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Then the brilliant masses take to the wing, heading to a place they've never been. Their only map, imprinted1 on their genes2. A mysterious interplay of sun on eyes and antennae3, an uncanny sense of magnetic north guides the way.
It will take five months for three generations to get the species as far north as Canada and a fourth super-generation to get them back to Mexico. Such a multi-generational migration4 is incredibly rare. It takes the leading generation three weeks to fly 500 miles into the southern U.S..
These intrepid5 elders sense the deaths are approaching fast. There is urgency now to pass on the migratory6 baton7. The female, having carried her eggs from Mexico, now searches for the monarch’s life-giving grail.
The milkweed sprouting8 all around, her offspring will be laid on it, hatch on it, nurse on its toxic9 milk and become toxic themselves, a defense10 they will flaunt11 with their singular beauty.
She is dying, but with luck, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will carry on the journey as far north as Canada and then an astounding12 2,000 miles back to Mexico.
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1 imprinted | |
v.盖印(imprint的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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2 genes | |
n.基因( gene的名词复数 ) | |
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3 antennae | |
n.天线;触角 | |
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4 migration | |
n.迁移,移居,(鸟类等的)迁徙 | |
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5 intrepid | |
adj.无畏的,刚毅的 | |
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6 migratory | |
n.候鸟,迁移 | |
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7 baton | |
n.乐队用指挥杖 | |
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8 sprouting | |
v.发芽( sprout的现在分词 );抽芽;出现;(使)涌现出 | |
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9 toxic | |
adj.有毒的,因中毒引起的 | |
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10 defense | |
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩 | |
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11 flaunt | |
vt.夸耀,夸饰 | |
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12 astounding | |
adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊,使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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