【英语时差8,16】利用紫外线的鱼

So you want to attract mates. After all, passing on your genes¹ is what evolution is all about. To do that you need offspring, and to get a lot of those you need to be attractive. The flashier the better. Hey, look over here! Sexy me. Ah, but there’s the problem. The flashier you are, the more likely you are to attract predators². Hey, look over there–that guy really stands out. I’ll eat him. This is a pickle³. How to be flashy in the eyes of mates but subdued⁴ in the eyes of predators? New studies show that swordtail fish have evolved a clever solution: use ultraviolet light. These innocuous little critters actually shine brightly in stripes that run along their flanks… but only if you look in the UV wavelength⁵. Researcher Molly Cummings and her coworkers at the University of Texas at Austin placed a female swordtail in a tank with two males visible at either end. One of the males, however, was surrounded by filtering glass that blocks UV light. They found that the female was twice as likely to demonstrate interest in the male whose UV flashers were visible to her. Twice as likely! That’s a big finding.

1 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

2 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》

3 pickle   

n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡

参考例句：

• Mother used to pickle onions.妈妈过去常腌制洋葱。
• Meat can be preserved in pickle.肉可以保存在卤水里。

4 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

5 wavelength   

n.波长

参考例句：

• The authorities were unable to jam this wavelength.当局无法干扰这一波长。
• Radio One has broadcast on this wavelength for years.广播1台已经用这个波长广播多年了。