新奇事件簿 大黄蜂抵达北美

There are some scary insects in this world. Few of them are as scary and as venomous as the Asian giant hornet. These fearsome creatures are common in Japan and Korea but are now moving across the Pacific Ocean to the USA and Canada. The hornets kill around 40 people a year in Japan. They also destroy and wipe out colonies of honeybees. A hornet attack can leave piles of dead bees, most of them headless, in their beehive. A few dozen hornets can kill an entire colony of 30,000 bees in a few hours. Authorities in Washington State on the west coast of the USA have warned people to look out for the hornets. Beekeepers are now worried about their beehives.

在这个世界上有一些可怕的昆虫。其中一些就像亚洲大黄蜂一样可怕且含有剧毒。这些可怕的生物在日本和韩国很常见，但是现在它们正穿越太平洋来到美国和加拿大。在日本，大黄蜂每年致约40人死亡，它们还会摧毁并消灭蜂群。一次大黄蜂攻击可以导致蜂巢中成堆蜜蜂死亡，且留下的大部分都是无头蜂。几十只黄蜂可以在几个小时内杀死整个蜂群中的3万只蜜蜂。美国西海岸华盛顿州当局警告人们注意黄蜂。养蜂人现在担心他们的蜂房。

The hornets are big. They measure about five centimeters in length. They also look scary. Washington bee breeder Susan Cobey said: "They're like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face." The sting¹ of the hornet is extremely painful. A Vancouver beekeeper described the pain. He said: "It was like having red-hot thumbtacks driven into my flesh." He said the sting was "excruciating". The hornet's stinger is half a centimeter long. It can get through the protective clothing beekeepers wear. Another beekeeper said: "They give a warning before they sting. They snap² their jaws³ and make a clicking sound. But if you stick around to notice that, you're probably already in a world of hurt."

大黄蜂体型大。它们长约5厘米，看起来很可怕。华盛顿养蜂人Susan Cobey说到：“它们长着巨大的黄橙色的脸，就像怪物卡通里的生物。”被大黄蜂蜇一下非常疼。一名温哥华养蜂人描述了这种疼痛。他说：“就像是有个烧红的图钉钉进了我的肉里。”他说这种刺痛是“痛苦的”。大黄蜂的毒刺有半厘米长。它可以刺穿养蜂人穿的防护服。另一位养蜂人说到：“在它们蛰人之前会发出警告。它们咬紧双颚并发出咔嗒咔嗒的声音。但如果你逗留并注意到这种声音，那么你可能就要吃苦头了。”

1 sting   

vt.激怒，刺痛，刺伤，蛰伤；n.刺痛，刺伤

参考例句：

• Most flies do not sting.大多数苍蝇不叮人。
• The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly.蝎子有可以致命的螫针。

2 snap   

n.啪地移动，突然断掉；v.猛咬，咬断，谩骂，砰然关上

参考例句：

• He broke off the twig with a snap.他啪地一声把那根树枝折断了。
• These earrings snap on with special fasteners.这副耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。

3 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。