英语听力文摘 English Digest 241、长寿的昆虫

　　Methuselah Insect
昆虫的寿命相对于地球上的其他生物而言，算比较短的，不过有一种昆虫的寿命相当长，那就是一种能17年的蝉。蝉寿命虽长，却要在土里面沉睡17年，当它睡醒之后，从土里钻出来，在太阳下享受生活，仅五个星期的时间就老死了。这种寿命长达17年的蝉只有美国才有。其他种类的蝉大部分寿命只有两年。

　　What insect has the longest life span of them all? Find out on this Moment of Science.
What insect has the longest life span of them all? Well ,I know the life spans of most insects are shorter than a year. This is in part because they’re cold-blooded and thus poorly equipped for winter. Some do live much longer, though, and my guess is that the (1)periodic cicada holds the record.
They can live for a whopping seventeen years. And all but about two weeks of that time is spent in immaturity¹ under ground. When they finally do rise from under the ground, their adult lives are over before they’ve hardly begun.
At least one species of long-horned beetle² (2)beats out the cicada with its ability to survive in its larval form in dead wood for thirty-five to fifty years. But the insect with the longest life span, as far as we know, is the African mound-building termite³ queen.
These termites⁴ are known in part for the large mounds⁵ they build. They look something like haystacks, but more solid, like stone. Inside the mounds lives a highly sophisticated society of insects.
You can possibly be telling me that this termite queen live longer than fifty years.can you? Try,sixty years.sixty?
Some scientists think they may live even longer than that. One thing’s for sure, she’s not lying around watching television all those long years. She’s laying eggs constantly, up to something like thirty-five thousand a day.
译文：
长寿的昆虫
什么昆虫的寿命最长呢？嗯，我知道大多数的昆虫寿命都没有一年。这在某种程度上是因为它们是冷血动物，不能很好的适应冬季。但是仍有一些动物活得比较久，我猜周期蝉能够保持这个记录。
它们可以存活17年。但是它们差不多有两周的时间都处于地底下的不成熟状态。当它们终于从地底下爬出来的时候，它们的成年生活也差不多结束了。
有一种天牛科甲虫击败了周期蝉，它们能够以幼虫的形态在枯木中生活35年到50年。但是目前我们知道的寿命最长的昆虫是非洲建造土堡的白蚁后。
这些白蚁以它们建造的大型土堡出名。这些土堡看起来像干草堆，但是它们如岩石一般牢固。在这些土堡里居住着高度复杂的昆虫社会。
你不会告诉我这些白蚁后能够生存50多年吧？是的，它们能够生存60年。60年？
一些科学家认为它们可能活的更久。不过有一件事是可以确定的，它们不会在这些年里天天卧着看电视。它会不停的产卵，一天能够产35000个卵。
Notes:
(1)periodic cicada: 周期蝉 (“十七年蝉”或“周期蝉”（Magicicada）。原产于美国东部地区，这些蝉在地下蛰伏十三或十七年，然后破土而出。)
(2)beat out ['bi:taut] 搞清；敲平；使筋疲力尽
He beat out another firm in bidding.
他在投标击败另一家公司。

1 immaturity   

n.不成熟；未充分成长；未成熟；粗糙

参考例句：

• It traces the development of a young man from immaturity to maturity. 它描写一位青年从不成熟到成熟的发展过程。 来自辞典例句
• Immaturity is the inability to use one's understanding without guidance from another. 不成熟就是不经他人的指引就无法运用自身的理解力。 来自互联网

2 beetle   

n.甲虫，近视眼的人

参考例句：

• A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
• He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。

3 termite   

n.白蚁

参考例句：

• The termite control was also probed into further in this text.本文还进一步探讨了白蚁的防治方法。
• Termite often destroys wood.白蚁经常破坏树木。

4 termites   

n.白蚁( termite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Termites are principally tropical in distribution. 白蚁主要分布在热带地区。 来自辞典例句
• This spray will exterminate the termites. 这种喷剂能消灭白蚁。 来自辞典例句

5 mounds   

土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆

参考例句：

• 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？