听力文摘：大自然最杰出的建造师

Beyond the Stinger

大自然最杰出的建造师

Unless you're an entomologist or a beekeeper, bees typically inspire one thing: fear. But most bees are non-aggressive, and only sting when provoked. In fact, once you get beyond the stinger, bees are pretty fascinating. For example, honeybees are great builders.

一提到蜜蜂，大家能联想到的可能是“可怕”，昆虫学者或养蜂人当然例外啦。但是，大多数的蜜蜂是没有攻击性的，蜜蜂蜇人那是万不得已的！事实上，蜜蜂是伟大的建筑师，而绝非仅仅是蜇人。

Beehive construction begins with finding a suitable site. Scout¹ bees seek hollow spaces in trees and human-made structures. Such spaces must be able to hold at least six and a half gallons, and have a small entrance that faces south for warmth.

蜂巢建造的第一步：侦察蜂寻觅合适的搭建处。侦察蜂在树林间或人造建筑物中寻找至少6.5加仑的空间，并且有面朝温暖南方的入口。

Once they've found the perfect spot, the scouts² prepare the site by clearing away loose wood or other rubbish and coat the space with a dried tree resin³ called propolis.

一旦侦察蜂找到绝佳的建造蜂巢点，它们会做好准备工作：清理掉松动的木材或其它杂物，在表层涂上叫蜂胶的干树脂。

Worker bees then take over, secreting⁴ wax to build the hive. Starting from the top and working down, they build combs–layers of hexagonally shaped cells with passageways along the walls to allow bees to move between combs. Each layer of cells has a specialized⁵ purpose.

下一步轮到工蜂了，工蜂用蜂蜡建造蜂巢。先搭建巢基，逐层往下，每个蜂房都是六边形的。

The uppermost cells store honey, followed by pollen⁶-storage cells. The bottom layers are designated for infant-rearing. Just beneath the pollen cells are brood cells where larvae⁷ become worker bees, and off to the side are cells housing drone bee larvae. Last, but certainly not least, special cells are set aside to shelter infant queen bees.

蜂房与蜂房间要留有空隙以便蜜蜂出入。每个蜂房都有特殊的作用。最上面的蜂房是储存蜂蜜的，下面一层是储存花粉的，再下层是幼虫变成工蜂的孵化室，最下层是育婴室，两侧居住的是雄蜂幼虫。当然，特殊的蜂房是留给有着尊贵地位的蜂王的。

A typical nest has about 100,000 cells with a total surface area of about twenty-seven square feet. Most of the cells are used to store the more than forty pounds of honey required to feed a bee colony during the winter.

标准的蜂巢有100,000个蜂房，连上表层大概有27平方英尺。大多数蜂巢储存了40多英镑的蜂蜜足够整个蜜蜂家族度过整个冬天了。

They may not win any awards, but bees are clearly some of nature's most accomplishedarchitects.

虽然，蜜蜂从未因此获奖。但是，它们无疑是大自然最杰出的建造师。

1 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

2 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

3 resin   

n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂

参考例句：

• This allyl type resin is a highly transparent, colourless material.这种烯丙基型的树脂是一种高度透明的、无色材料。
• This is referred to as a thixotropic property of the resin.这种特性叫做树脂的触变性。

4 secreting   

v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的现在分词 )；隐匿，隐藏

参考例句：

• It is also an endocrine gland secreting at least two important hormones. 它也是一种内分泌腺，至少分泌二种重要的激素。 来自辞典例句
• And some calcite-secreting organisms also add magnesium to the mix. 有些分泌方解石的生物，会在分泌物中加入镁。 来自互联网

5 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

6 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。

7 larvae   

n.幼虫

参考例句：

• Larvae are parasitic on sheep.幼虫寄生在绵羊的身上。
• The larvae prey upon small aphids.这种幼虫以小蚜虫为食。