英语听力文摘 English Digest 371、甲虫强过绿巨人？

Beetle¹: Stronger than Hulk?
甲虫强过绿巨人？

 

As we know from the movie, the Hulk is a guy who, when he gets angry, turns into the strongest, meanest creature on earth. The natural world features a few amazingly strong creatures of its own. In fact, the pound-for-pound strongest creature on earth is . . . drum roll please…

The rhinoceros beetle?

Is it possible that a little old beetle, an insect, can bear more weight than, say, an elephant? Of course not, but when it comes to proportional strength, the rhinoceros beetle is second to none. Elephants, after all, can only carry around 25% of their own weight. The rhino² beetle can carry a whopping 850 times its own weight on its back.

Why are rhino beetles³ so strong? First, these beetles are nearly an inch long and packed with powerful muscles. Second, they generally have at least three legs touching⁴ the ground at all times. This gives these beetles the extraordinary balance and leverage that enable them to lift heavy objects.

Since they live in tropical jungles along the equator, rhino beetles have to be strong to forage⁵ through the jungle floor. Named for the rhinoceros-like horn on its head, the rhino beetle uses its horn and proportional strength to move aside branches and other debris in search of food.

Rhino beetles are neither ferocious⁶ nor particularly dangerous. They eat rotting fruit and sap, and despite their fierce horned appearance do not bite or sting when handled. These gentle insects may not be hulk-like in demeanor, but their strength might turn other creatures green with envy.

 

 

 

看过电影《绿巨人》的都知道，每当班纳尔生气时，就会失去自我意识，变身成为地球上最强壮最具破坏力的生物-绿色巨人。其实，在自然界中，也有一些这样具有超凡力量的生物。这种实打实的地球最强生物就是——请击鼓......

犀牛甲虫？

这么丁点大的小甲虫可以负重超过大象吗？当然不能，但是，如果是按体重和负重量的比例来算，犀牛甲虫可是当之无愧的冠军呢！毕竟，就算是大象也只能载动自身体重的四分之一左右，而我们小小的犀牛甲虫却能载动超过体重八百五十倍的东西呢！

那么犀牛甲虫为什么如此强大呢？首先，这种甲虫体短，只有一英寸长，但却浑身是强健的肌肉。其次，通常它能够做到至少三只脚同时着地，这就使得它具有超凡的平衡力和支撑点来抬起重物。

因为犀牛甲虫生活在赤道附近的热带丛林，因此，它不得不足够强壮才能在炽热的地表搜寻到食物。正因为犀牛甲虫的角酷似犀牛角，所以它才叫做犀牛甲虫。犀牛甲虫利用自己的角和力量来移开树枝和其它障碍物来搜寻食物。

犀牛甲虫既不残忍也不危险。它们食用的是腐烂的水果和树的汁液，即便它们的角及其锋利，但当你抓住它时它也不会叮咬你。因此，这些温柔的昆虫行为举止绝对不会像恐怖的绿色巨人，但是，恐怕它们强大的力量会轻而易举地让其它生物妒忌的两眼发红吧！

green with envy:妒忌地眼红

 

 

 

1 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。

2 rhino   

n.犀牛，钱, 现金

参考例句：

• The rhino charged headlong towards us.犀牛急速地向我们冲来。
• They have driven the rhino to the edge of extinction.他们已经令犀牛濒临灭绝。

3 beetles   

n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Beetles bury pellets of dung and lay their eggs within them. 甲壳虫把粪粒埋起来，然后在里面产卵。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This kind of beetles have hard shell. 这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

5 forage   

n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻

参考例句：

• They were forced to forage for clothing and fuel.他们不得不去寻找衣服和燃料。
• Now the nutritive value of the forage is reduced.此时牧草的营养价值也下降了。

6 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。