时间:2018-12-24 作者:英语课 分类:2014年Scientific American(七)月


英语课

 When you think of birds, you probably imagine their dazzling plumage or their beautiful songs. But since the days of Darwin, scientists have figured that individual species of birds should not have both: they’d either be drab virtuosos 1 or eye candy that sings only one note. Now a study shows that some songbirds are in fact show-offs in sight and sound. The work is in the Proceedings 2 of the Royal Society B. [Nicholas A. Mason, Allison J. Shultz and Kevin J. Burns, Elaborate visual and acoustic 3 signals evolve independently in a large, phenotypically diverse radiation of songbirds]


 
Bright feathers and complex songs are different ways to attract a mate. The more flamboyant 4 the display, the more likely a bird will get noticed. But these exaggerated calling cards take a lot of energy to produce. Which is why scientists assumed that birds would have to choose between melody or looks.
 
But an exhaustive survey of the tanagers, a family of songbirds from Central and South America, shows no sign of a tradeoff. Although some tanager species do emphasize oration 5 over attire 6, like the aptly named drab hemispingus, some, like the mountain tanager, are both dashing and melodious 7. While the white-bellied seedeater is fine with looking and sounding rather dull.   
 
The different species likely experienced different selective pressures, leading to their varied 8 strategies. Whatever it takes to catch the eye, and/or ear, of a potential mate.

1 virtuosos
n.艺术大师( virtuoso的名词复数 );名家;艺术爱好者;古董收藏家
  • Like all virtuosos, Fermi had a distinctive style. 像所有的艺术家一样,费米有他自己的独特风格。 来自互联网
  • In terms of musical performance, there are many very good French musicians, but few virtuosos. 从音乐演出来看,优秀的法国音乐家不少,可是缺乏演奏大师。 来自互联网
2 proceedings
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报
  • He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
  • to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
3 acoustic
adj.听觉的,声音的;(乐器)原声的
  • The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
  • Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。
4 flamboyant
adj.火焰般的,华丽的,炫耀的
  • His clothes were rather flamboyant for such a serious occasion.他的衣着在这种严肃场合太浮夸了。
  • The King's flamboyant lifestyle is well known.国王的奢华生活方式是人尽皆知的。
5 oration
n.演说,致辞,叙述法
  • He delivered an oration on the decline of family values.他发表了有关家庭价值观的衰退的演说。
  • He was asked to deliver an oration at the meeting.他被邀请在会议上发表演说。
6 attire
v.穿衣,装扮[同]array;n.衣着;盛装
  • He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
  • Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。
7 melodious
adj.旋律美妙的,调子优美的,音乐性的
  • She spoke in a quietly melodious voice.她说话轻声细语,嗓音甜美。
  • Everybody was attracted by her melodious voice.大家都被她悦耳的声音吸引住了。
8 varied
adj.多样的,多变化的
  • The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
  • The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。
学英语单词
accupril
air-bounce
angle of winning-block
aniculus ursus
as dry as a brick
autophytic plant
Beamahs
biological module, biocapsule
building code
bulletin boards
butyric acid number
cad-cam
carinate venter
cauterion
Chain slack!
clock-doubled
Clodomira
collision-avoidance warning
corbicula insularis
Corlutina
counthood
cross-country skiings
demand with menaces
drinks in
dusts
E scan
effective decay constant
Egyptian lace
eprlf
Ergersheim
F test
final statement of accounts
fling together
gazzanigas
Giglio Castello
hand chain hoist
hydroxyglutaric acid
indult
infinitely near point
International Data Encryption Algorithm
intralesionally
IPC
isothermal process
judicial mortgage
kienb?ck's dislocation
lifegiving
light alloy
lusa
macrophage aggregating factor
marine plain
memory mapped i/o
Metanilamido
misdoubts
mismos
Mohawkian series
moosehide
more than love
neon 20 beam
next-to-impossible
Nycholaite
Nymphaea stellata
oblique rhumb line
off-roading
office of technology utilization
omise
overpitches
plain-woven
policy adviser
positivistic social science
power control circuit
pre-employ
primary geologic structure
prostitute
pulsed-bed sorption
reactance bridge
reprick
revaluation of excess
Ringsaker
Royal Air Force Museum
Rules of Geometry
sampling of continous-time signal
scaleoftwo
sequence packing
ship net
Silybum marianum Gaertn.
slim file
so much
spar-rib
stability of dam foundation
steepness of terrain
storm area
stratified bed ion exchange
sturgeonlike
took point
total earning
Tree-glue
tri-gun color picture tube
unopened parachute
vicks
waiveth
workmen's compensation acts
zapato