英语听力—环球英语 1438 The Fire Beetle

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Thank you for joining us for Spotlight¹!  I’m Ryan Geertsma.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Liz Waid.  Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting.  It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Fires like this make many people afraid.  It is difficult to control fires.  They can cause harm to buildings and property like homes, schools and businesses.  But they can also cause a lot of harm to living things like people, animals and insects.  When a fire alarm sounds people leave an area immediately.  When people, animals, or insects see smoke, they do not stay still; they run in the other direction.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But there is at least one living thing that reacts to fire in a different way.  It is an insect.  In fact, when this insect senses fire, it flies directly toward² the fire.  It needs fire.  Today’s Spotlight is on this very unusual insect - the Black Jewel Beetle³.  The common name for this beetle is the “fire beetle.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Fire beetles⁴ live in many places around the world.  They are small round insects. Their protective⁵ shell is also very beautiful. In fact, this is where they get their name. A fire beetle’s shell is covered in bright beautiful colors. This helps the beetle hide in a colorful forest. Fire beetles are beautiful insects. But scientists are particularly interested in the fire beetle because it has an interesting and special ability.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Fire beetles can sense fire from up to 80 kilometres away.  This ability is important to a fire beetle. That is because the burned and destroyed remains⁶ of a forest are the perfect place for the fire beetle to lay their eggs!  After a large fire has destroyed a forest, the beetle travels to the burned remains. In fact, large groups of beetles meet at the remains. Fire beetles can mate⁷ there in peace.  No other animals or insects will eat or attack them.  All the other animals and insects have run away because of the fire.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The fire beetles lay their eggs in the burned wood.  No other animals or insects will harm the beetles’ eggs.  The burned wood is food for the young beetles when they are born. And the young beetles will not have to compete with other insects to live.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　For the fire beetle, eating burned wood is better than eating healthy or living wood.  Eating wood from a live tree can be dangerous for a beetle.  Living trees can defend themselves against beetles.  The trees can produce substances that harm or trap the beetle. Dying⁸ or dead trees cannot defend themselves.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The fire beetle looks almost like any other beetle.  But it does have one important difference from other beetles.  The fire beetle has very small pits¹⁰, or holes, on the bottom of its body. The pits are not deep. But scientists who study the fire beetle say that these pits have a very important purpose. The fire beetle uses these pits to sense a fire.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Professor William George Evans studied insects. In 1960 he studied his first fire beetle. He was especially interested in the pits in the beetle’s body. He believed that the pits told the beetle where there was a fire.  He believed that there were many sensors¹² in each pit⁹.  These sensors could receive infrared¹³ radiation.  A fire produces infrared radiation.  When the beetle’s sensors received this information they told the beetle where to fly to find the fire.  Professor Evans believed that the sensors were very sensitive.  He believed they could sense a fire from a great distance.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　For almost 40 years many other scientists did not believe Professor Evans.  But today, after years of research, scientists finally agree that the fire beetle can sense fire.  In fact, they agree that it is very good at sensing fire!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Doctor Helmut Schmitz also studied insects.  He believed that the fire beetle was able to do even more than Professor Evans said!  Doctor Schmitz believed that the fire beetle was able to see, hear and even smell the effects of a fire!  And it could do all these things from very far away.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Each pit in a fire beetle contains about 60 to 70 sensors. Each of these sensors is covered in a small hard ball. This ball of material is the same material that makes up a beetle’s hard shell. These balls are connected to nerves¹⁴ inside the beetle.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　When a forest burns it sends off heat. The heat travels as infrared radiation. Scientists describe infrared radiation in the form of a wave.  Scientists also describe light in the form of a wave.  Infrared radiation waves are like light, but a different wavelength¹⁵.  And they can travel very far.  People cannot see, feel, taste, hear, or touch infrared radiation waves.  They cannot sense them at all.  But the fire beetle can.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The infrared radiation travels into the pits on the beetle. It affects the sensors and small round balls. When this happens, the beetles know there is a fire. They travel toward the fire to mate and produce eggs.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The fire beetle can sense extremely small amounts of infrared radiation waves.  It seems like the fire beetle was especially designed to find these particular waves!

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Research teams have studied these beetles very closely¹⁶.  They want to know HOW the beetle’s infrared sensors can identify and find the infrared radiation waves.  The scientists think of the fire beetle as a starting point for research. They want to know if they can copy the methods that the fire beetles use to find fire. Scientists want to use the knowledge they gain from their studies to build equipment that senses fire like the fire beetle.  Fire fighters believe that using this kind of sensor¹¹ to find infrared radiation could help to save property and people all over the world.  The sensor could find fires while they were still small.  It could help prevent large fires.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　When people look at nature it can inspire them.  That is, looking at nature encourages people to try new things.  It can show people amazing ways to solve problems.  Nature is full of mysteries for people to discover!  Studying the fire beetle is helping¹⁷ scientists to improve life for many people.  Think about all the other things people could learn from nature!  It is a beautiful thing when people and nature can work together!

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer and producer of this program was Liz Waid. The voices you heard were from the United States. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called “The Fire Beetle”.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at radio @ radioenglish . net. You can also find us on  Facebook - just search for Spotlight Radio. Receive Spotlight programs every week with the Spotlight podcast. Just follow the podcast link on the Spotlight website – radioenglish.net. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

3 beetle   

n.甲虫，近视眼的人

参考例句：

• A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
• He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。

4 beetles   

n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Beetles bury pellets of dung and lay their eggs within them. 甲壳虫把粪粒埋起来，然后在里面产卵。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This kind of beetles have hard shell. 这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 protective   

adj.防护的，保护的

参考例句：

• A mother naturally feels protective towards her children.做母亲的天生要保护自己的孩子。
• We feel safe with a protective device in the house.我们因为家里有了防护装置而感到安全。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 mate   

n.伙伴，同事；配偶；大副；v.(使)交配

参考例句：

• Where is the mate to this glove?这副手套的另一只在哪儿？
• She has been a faithful mate to him.她一直是他忠实的配偶。

8 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

9 pit   

n.深坑，核，矿井，陷阱，英国剧场正厅后排，凹陷疤痕；vt.使...有伤痕，去...的核，与...较量

参考例句：

• A sheep fell into a pit,and I helped it out.一只羊掉进坑里，我把它弄了出来。
• They dug a pit to bury the rubbish.他们挖了一个坑把垃圾埋掉。

10 pits   

n.井( pit的名词复数 )；煤矿；麻子；（赛车道旁的）修理加油站

参考例句：

• The wood is full of pits and needs sanding. 这木料上到处是凹坑，需用砂纸打磨一下。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The comedian's performance was the pits! 这喜剧演员的表演糟透了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

12 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

13 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

14 nerves   

n.神经紧张 vt.鼓起勇气

参考例句：

• What he said at the meeting strung her nerves up. 他在会议上的发言使她的神经很紧张。
• At the end of a day's teaching, her nerves were absolutely shattered. 教了一天课，她精疲力竭。

15 wavelength   

n.波长

参考例句：

• The authorities were unable to jam this wavelength.当局无法干扰这一波长。
• Radio One has broadcast on this wavelength for years.广播1台已经用这个波长广播多年了。

16 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

17 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。