英语听力文摘 English Digest 644 蟑螂实际上有用吗

 　　Are Cockroaches² Actually Useful?

　　The natural History of the Cockroach¹, on this Moment of Science.

　　For certain species of cockroach, humans make the perfect roommates. Why do cockroaches like living in our houses? And what do they do when they’re not bugging³ us?

　　Although most us think of cockroaches as vermin, they do have a useful ecological⁴ role. Cockroaches are professional recyclers, chowing down just about anything, including dead plants and animals, and animal waste.

　　Their digestive systems are up to the task because they contain bacteria and protozoa that help convert the world’s waste into easily-absorbed nutrients⁵. In the wild, the waste of roaches nourishes growing plants, continuing the cycle.

　　Day In The Sun

　　300 million years ago, the Carboniferous period was the cockroaches’ day in the sun so to speak. The whole earth was swampy⁶ and hot, with new plants and animals appearing on the scene, creating lots of waste for roaches to recycle. As the earth’s climate changed, becoming colder and dryer⁷, cockroaches survived mainly in the tropics

　　A few hundred million years later, ships full of food and humans set out from the tropics, carrying clandestine⁸ cockroaches on board. Cockroaches disembarked in ports all over the world, searching for new homes. You might not have compared your house to a Carboniferous swamp, but the similarities wouldn’t escape a cockroach.

　　Cockroaches And Humans

　　There are lots of tasty crumbs⁹ littering the floor, a nice warm temperature year-round, and endless crannies to hide in. Despite these ideal living conditions, not all wandering cockroaches chose to shack¹⁰ up with humans. Of the 55 species of cockroach in the US, only 12 prefer human dwellings¹¹. The rest live outside, recycling without bugging us at all.

　　蟑螂实际上有用吗？

　　科学一刻为您揭秘蟑螂的自然发展历史。

　　对于某些品种的蟑螂来说，它们能够很好的融入人类的生活环境。为什么蟑螂会喜欢生活在我们房子里面呢？在烦扰我们之余，他们又都在做些什么?

　　尽管我们认为蟑螂是害虫，实际上他们对自然生态环境颇有益处。蟑螂是回收专家，能够吃下任何东西，包括死去的动植物以及动物的粪便。

　　它们的消化系统功能强大，含有某些细菌与原生动物能将世间废物变成极易吸收的营养物质。在野外，蟑螂的粪便给植物提供生长养分，让生态系统继续循环。

　　辉煌之时

　　可以这么说，3亿年以前的石炭纪是蟑螂的辉煌之时。那时的地球非常湿热，新生动植物的出现造成了大量的废弃物可供蟑螂进行回收利用。当地球的气候变得干冷之后，蟑螂只主要生活在热带地区。

　　几百万年以后，满载食物与人类的船只从热带出发，而蟑螂则偷偷摸摸地登上了船。蟑螂们登陆了全世界各个港口，寻找新家园。也许你不会将你的家与石炭纪的沼泽进行对比，但是蟑螂不会忽视其相似之处。

　　蟑螂与人类

　　人们房子里的地板上到处掉落着美味的面包屑，同时，常年保持温暖适宜的温度，而且有数不清的缝隙提供藏身之所。尽管生活条件理想，并不是所有蟑螂都选择与人们憩息在同一屋檐之下。在美国有55种蟑螂，其中只有12种喜欢与人类共处。其他种类都生活在室外，从不打扰我们，只是默默进行资源回收活动。

1 cockroach   

n.蟑螂

参考例句：

• A cockroach can live several weeks with its head off.蟑螂在头被切掉后仍能活好几个星期。
• She screamed when she found a cockroach in her bed.她在床上找到一只蟑螂时大声尖叫。

2 cockroaches   

n.蟑螂( cockroach的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At night, the cockroaches filled the house with their rustlings. 夜里，屋里尽是蟑螂窸窸瑟瑟的声音。 来自辞典例句
• It loves cockroaches, and can keep a house clear of these hated insects. 它们好食蟑螂，可以使住宅免除这些讨厌昆虫的骚扰。 来自百科语句

3 bugging   

[法] 窃听

参考例句：

• Okay, then let's get the show on the road and I'll stop bugging you. 好，那么让我们开始动起来，我将不再惹你生气。 来自辞典例句
• Go fly a kite and stop bugging me. 走开，别烦我。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

4 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

5 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》

6 swampy   

adj.沼泽的，湿地的

参考例句：

• Malaria is still rampant in some swampy regions.疟疾在一些沼泽地区仍很猖獗。
• An ox as grazing in a swampy meadow.一头牛在一块泥泞的草地上吃草。

7 dryer   

n.干衣机，干燥剂

参考例句：

• He bought a dryer yesterday.他昨天买了一台干燥机。
• There is a washer and a dryer in the basement.地下室里有洗衣机和烘干机。

8 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。

9 crumbs   

int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式

参考例句：

• She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
• Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊，天哪！都这会儿啦？

10 shack   

adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚

参考例句：

• He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack.在走到他的茅棚以前，他不得不坐在地上歇了五次。
• The boys made a shack out of the old boards in the backyard.男孩们在后院用旧木板盖起一间小木屋。

11 dwellings   

n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The development will consist of 66 dwellings and a number of offices. 新建楼区将由66栋住房和一些办公用房组成。
• The hovels which passed for dwellings are being pulled down. 过去用作住室的陋屋正在被拆除。 来自《简明英汉词典》