wonder how do ground-nesting ants cope with rain?

D: Actually, ant species that burrow 1 have different flood survival strategies. I mean, nest design alone can go a long way. Some species make sure to build their nests in sandy or well-drained soil that absorbs moisture and dries quickly. And others build mounds 2 with waterproof 3 roofs.

Y: Pretty clever.

D: Oh, that's nothing. One tropical species of ants has an alarm and evacuation plan for flooding. At the first sign of rain, minor 4 worker ants start racing 5 through the nest’s tunnels, mobilizing the entire nest is less than thirty seconds.Odor trails then direct everyone down unobstructed tunnels to dry areas in the nest or–if necessary–to those exits that aren’t blocked by water.

Y: Now, that's pretty amazing.

D: Some species have flood plans that even top that. A species of fire ants in the southwest leave their nests and form a large mass around the queen and her brood, basically acting 6 like a living raft that floats until the waters recede 7, or it gets anchored on grass or bushes. Even though some die, enough survive–usually including the queen–so that once the waters go down, they can return to the nest or build a new one and go back to business as usual.

Y: So, Don, how could an ant lover like you leave his ant farm outside?

D: Well, I thought that I enjoyed a change of scenary.



vt.挖掘(洞穴);钻进;vi.挖洞;翻寻;n.地洞
  • Earthworms burrow deep into the subsoil.蚯蚓深深地钻进底土。
  • The dog had chased a rabbit into its burrow.狗把兔子追进了洞穴。
土堆,土丘( mound的名词复数 ); 一大堆
  • We had mounds of tasteless rice. 我们有成堆成堆的淡而无味的米饭。
  • Ah! and there's the cemetery' - cemetery, he must have meant. 'You see the mounds? 啊,这就是同墓,”——我想他要说的一定是公墓,“看到那些土墩了吗?
n.防水材料;adj.防水的;v.使...能防水
  • My mother bought me a waterproof watch.我妈妈给我买了一块防水手表。
  • All the electronics are housed in a waterproof box.所有电子设备都储放在一个防水盒中。
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
n.竞赛,赛马;adj.竞赛用的,赛马用的
  • I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
  • The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
vi.退(去),渐渐远去;向后倾斜,缩进
  • The colleges would recede in importance.大学的重要性会降低。
  • He saw that the dirty water had begun to recede.他发现那污浊的水开始往下退了。
学英语单词
acetylacetanilide
allotonic compound
Anzio bridgehead
bicucine
boxing shoe
brachiocephalic ischemia
bunched defence
chains of title
chair plate
checking law
cold high
compacost advantage
compensating plate lock-up
conjunctive matrix
crossed amblyopia
cumulative failure rate
cybersurveillance
data tape punch
decision guide
deh molla
destocked
dichopterous
electric airheater
emergency shutdown rod
exit label
extension to
exundate
fare construction unit
fort huachuca
fpds
front coil spring
full-piece woven carpet
functional word
Giannuzzi's cells
goms
grayscales
handing in of telegram
heavy slubbing box
hemp spinning machine
high-sideds
hopping reflex
humidity chamber
hypsilophodont
I should be so lucky
in itself
independents
Io moth, io moth
iPod Touch
jojo
lagon
lambastings
Law Times
lightsticks
low(lower)back
make a bolt
make a lodge
manganese(ii) valerate
marine environmental impact assessment
matriees
Milinda-panha
miscapitalise
mopico
mouth guard
multi-valley semiconductor
Murygino
noctinal
normal income rate
Norsa
observation spillover
oceaniss
oxochloride
oxyhydrogen light
parallel high speed algorithm
photogrammetric base
pith part
productive specialization
pseudoreduced properties
pulling plug
put an opera on the stage
random course
reflective insulation material
refractive rate
scalvinis
semi apochromat
sense data
servosystem correction
sober down
solid(s) content
spare me
spark pin
storm drains
sugar leaf
targetier
testing standard
tetanic induced current
tetrode fets
underpaddings
Virey-sous-Bar
virginia chain ferns
with one's shoulder to collar
worst-case peak-shift pattern