【英语时差8,16】达尔文的百战天虫

 

Charles Darwin is best known for his studies of evolution by means of natural and sexual selection, but did you know he was also a pioneer in the study of earthworms?   

After watching an earthworm s-l-o-w-l-y drag a leaf into its burrow¹, Darwin became fascinated by these unassuming creatures. He began an exhaustive study of worm behavior, sensory² abilities and digestion³. His book on worms was the first to describe the enormous impact of earthworms on our lives.

 

Darwin noticed that a thick layer of charcoal⁴ and cinders⁵ that he'd spread across a large field two years earlier was now uniformly covered by several inches of earth.

 

He surmised⁶ that what appeared to be the "sinking" of the charcoal layer was actually the result of earthworm "castings." Earthworms swallow soil, extract nutrients⁷ from it, then excrete the rest up onto the surface. These excretions---small dark mounds⁸ of fine dirt you may see dotting the ground---are called castings.

 

Some scientists disputed Darwin's claim, arguing that the small, weak creatures weren't capable of moving such massive amounts of material to the surface.

 

Darwin responded to the criticism by conducting a more careful experiment. This time rather than measuring the rate at which objects were buried, he weighed all the worm castings thrown up to the surface each day. He found that in a single acre of farmland over eleven tons of earth passes to the surface through the bodies of worms every year!

 

In the words of Charles Darwin: "It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures."  

1 burrow   

vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞

参考例句：

• Earthworms burrow deep into the subsoil.蚯蚓深深地钻进底土。
• The dog had chased a rabbit into its burrow.狗把兔子追进了洞穴。

2 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

3 digestion   

n.消化，吸收

参考例句：

• This kind of tea acts as an aid to digestion.这种茶可助消化。
• This food is easy of digestion.这食物容易消化。

4 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

5 cinders   

n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 )；炭渣；煤渣路；煤渣跑道

参考例句：

• This material is variously termed ash, clinker, cinders or slag. 这种材料有不同的名称，如灰、炉渣、煤渣或矿渣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rake out the cinders before you start a new fire. 在重新点火前先把煤渣耙出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 surmised   

v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想

参考例句：

• From the looks on their faces, I surmised that they had had an argument. 看他们的脸色，我猜想他们之间发生了争执。
• From his letter I surmised that he was unhappy. 我从他的信中推测他并不快乐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 mounds   

土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆

参考例句：

• We had mounds of tasteless rice. 我们有成堆成堆的淡而无味的米饭。
• Ah! and there's the cemetery' - cemetery, he must have meant. 'You see the mounds? 啊，这就是同墓，”——我想他要说的一定是公墓，“看到那些土墩了吗？