【英语时差8,16】大喙降温

Big Bill Chill When people get hot, we sweat. When dogs overheat, they pant. And birds? At least one type–the Toco toucan¹–uses its oversized bill to cool down. Even if you’re never seen a live toucan up close, you might be able to picture its huge, multi-colored beak². And you may have wondered…why such a long bill? One study has found that when toucans³ are too hot, they use their bill to dump heat and cool off. To test this hypothesis, researchers observed toucans in a chamber⁴ where the temperature gradually rose by eighteen degrees Fahrenheit⁵. Using thermal⁶ imaging, they saw that the hotter the chamber got, the more the birds’ bills warmed up. And as the bills warmed, other parts of the toucans’ bodies either grew cooler or stayed the same. This suggests that toucans channel heat from their bodies to their beaks⁷, which then dump the heat into the surrounding air. Now, a toucan’s bill also serves other purposes, such as picking tropical fruit. But this research shows that, whatever else it might be good for, a toucan’s beak helps it chill out. So is the same true for other birds? Maybe. That’s what scientists are now hoping to discover.

1 toucan   

n.巨嘴鸟，犀鸟

参考例句：

• A toucan is a South American bird.巨嘴鸟是北美的一种鸟。
• There is a toucan in this zoo.这个动物园有一只巨嘴鸟。

2 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

3 toucans   

n.巨嘴鸟，犀鸟( toucan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Against it, parakeets and toucans and blue-winged macaws swoop. 晨光下，小鹦鹉、巨嘴鸟和翅膀鲜蓝的金刚鹦鹉展翼翱翔。 来自互联网
• Toucans also have a narrow, feather-like tongue. 巨嘴鸟也有狭窄部份，像羽毛一样的舌。 来自互联网

4 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

5 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

6 thermal   

adj.热的，由热造成的；保暖的

参考例句：

• They will build another thermal power station.他们要另外建一座热能发电站。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

7 beaks   

n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者

参考例句：

• Baby cockatoos will have black eyes and soft, almost flexible beaks. 雏鸟凤头鹦鹉黑色的眼睛是柔和的，嘴几乎是灵活的。 来自互联网
• Squid beaks are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales. 经常能在抹香鲸的胃里发现鱿鱼的嘴。 来自互联网