普通高中课程标准实验教科书 英语选修9 Unit 4 Exploring plants

Reading and discussing

Before you read the text on page 38, have a quick glance at it. What is the text about? What do the pictures show you? What is the chart about?

                                                     FLOWERS AND THEIR ANIMAIL POLLINATORS

        Over time, many flowering plants and their animal pollinators have evolved together. The plant needs the animal to pollinate it and the animal is rewarded with food called nectar when it visits the flowers. Pollen¹ becomes attached to the animal during its visit to a flower and is then passed on to another plant's blossom on its next visit. So pollination² takes place, therefore increasing the chances of the survival of the plant species.

        Through evolution, most flowers have adapted to attract specific types of pollinators. Bees, moths⁴ and butterflies are the most important

pollinators. Flies, wasps⁵, beetles⁶ and other animals such as birds and bats are less common.

       The type of pollinator depends on the characteristics of the flower such as its colour, shape, size and smell. For example, yellow flowers attract bees, while red flowers attract butterflies. The nectar in some flowers can only be reached by a bird with a long bill or a long-tongued moth³ or butterfly. The chart below describes some features of flowers that attract certain kinds of pollinators. 

 

Pollinator	Typical flower characteristics
Bees	Colour: bright yellow, blue; the flower often has a special pattern to guide the bees to the nectar inside. Shape: the petals7 are wide enough for bees to land on;usually the nectar is at the end of a small, narrow tube whose length is the same as the tongue of a particular species. Smell: delicate, fragrant8.
Butterflies	Colour: red, orange. Shape: the petals form a tube of a suitable length for butterflies. Tiny flowers are often in tight bunches that provide a place for butterflies to land on, eg daisies. Smell: odourless.
Moths	Colour: white, light-coloured so moths can see them at night. Shape: the petals form a deep tube to match the length of a specific moth's tongue. The petals lie fiat9 or bend back so the moth can get close to the flower. Smell: strong, sweet perfume, typically only given out at night.
Flies	Colour: dull-coloured, brownish red. Smell: strong like rotting meat.
Humming-birds	Colour: brightly coloured, especially red and orange. Shape: tube-shaped; petals bent10 back so birds can get close. Smell: no odour.
Bats	Colour: white, light-coloured so bats can see them at night. Shape: open at night; large, strong with wide mouths for long tongues. Smell: musty, fruity smell.

    

1 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

2 pollination   

n.授粉

参考例句：

• The flowers get pollination by insects.这些花通过昆虫授粉。
• Without sufficient pollination,the growth of the corn is stunted.没有得到充足的授粉，谷物的长势就会受阻。

3 moth   

n.蛾，蛀虫

参考例句：

• A moth was fluttering round the lamp.有一只蛾子扑打着翅膀绕着灯飞。
• The sweater is moth-eaten.毛衣让蛀虫咬坏了。

4 moths   

n.蛾( moth的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moths have eaten holes in my wool coat. 蛀虫将我的羊毛衫蛀蚀了几个小洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The moths tapped and blurred at the window screen. 飞蛾在窗帘上跳来跳去，弄上了许多污点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 wasps   

黄蜂( wasp的名词复数 )； 胡蜂； 易动怒的人； 刻毒的人

参考例句：

• There's a wasps' nest in that old tree. 那棵老树上有一个黄蜂巢。
• We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones like moths. 我们不仅生活在对象蜘蛛或黄蜂这样的小虫的惧怕中，而且生活在对诸如飞蛾这样无害昆虫的惧怕中

6 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》

7 petals   

n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
• The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

9 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

10 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。