英语听力文摘 English Digest 403、神奇的蜂王浆

The Royal Jelly
神奇的蜂王浆

According to legend, King Arthur gained the crown by pulling a sword from a rock. Queen honeybees have an equally enchanting way of ascending¹ to the throne. Introducing… the Royal Jelly!

This special jelly is made of water, proteins, fatty acids, organic acids, vitamins and minerals. These substances are mixed with bee milk, a liquid produced by young worker bees.

When the reining² queen begins to show signs of old age, worker bees select her successors from among the developing queen bee larvae.

Although all baby bees are fed royal jelly at first, queen bee larvae receive extra helpings³ and continue to be fed the rich food longer than regular larvae. The jelly fed to developing queens is also packed with higher concentrations of sugar and various proteins.

The results are spectacular. Thanks to their super-nutritious diet, queen bees grow up to one and a half times larger than regular bees, live forty times longer than normal bees, and lay up to two thousand eggs per day.

Inevitably⁴, entrepreneurs have attempted to capitalize on royal jelly by creating jelly-infused dietary supplements that supposedly make people stronger and more virile⁵. But don’t go spreading royal jelly on your toast just yet.

Although it does the trick for bees, there’s no solid proof that the stuff will make you king or queen for even a day.

据说，亚瑟王当年从岩石里拔出一把剑就得到了王位。蜂王也是通过类似的方式登上王位的。那就是蜂王浆。

这是一种特别的粘稠浆状物，由水分，蛋白质，脂肪酸，有机酸，维生素和矿物质组成。这些物质与王浆混合在一起，王浆是一种由年轻的工蜂产生的液体。

到了当权蜂王开始衰老的时候，工蜂们就会从蜂王幼虫中挑选出继任者。

虽然刚开始所有的蜜蜂宝宝都是吃的蜂王浆，但比起普通的幼虫，蜂王幼虫会得到额外的关注，并且会一直有丰富的食物。蜂王吃的东西含有更多的糖类和各种维生素。

结果非常惊人。由于超有营养的饮食，蜂王长大后的身体比工蜂长1/3，寿命是工蜂的40倍，每天产卵2000个左右。

必然地，企业家们试图利用蜂王浆牟利。他们大量制作注入浆状物的营养保健品，大概能使人的身体更强壮和更有男子气概。但别马上把蜂王浆涂到烤面包上。

尽管它对蜜蜂管用，但并没有确凿的证据证明它能够让你成为哪怕一天的国王或女王。
 

1 ascending   

adj.上升的，向上的

参考例句：

• Now draw or trace ten dinosaurs in ascending order of size.现在按照体型由小到大的顺序画出或是临摹出10只恐龙。

2 reining   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的现在分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• "That's a fine bevy, Ma'm,'said Gerald gallantly, reining his horse alongside the carriage. "太太！好一窝漂亮的云雀呀！" 杰拉尔德殷勤地说，一面让自己的马告近塔尔顿的马车。
• I was a temperamental genius in need of reining in by stabler personalities. 我是个需要由更稳重的人降服住的神经质的天才。

3 helpings   

n.（食物）的一份( helping的名词复数 )；帮助，支持

参考例句：

• You greedy pig! You've already had two helpings! 你这个馋嘴！你已经吃了两份了！
• He had two helpings of pudding. 他吃了两客布丁。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

5 virile   

adj.男性的；有男性生殖力的；有男子气概的；强有力的

参考例句：

• She loved the virile young swimmer.她爱上了那个有男子气概的年轻游泳运动员。
• He wanted his sons to become strong,virile,and athletic like himself.他希望他的儿子们能长得像他一样强壮、阳刚而又健美。