Spiders and Silk

48 科学家发现：蜘蛛丝强度要胜过绳子

DATE=5-16-01
TITLE=SCIENCE REPORT - Spiders and Silk
BYLINE=Jill Moss¹

(Start at 59")This is the VOA Special English Science Report.
Spiders are very small.  So it is easy to think that they do not make anything strong.  However, a scientist at Oxford² University in Britain has (1) discovered this it not true.  David Knight³ says that eight-legged spiders create a (2) material called (3) silk that could be as strong as rope.
Mister Knight has been studying spiders and the natural silk material they produce for many years.  The main subject of his research is the complex chemical process that spiders use to make their silk.  Mister Knight's findings were published recently in the British magazine, Nature. 
Mister Knight says that silk is very thin.  But it is extremely strong.  This is because the threads of silk are made into a complex (4) structure.  Mister Knight says the silk is made from protein （5）molecules. It forms in the parts of the spider's body called silk （6）glands. The silk is like pieces of string. It is rolled into small balls. 
When the spider wants to make, or （7）spin, some silk, it carefully unrolls the balls.  The pieces of string join together.  When the spider wants to move, it joins all the small strings⁴ of silk into one long thread. Then it can move down the thread. Wherever a (8) spider goes, it spins a silk thread behind itself. 
Mister Knight says that spiders can make and use as many as seven kinds of silk.  It uses one kind of silk for making the structure of the spider's web -- where it traps insects.  It uses another stretchy silk for making round links in the web.  Mister Knight says those links are covered by another kind of silk that is very (9) sticky.  This sticky material makes it difficult for insects to escape after they are caught in the spider's web.  
Spider silk is strong enough to catch insects.  Its strength can be measured. Mister Knight says the silk from an Orb⁵ web spider is five times stronger than fiber⁶ made by man.  He also estimates that a rope of spider silk as thick as one pencil could pull a large ship through the water. He says one-day people may be able to make material as strong as a spider's silk.  It could be used in place of rope.  
Spider silk is a useful material.  It does not harm the environment.  It can be re-used by spiders. So people may wonder why they cannot use spiders to manufacture silk for industrial use.  Mister Knight says it is because spiders cannot be farmed. He says if you put them in a room together, they will try to eat each other.
This VOA Special English Science Report was written by Jill Moss.

注释：
（1） discover[ dis5kQvE ]v.发现, 发觉
（2） material[mE5tIErIEl]n.材料, 原料, 物资
（3） silk[ silk ]n.丝绸
（4） structure[ 5strQktFE ]n.结构, 构造 v.建筑, 构成
（5） molecule[ 5mClikju:l, 5mEu- ]n.[化]分子, 些微
（6） gland[ ^lAnd ]n.[解剖]腺, [机械]密封管
（7） spin[ spin ]v.旋转n.旋转
（8） spider[ 5spaidE ]n.蜘蛛, 设圈套者, 三脚架
（9） sticky[ 5stiki ]adj.粘的, 粘性的

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

3 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

4 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

5 orb   

n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形

参考例句：

• The blue heaven,holding its one golden orb,poured down a crystal wash of warm light.蓝蓝的天空托着金色的太阳，洒下一片水晶般明亮温暖的光辉。
• It is an emanation from the distant orb of immortal light.它是从远处那个发出不灭之光的天体上放射出来的。

6 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。