英语听力文摘 English Digest 243、真菌是动物还是植物？

　　What are fungi¹, plants or animals?
真菌是动物还是植物？
真菌（Fungus）是一种真核生物。最常见的真菌是各类蕈类，另外真菌也包括霉菌和酵母。现在已经发现了七万多种真菌，估计只是所有存在的一小半。大多真菌原先被分入动物或植物，现在成为自己的界，通常又分为三类，即酵母菌、霉菌和蕈菌（大型真菌），它们归属于不同的亚门。
Mushrooms are merely one of many types of fungi. Not all fungi grow in soil. Mushrooms and other fungi do resemble plants in many ways, so much so that scientists long classified fungi plants, but they know better now.
Eating Habits
Where it truly counts, fungi differ from plants significantly. One major difference lies in how they eat. Plants are characterized by their ability to make their own food, using chlorophyll, sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.
Fungi cannot make their own food. They have to consume other living or once living organisms. Fungi aren’t animals either, but for what it’s worth, some scientists consider them more akin² to animals than plants. It’s even thought that fungi and animals may share a similar single-celled ancestor.
A major defining difference between the two kingdoms, however, is that while fungi do indeed have to consume other material, they don’t have stomachs like animals. Fungi have special cells that allow them to absorb their food.

　　译文
蘑菇只是众多真菌类型的其中之一。并不是所有的真菌都生长在土壤里面。蘑菇和其他的菌类在许多方面类似于植物，由此科学家长期以来将真菌归于植物类，但是现在，科学家们了解到更多的信息。
饮食习惯
真正重要的是，真菌很大程度上不同于植物。最大的在不同之处就在于他们如何吃东西。植物的特点在于他们使用叶绿素，阳光，水以及二氧化碳为自己制造食物的能力。
真菌不能为自己制造食物。他们必须食用活着的或者已经死去的生物。同样，真菌也不是动物，但是从其价值方面考虑，科学家们认为他更接近于动物而不是植物。甚至于认为真菌和动物有相似的单细胞类祖先。
最主要的区别在于尽管真菌要食用其他的物质，但是它不像动物一样有胃。真菌有特殊的细胞帮助他们吸收食物。
Notes
1.characterize v
·将某人[某事物]的特点描述成或刻画成某事物:
The novelist characterizes his heroine as capricious and passionate³. 这位小说家把女主人公刻画成反覆无常而又多情的人.
·表现（某人[某事物]）的典型; 以...为特徵:
the rolling downs that characterize this part of England 英格兰这一地区特有的开阔的丘陵地
The giraffe is characterized by its very long neck. 长颈鹿以其长颈为特徵.
2.differ v
~ (from sb/sth) （与某人[某事物]）不同, 不一样, 有区别; 不像; 相异:
The brothers differ widely in their tastes. 他们弟兄的爱好大相径庭.
Tastes differ, ie Different people like different things. 人各有所好.
In this respect, French differs from English/French and English differ. 在这方面, 法语不同於英语[法语与英语有区别].

1 fungi   

n.真菌，霉菌

参考例句：

• Students practice to apply the study of genetics to multicellular plants and fungi.学生们练习把基因学应用到多细胞植物和真菌中。
• The lawn was covered with fungi.草地上到处都是蘑菇。

2 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

3 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。