英语听力文摘 English Digest 559、世界上最大的痰盂！

 　　The World’s Biggest Spittoon

 

　　In the spring, the eastern half of North America turns into one big spittoon for spittlebugs. Wandering through a meadow, it’s easy to spot the gobs of foam¹ they produce, stuck to the stems of various plants. What makes spittlebugs produce so much spittle?

 

　　As the weather warms in spring, spittlebug eggs that were laid on plants in autumn begin to hatch. The spittlebugnymphs pierce the plant stem with their needle-like mouth parts and suck sap from the plant. But, the nymphs don’t suck the nutrient-rich sap that carries sugars produced by photosynthesis². Instead, they pump out the sap that flows up from the roots, carrying water and other elements from the soil necessary for photosynthesis.

 

　　To get enough nutrients³ from this watery⁴ sap, spittlebugs have to pump up to 300 times their own weight in sap every 24 hours! They excrete the excess water in the form of that spittle you see on the plant stem.

 

　　The frothy mass may seem at first to be so much wasted spittle, but it also serves an important function by protecting and concealing⁵ the nymphs from predators⁶. It works so well that the critters have no known predators. The spittle also provides a moist environment for the nymphs, preventing them from drying up. That’s good news for spittlebugs but bad news for plants, which can wilt⁷ and become stunted⁸ as the nymphs pump out the sap flowing up from their roots.

 

 

 

　　世界上最大的痰盂！

 

　　春天，北美东半部变成了一个巨大的痰盂，“吐口水”的是一群叫做吹沫虫的昆虫。随便走在一片草坪上，你都能看到它们凝结成块的"唾沫“粘在各种植物的茎部。吹沫虫怎么会分泌出如此多的"唾液"？

 

　　随着春天来临，天气转暖，吹沫虫在秋天产下的虫卵开始孵化。吹沫虫幼虫用针状口器刺破植物茎部，吸取汁液。但它们吸取的不是光合作用的“产品”- 营养丰富的含糖汁液，而是光合作用的“原料”- 植物根部从土壤里汲取的水分和其它元素。

 

　　为了从“兑水”的汁液中汲取养分，吹沫虫每24小时需要吸食高达自身重量300倍的植物汁液。你看到的植物茎部上的“唾沫”正是他们排出的多余水分。

 

　　成块的唾沫给人的第一感觉无外乎大堆无用的唾液，其实它还能保护吹沫虫幼虫免遭捕食。这个“隐身”的功效如此甚好，至今人类还未发现吹沫虫的捕食者。"唾 沫"还能为吹沫虫提供了湿润的环境，让它们没有干涸之虞。但是彼之蜜糖，吾之毒药。植物却可能随着根部汁液被夺食而发育不良，甚至枯萎。

1 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

2 photosynthesis   

n.光合作用

参考例句：

• In apple trees photosynthesis occurs almost exclusively in the leaves.苹果树的光合作用几乎只发生在叶内。
• Chloroplasts are the structures in which photosynthesis happens.叶绿体就是光合作用发生的地方。

3 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

5 concealing   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产

6 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

8 stunted   

adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的

参考例句：

• the stunted lives of children deprived of education 未受教育的孩子所过的局限生活
• But the landed oligarchy had stunted the country's democratic development for generations. 但是好几代以来土地寡头的统治阻碍了这个国家民主的发展。