【英语时差8,16】尿引发的信号(一)

Don: Hey Ya?l, here's another one for your "strange but true" file---Lobsters¹ and      crayfish communicate by shooting streams of urine at each other.

Ya?l: Eew. This better be a good one, Don.

D: It's actually pretty neat.Many animals produce chemical signals for communication.      These signals, or pheremones, can carry information about mating readiness or      dominance status. Lobsters, crayfish and other crustaceans² send these signals      packaged in streams of urine.

     British researchers studying signalling behavior in crustaceans discovered that      crayfish could shoot streams of urine out of pores on the side of their head. Clusters      of fan-like appendages³ near the mouth direct a highly focused stream straight into the      faces of others during fights and courtship.

Y: That's an unusual communication strategy.

D: Well, their urine contains hormone⁴ derivatives⁵ that can tell others a lot about the      fitness or current state of the shooter---useful information when choosing a mate or      when deciding whether to fight or back down.

     The researchers studied the role of the chemical signals in fights between pairs of      crayfish. They found that "Winners" of fights shot more chemical signals than "Losers"      in fights. But when the urine of crayfish that were normally "winners" was blocked,      they started to lose fights. If their urine pores were then unblocked, they became      winners once more.

Y: Interesting!

D: If you think that was interesting---tune in next time to learn what urine signalling in      crustaceans has to do with NASA and odor-tracking robots!   

1 lobsters   

龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉

参考例句：

• I have no idea about how to prepare those cuttlefish and lobsters. 我对如何烹调那些乌贼和龙虾毫无概念。
• She sold me a couple of live lobsters. 她卖了几只活龙虾给我。

2 crustaceans   

n.甲壳纲动物（如蟹、龙虾）( crustacean的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These crustaceans provide a valuable food source for some fish. 这些甲壳纲动物是某些鱼类重要的食物来源。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• When the tide ebbs it's a rock pool inhabited by crustaceans. 退潮时，它便成为甲壳动物居住的岩石区潮水潭。 来自辞典例句

3 appendages   

n.附属物( appendage的名词复数 )；依附的人；附属器官；附属肢体（如臂、腿、尾等）

参考例句：

• The 11th segment carries a pair of segmented appendages, the cerci. 第十一节有一对分节的附肢，即尾须。 来自辞典例句
• Paired appendages, with one on each side of the body, are common in many animals. 很多动物身上有成对的附肢，一侧一个，这是很普遍的现象。 来自辞典例句

4 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

5 derivatives   

n.衍生性金融商品；派生物，引出物( derivative的名词复数 )；导数

参考例句：

• Many English words are derivatives of Latin words. 许多英语词来自拉丁语。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These compounds are nitrosohydroxylamine derivatives. 这类合成物是亚硝基羟胺衍生物。 来自辞典例句