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SaraLewis_2014-_萤火虫的爱情和谎言_
As a scientist, and also as a human being, 作为一名科学家,也作为人类的一员,
I've been trying to make myself susceptible to wonder. 我喜欢让自己 被神奇的事物感动。
susceptible:adj.易受影响的;易感动的;容许…的;n.易得病的人;
I think Jason Webley last night called it conspiring to be part of the magic. 我记得昨晚 Jason Webley 说这种人是 “融入成为奇迹的一部分”。
conspiring:v.密谋;图谋;阴谋;(conspire的现在分词)
So it's fortunate that my career as a biologist lets me dive deeply into the lives of some truly wondrous creatures that share our planet: fireflies . 很幸运,作为一个生物学家, 我可以深深进入那些 非常奇妙的生物的生活中, 它们和我们共享同一个星球: 萤火虫。
fortunate:adj.幸运的;交好运的;吉利的; career:n.职业;事业;生涯;经历; biologist:n.生物学家; dive:n.潜水;跳水;俯冲;猛冲;v.猛冲;(头朝下)跳入水中;[体]跳水(运动); wondrous:adj.奇妙的;令人惊奇的;非常的; creatures:n.生物;动物;(具有某种特征的)人(creature的复数) fireflies:n.萤火虫;(firefly的名词复数);
Now, for many of you, I know that fireflies might conjure up some really great memories: childhood , summertime , even other TED Talks. 我知道,对大部分人来说,萤火虫 总会召唤出美好的回忆: 童年,夏天, 甚至其他的TED演讲,
conjure up:想起,使在脑海中显现;用魔法召唤; childhood:n.童年;幼年;孩童时期 summertime:n.夏季;
Maybe something like this. 和其它的这样的事情。
My seduction into the world of fireflies began when I was back in graduate school . 我被萤火虫的世界所吸引, 最初是在重回学校读研究生课程时。
seduction:n.诱惑;魅力;(复数)诱惑物; graduate school:研究所,研究院;
One evening, I was sitting out in my backyard in North Carolina , and suddenly, these silent sparks rose up all around me, and I began to wonder: 一天晚上,我坐在外面的院子里, 当时我在北卡罗来纳州, 突然间,这些悄无声息的星星 就在我身边升起了！ 我当时开始想:
backyard:n.后院;后庭; Carolina:n.卡罗莱纳州(在美国东南部); sparks:n.(船或飞机上的)无线电通信师;
How do these creatures make light, and what's with all this flashing ? 这些小家伙是怎么制造光的呢？ 这样一闪一闪的又是怎么回事呢？
flashing:n.防雨板,盖片; v.闪光; (flash的现在分词)
Are they talking to one another? 是它们在对话吗？
And what happens after the lights go out? 这些亮光熄灭以后会发生什么呢？
I've been lucky enough to answer some of these questions as I've explored this nocturnal world. 我很幸运,这些年在夜的王国中探访, 让我已经可以回答 其中的一些问题了。
explored:v.探索;勘探;考察;探险;(explore的过去式和过去分词) nocturnal:adj.夜的;夜曲的;夜间发生的;
Now if you've ever seen or even heard about fireflies, then you'll know how magically they can transform our everyday landscape into something ethereal and otherworldly , and this happens around the globe, like this hillside in the Smoky Mountains 如果你见过萤火虫, 或者听说过萤火虫的故事, 那你将了解它们是如何能够魔术般地 把它们日常的景象转化得 如空灵和仙境般的美丽, 而这就发生在我们的星球上。 比如在烟山的山坡上,
magically:adv.用魔法地;如魔法般地; transform:v.使改变;使改观;使转换;n.[数]变换式;[化]反式; landscape:n.景观;乡村风景画;(文件的)横向打印格式;v.对…做景观美化;美化…的环境; ethereal:adj.优雅的;轻飘的;缥缈的;超凡的; otherworldly:adj.来世的;超脱尘俗的; hillside:n.山坡,山腹;山腰; Smoky:adj.冒烟的;烟熏味的;熏着的;呛人的;烟状的;
that I saw transformed into a living cascade of light by the eerie glows of these blue ghost fireflies, or a roadside river that I visited in Japan as it was giving birth to the slow, floating flashes of these Genji fireflies, or in Malaysia, the mangrove trees that I watched blossom nightly not with flowers 我看到这些蓝色的精灵般的萤火虫用它们奇异的光, 造出了一个流动的光的瀑布; 还有我在日本一条路边的小河, 看到这些源氏萤火虫舞出一道道 缓慢流动的光带。 或者是在马来西亚的红树林, 我看到夜的绽放, 不是花朵,
transformed:v.使改变形态;使改变外观(或性质);(transform的过去分词和过去式) cascade:n.小瀑布,瀑布状物;串联;vi.像瀑布般大量倾泻下来;vi.像瀑布般悬挂着; eerie:adj.可怕的;怪异的; glows:n.发光(glow的复数);v.发光(glow的第三人称单数形式); ghost:n.鬼,幽灵;v.作祟于;替…捉刀;为人代笔; roadside:n.路边;路旁;adj.路边的;路旁的; flashes:n.闪光灯;光芒;披峰;v.闪光;反射;(flash的第三人称单数和复数) mangrove:n.红树林; blossom:n.花朵,花簇;v.开花;变得更加健康(或自信、成功); nightly:adj.夜间的;每夜的;adv.每夜;
but with the lights of a thousand — (Bleep! Bleep !) — fireflies, all blinking together in stunning synchrony . 而是一千只——（哔！哔！）——萤火虫的光芒, 它们一起闪烁着, 让人难以置信的同步。
Bleep:vi.发出哔哔声;n.哔哔声; blinking:adv.讨厌,可恶;v.眨眼睛;闪烁;(blink的现在分词) stunning:adj.惊人的; v.使昏迷; (stun的现在分词) synchrony:n.同步;
These luminous landscapes still fill me with wonder, and they keep me connected to the magic of the natural world. 这些闪光的景象, 我至今回想还是觉得无比奇妙, 它们让我感受到 自然界的奇迹。
luminous:adj.发光的;明亮的;清楚的; landscapes:n.风景; v.从事庭园设计;
And I find it amazing that they're created by these tiny insects. 让我惊奇的是,这样的景象 是由这些小昆虫创造的。
In person, fireflies are charming . 对我来说,萤火虫是迷人的。
charming:adj.令人着迷的;吸引人的;v.吸引;迷住;控制,保护;(charm的现在分词)
They're charismatic . 它们充满魅力。
charismatic:adj.超凡魅力的;神赐能力的;
They've been celebrated in art and in poetry for centuries. 几个世纪以来,不断在艺术和诗歌 里受到赞颂。
poetry:n.诗;诗意,诗情;诗歌艺术;
As I've traveled around the world, 我在世界各地旅行的时候,
I've met many thoughtful people who have told me that God put fireflies on Earth for humans to enjoy. 遇见许多有思想的人, 他们都觉得,上帝让萤火虫来到世界, 是为了让人类欣赏,
thoughtful:adj.深思的;体贴的;关切的;
Other creatures can enjoy them too. 也让其它的生物欣赏。
I think these graceful insects are truly miraculous because they so beautifully illuminate the creative improvisation of evolution . 我真觉得这些优雅的昆虫是个奇迹, 它们如此优美地诠释了 进化中那创造性的即兴创作。
graceful:adj.优雅的;优美的; miraculous:adj.不可思议的,奇迹的; illuminate:照明;照亮;照射;解释;使容光焕发; creative:adj.创造性的; improvisation:n.即兴创作;即兴演奏; evolution:n.演变;进化;发展;渐进;
They've been shaped by two powerful evolutionary forces: natural selection , the struggle for survival , and sexual selection, the struggle for reproductive opportunity. 它们是受两种强大的进化力量 影响形成的: 自然的选择是为了生存而奋斗; 而性的选择, 是为了争取繁衍的机会而努力;
evolutionary:adj.进化的;发展的;渐进的; natural selection:n.自然选择;物竞天择; survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物; sexual:adj.性的;性别的;有性的; reproductive:adj.生殖的;再生的;复制的;
As a firefly junkie , the past 20 years have been quite an exciting ride. 作为一个萤火虫迷,过去的二十年 是我非常兴奋的一场旅程。
firefly:萤火虫 junkie:n.有毒瘾者;废旧品商人;
Together with my students at Tufts University and other colleagues , we've made lots of new discoveries about fireflies: their courtship and sex lives, their treachery and murder. 我和在塔夫茨大学的学生们 还有同事一起, 发现了关于萤火虫的许多新鲜事: 它们的求爱和性生活, 它们的背叛和谋杀。
Tufts:n.塔夫茨大学(美国马萨诸塞州的一所大学); colleagues:n.同事;同行(colleague的复数); courtship:n.求爱;求婚;求爱期; treachery:n.背叛;变节;背叛行为;
So today I'd like to share with you just a couple of tales that we've brought back from our collective adventures into this hidden world. 所以今天我想和你们分享 几个故事,这是从我们深入到这个 这个隐秘的世界后一系列的探险 后带回来的。
collective:adj.集体的;共同的;集合的;集体主义的;n.集团;集合体;集合名词;
Fireflies belong to a very beautiful and diverse group of insects, the beetles . 萤火虫属于一种非常美丽, 而且分支众多的昆虫,甲虫。
diverse:adj.不同的;多种多样的;变化多的; beetles:n.甲虫;v.快速移动;(beetle的第三人称单数和复数)
Worldwide , there are more than 2,000 firefly species , and these have evolved remarkably diverse courtship signals, that is, different ways to find and attract mates . 全世界有超过2000种萤火虫的种类, 而它们都衍生了有着明显不同的 求爱信号, 也就是,找寻和吸引伴侣的不同方式。
Worldwide:adj.全世界的;adv.在世界各地; species:n.[生物]物种;种类; evolved:v.(使)逐渐形成;进化;进化形成;(evolve的过去分词和过去式) remarkably:adv.非常;极为;格外;出乎意料地 mates:n.朋友; v.交配;
Around 150 million years ago, the very first fireflies probably looked like this. 大约1.5亿年前, 第一只萤火虫可能长得像这个样子。
They flew during the daytime and they didn't light up. 它们在白天飞, 而且不发光。
Instead, males used their fantastic antennae to sniff out perfumes given off by their females. 取而代之的是,雄性用它们灵敏的触须 来嗅闻雌性散发的香味。
fantastic:奇异的,空想的 antennae:n.[电讯]天线(等于aerial);[昆]触须;[植]蕊喙;直觉; sniff:v.嗅;闻;用力吸;发觉;n.吸,闻;气味;以鼻吸气; perfumes:n.香水(perfume的复数); v.使充满香气;
In other fireflies, it's only the females who light up. 其它的萤火虫族群中,只有雌性萤火虫会发光。
They are attractively plump and wingless , so every night, they climb up onto perches and they glow brightly for hours to attract their flying but unlit males. 它们有迷人的丰满身体,没有翅膀, 所以每天晚上,它们爬上岸边, 持续几个小时地发出明亮的光芒, 吸引正飞舞着的,但不会发光的雄性。
attractively:adv.迷人地;有吸引力地;动人地; plump:vt.使丰满; v.沉重地; vi.变丰满; adj.圆胖的,丰满的; n.扑通声; wingless:adj.没有翼的,没有翅的; perches:n.鸟类的栖木; v.鸟类栖息于…; brightly:明亮地 unlit:adj.未点燃的;不发光的,无灯光的;未被照亮的;
In still other fireflies, both sexes use quick, bright flashes to find their mates. 还有的萤火虫族群,雄性和雌性 都会用快速闪动的亮光来寻找它们的配偶。
Here in North America , we have more than 100 different kinds of firefly that have the remarkable ability to shine energy out from their bodies in the form of light. 就在北美洲这里, 我们有超过100种不同种类的萤火虫, 它们都有非凡的能力, 将身体里的能量 投射成外在的光芒。
North America:n.北美洲; remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的;
How do they do that? 它们是怎么做到的呢？
It seems totally magical, but these bioluminescent signals arise from carefully orchestrated chemical reactions that happen inside the firefly lantern. 这看起来完全是个奇迹, 但这些生物性的发光信号 是经过多种化学反应的细致协调, 才形成在萤火虫的灯笼中的。
bioluminescent:adj.生物性发光的; arise:v.出现;发生;产生;起身; orchestrated:v.编配(或创作管弦乐曲); (orchestrate的过去分词和过去式) chemical:n.化学制品,化学药品;adj.化学的; reactions:n.反应;回应;抗拒;生理反应;副作用(reaction的复数)
The main star is an enzyme called luciferase , which in the course of evolution has figured out a way to wrap its tiny arms around an even smaller molecule called luciferin , in the process getting it so excited that it actually gives off light. 主要的亮光来自一种荧光素酶, 萤火虫在漫长的时间中进化出一种方法, 用一种叫荧光素的更小的分子, 包裹住自己的小脚, 这个过程中是那么剧烈, 以致于有了光的发散。
enzyme:n.[生化]酶; luciferase:n.[生化]荧光素酶; in the course of:在…过程中;在…期间; wrap:v.缠绕;隐藏;掩护;包起来;缠绕;穿外衣;n.外套;围巾; molecule:n.[化学]分子;微小颗粒,微粒; luciferin:n.萤光素; process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的;
Incredible . 不可思议。
Incredible:adj.难以置信的,惊人的;
But how could these bright lights have benefited some proto-firefly? 但是这些亮光是如何让 一些特别的萤火虫受益的呢？
To answer this question, we need to flip back in the family album to some baby pictures. 要回答这个问题,我们需要先回顾 萤火虫的族谱,我们来看几张小萤火虫的照片。
flip:n.浏览;空翻;轻抛;捻掷;v.迅速翻动;按(开关);按(按钮);开(或关)(机器等);
Fireflies completely reinvent their bodies as they grow. 在生长过程中,萤火虫完全变异了它们的身体,
reinvent:v.以新形象示人;以新形式出现;
They spend the vast majority of their lifetime, up to two years, in this larval form. 它们生命中绝大部分的时间, 大约两年, 是在幼虫期。
majority:n.大部分:大多数:多数票:成年人: larval:adj.幼虫的;幼虫状态的;潜在的;隐蔽的;
Their main goal here, like my teenagers, is to eat and grow. 这时候它们主要的目标,就像我的青少年时期, 是吃和长大。
And firefly light first originated in these juveniles . 萤火虫第一次发光 是在它们的青少年期。
originated:v.起源;发源;创立;创建;发明;(originate的过去式和过去分词) juveniles:n.少年(juvenile的复数形式);稚气;
Every single firefly larva can light up, even when their adults can't. 每一只萤火虫幼虫都可以发光, 即便它们长大以后不能发光。
But what's the point to being so conspicuous ? 但是为什么 它们要如此显眼？
conspicuous:adj.显著的;显而易见的;
Well, we know that these juveniles make nasty-tasting chemicals that help them survive their extended childhood, so we think these lights first evolved as a warning, a neon sign that says, Toxic ! Stay away! 嗯,我们知道这些孩子 会制造气味难闻的化学品, 以此保护自己安全度过漫长的童年。 所以我们认为,最开始进化出这些亮光是作为一种警告, 这就像一个霓虹灯,喊着:“有毒！走开！”,
chemicals:n.化学制品;化学品;(chemical的复数) extended:adj.延长了的;扩展了的;v.使伸长;扩大;扩展;(extend的过去式和过去分词) neon:n.霓虹灯;氖(10号元素,符号Ne); Toxic:adj.有毒的;中毒的;
to any would-be predators . 吓唬任何可能的捕食者。
would-be:adj.想要成为的;自称的;冒充的;n.想要成为…人; predators:n.捕食性动物;实行弱肉强食的人(或机构);掠夺者;(predator的复数)
It took many millions of years before these bright lights evolved into a smart communication tool that could be used not just to ward off potential predators but to bring in potential mates. 这之后又经过了好几百万年的时间, 这些亮光才进化成为 一种聪明的沟通工具, 不止是用来躲避可能的捕食者, 也用来吸引可能的伴侣。
ward:n.病房; v.防止; potential:n.潜能;可能性;[电]电势;adj.潜在的;可能的;势的;
Driven now by sexual selection, some adult fireflies like this proud male evolved a shiny new glow-in-the-dark lantern that would let them take courtship to a whole new level. 现在来谈谈关于性的选择, 一些成年萤火虫, 像这只骄傲的雄虫, 刚演化出一个在黑暗中闪亮的灯笼, 这个灯笼会让它的求爱 达到一个全新的水平。
shiny:adj.闪亮的;光亮的;反光的;有光泽的;
These adults only live a few weeks, and now they're single-mindedly focused on sex, that is, on propelling their genes into the next firefly generation. 这些成虫只有几个星期的寿命, 这时候它们一心只想着交配, 让自己的基因繁衍出 下一代的萤火虫。
single-mindedly:adv.一心一意地;专心地; propelling:adj.推进的;n.推进;v.推动(propel的ing形式); genes:n.基因;(gene的复数)
So we can follow this male out into the field as he joins hundreds of other males who are all showing off their new courtship signals. 我们可以跟着这只雄虫到野外去, 它加入了数百只其他雄虫中, 它们都在炫耀着它们新的求爱信号。
It's amazing to think that the luminous displays we admire here and in fact everywhere around the world are actually the silent love songs of male fireflies. 想想看,让我们赞叹的 这些光亮, 不止在这里,实际上在世界的每一个角落都闪烁着, 它们正是雄性萤火虫静默无声的情歌, 多么神奇！
displays:v.陈列; n.陈列;
They're flying and flashing their hearts out. 它们飞舞着,闪耀着它们的真心,
I still find it very romantic . 我一直觉得,这太浪漫了。
romantic:adj.浪漫的;爱情的;n.浪漫的人;耽于幻想的人;
But meanwhile , where are all the females? 但同时,雌性萤火虫在哪里呢？
meanwhile:adv.同时,其间;n.其间,其时;
Well, they're lounging down below surveying their options . 它们懒洋洋地待在低处, 审视着这些待选项。
lounging:v.懒洋洋地站(或坐、躺)着;(lounge的现在分词) surveying:n.(土地)测量;考察; options:n.选择; v.得到或获准进行选择; (option的三单形式)
They have plenty of males to choose from, and these females turn out to be very picky . 有充足的雄性萤火虫可供它们选择, 而这些雌萤火虫还真是非常挑剔的。
picky:adj.挑剔的;吹毛求疵的;过分讲究的;
When a female sees a flash from an especially attractive male, she'll aim her lantern in his direction, and give him a flash back . 当一只雌萤火虫看到一只特别吸引人的雄性 发出的闪光时, 她会把她的灯笼朝向雄萤火虫, 也给他一个闪光回应,
female:adj.女性的;雌性的;柔弱的,柔和的;n.女人;[动]雌性动物; especially:adv.尤其;特别;格外;十分; flash back:回想;反射;
It's her come hither sign. 这是她在说”到这儿来“。
hither:adj.这边的;近这边的;adv.到这里;在这里;
So he flies closer and he flashes again. 雄萤火虫就飞近她,再次闪光,
If she still likes him, they'll strike up a conversation . 如果雌萤火虫仍然喜欢他, 他们就开始聊起天来。
strike up a conversation:随便聊起来;
These creatures speak their love in the language of light. 这种生物用光的语言 诉说他们的爱。
So what exactly do these females consider sexy? 那么,到底这些雌萤火虫觉得什么是性感呢？
We decided to conduct some firefly opinion polls to find out. 我们决定在一些萤火虫中做民意调查 来找到答案。
conduct:v.实施;执行;表现;引导;n.举止;管理方法;经营方式;实施办法; polls:n.民意调查; v.对…进行民意测验,使投票(poll的单三形式);
When we tested females using blinking LED lights, we discovered they prefer males who give longer-lasting flashes. 当我们用闪光的LED灯测试雌萤火虫时, 我们发现它们更喜欢 可以持久发光的雄性。
prefer:v.更喜欢;宁愿;提出;提升; longer-lasting:持久的;
(Laughter) (Applause) （大笑 ）（鼓掌）
I know you're wondering, what gives these males their sex appeal ? 我猜你们想知道, 是什么给了这些雄萤火虫性的吸引力？
what gives:出了什么事; sex appeal:性感,性吸引力;
Now we get to see what happens when the lights go out. 那我们就要来看看 当这些亮光熄灭时发生了什么？
The first thing we discovered is that once a male and female hook up like this, they stay together all night long, and when we looked inside to see what might be happening, we discovered a surprising new twist to firefly sex. 我们发现的第一件事, 是一旦一只雄萤火虫和一只雌萤火虫像这样勾在一起时, 它们就会一整晚呆在一起。 我们再朝里面看看, 看看正在发生什么, 我们惊人地发现一个 对萤火虫性行为的误解。
hook:n.钩;挂钩;鱼钩;钓钩;v.挂住;箍住;钓(鱼);打曲线球; twist:v.捻;扭转;曲折;扭动;n.捻;拧;扭动;搓;
While they're mating , the male is busy giving the female not just his sperm but also a nutrient-filled package called a nuptial gift. 当它们交配时, 雄萤火虫不止忙着 向雌萤火虫射精, 还给她一个富含营养的袋子, 叫做新婚礼物。
mating:n.交尾;交配;v.交配;交尾;使交配;(mate的现在分词) sperm:n.精子;精液;鲸蜡油; nuptial:adj.婚礼的;结婚的;婚姻的;n.婚礼;
We can zoom in to look more closely inside this mating pair. 我们可以放大,更近地看看 在交配的萤火虫体内。
We can actually see the gift — it's shown here in red — as it's being passed from the male to the female. 我们可以看到这个礼物—— 在这里它看起来是红色的—— 它正从雄萤火虫传向雌萤火虫。
What makes this gift so valuable is that it's packed with protein that the female will use to provision her eggs. 这个礼物如此珍贵, 是因为它含有蛋白质, 这是雌萤火虫产卵所必需的营养。
valuable:adj.有价值的;贵重的;可估价的;n.贵重物品; protein:n.蛋白质; provision:n.规定;条款;准备;[经]供应品;vt.供给…食物及必需品;
So females are keeping their eyes on this prize as they size up potential mates. 所以雌萤火虫在评估它们潜在的伴侣时, 都睁大眼睛关注这个礼物。
We discovered that females use male flash signals to try to predict which males have the biggest gifts to offer, because this bling helps the female lay more eggs and ultimately launch more of her own offspring into the next generation. 我们发现雌萤火虫努力通过雄性的闪光信号 来预测哪些雄性 可以提供最丰厚的礼物。 因为这个宝贝可以帮助雌萤火虫产下更多的卵, 也最终决定了在新一代萤火虫中, 可以有更多是她自己的后代。
predict:v.预报;预言;预告; bling:n.锦衣珠宝; ultimately:adv.最终;最后;归根结底;终究; launch:v.发射(导弹,火箭等); n.发射; offspring:n.后代,子孙;产物;
So it's not all sweetness and light. 不全是甜蜜和光,
sweetness:n.美妙;芳香;可爱;
Firefly romance is risky. 萤火虫的罗曼史也饱含危险。
romance:n.爱情;恋爱;风流韵事;传奇故事;
For the most part , these adult fireflies don't get eaten because like their juveniles they can manufacture toxins that are repellent to birds and other insectivores , but somewhere along the line, one particular group of fireflies somehow lost the metabolic machinery needed to make their own protective toxins. 大部分情况下,成年萤火虫不会被吃掉, 因为像它们小时候一样, 它们可以制造毒素, 让鸟儿和其他食虫动物躲开它们。 但在历史中的某一处, 萤火虫中的某一族, 莫名其妙地就失去了这种代谢机制, 但它们又必须制造自己的防卫毒素。
For the most part:adv.在极大程度上,多半; manufacture:v.(用机器)大量生产; n.大量制造; toxins:n.[毒物]毒素,毒质;毒素类(toxin的复数); repellent:adj.排斥的;防水的;弹回的;令人讨厌的;n.防护剂;防水布;排斥力; insectivores:n.食虫类;[动]食虫动物(insectivore的复数); somehow:adv.以某种方法;莫名其妙地; metabolic:adj.变化的;新陈代谢的; machinery:n.机械;机器;机构;机械装置; protective:adj.防护的;关切保护的;保护贸易的;
This evolutionary flaw , which was discovered by my colleague Tom Eisner, has driven these fireflies to take their bright lights out into the night with treacherous intent . 这个进化中的小错误, 是由我的同事Tom Eisner发现的, 它促使这些萤火虫 不怀好意地 在黑夜中点亮自己。
flaw:n.瑕疵,缺点; v.使生裂缝,使有裂纹; vi.生裂缝; treacherous:adj.奸诈的,叛逆的,背叛的;危险的;不牢靠的; intent:n.意图;目的;含义;adj.专心的;急切的;坚决的;
Dubbed femme fatales by Jim Lloyd, another colleague, these females have figured out how to target the males of other firefly species. 这是被我另一个同事Jim Lloyd 称为“女性杀手”的雌性萤火虫, 它们有一套方法来吸引 其他种族的雄萤火虫。
Dubbed:v.把…戏称为; (dub的过去分词和过去式) femme:n.妻子;妇女;女同性恋者;adj.娇柔的;
So the hunt begins with the predator — she's shown here in the lower left — where she's sitting quietly and eavesdropping on the courtship conversation of her intended prey , and here's how it might go. 这场狩猎是从捕食者开始的—— 看左下方这里, 她正安静地坐着, 在偷听她想要捕食的萤火虫 的求爱对话, 接下来看会发生什么。
eavesdropping:v.偷听,窃听(其他人谈话)(eavesdrop的现在分词) intended:adj.预定的;计划的;v.打算;计划;想要;(intend的过去分词和过去式) prey:n.猎物;受害者;受骗者;v.折磨;掠夺;捕食(on,upon);损害(on,upon);
First the prey male flashes, Do you love me? 首先,那个将被捕食的雄萤火虫说:“你爱我吗？”
His own female responds , Maybe. 他自己的雌萤火虫回答说,“可能吧 。”
responds:v.(口头或书面)回答,回应;作出反应;响应;(respond的第三人称单数)
So then he flashes again. 所以接下来他又闪烁起来。
But this time, the predator sneaks in a reply that cleverly mimics exactly what the other female just said. 但这次,是那个捕猎的小偷在回答, 她很聪明,逼真地模仿其他雌萤火虫刚说过的话。
sneaks:n.蛇靴;v.溜走(sneak的第三人称单数);潜行; cleverly:adv.聪明地; mimics:v.模仿; n.会模仿的人(或动物); (mimic的第三人称单数和复数)
She's not looking for love: she's looking for toxins. 她不是在寻找爱:她在寻找毒素。
If she's good, she can lure this male close enough to reach out and grab him, and he's not just a light snack . 如果她是个中好手,她可以勾引这只雄萤火虫继续靠近, 直到抓住他, 他不止是一餐发光的小点心。
lure:n.诱惑;饵;诱惑物;v诱惑;引诱; grab:v.攫取;霸占;将…深深吸引;n.攫取;霸占;夺取之物; snack:n.点心;小吃;快餐;易办到的事;v.吃点心(或快餐、小吃);
Over the next hour, she slowly exsanguinates this male leaving behind just some gory remains. 一个小时之后,她慢慢地 把这只雄萤火虫的血抽光, 只剩下一具血淋淋的躯壳。
gory:adj.血淋淋的;残酷的;
Unable to make their own toxins, these females resort to drinking the blood of other fireflies to get these protective chemicals. 因为不能制造自己的毒素, 这些雌萤火虫依靠喝其他萤火虫的血, 来得到这些有防卫作用的化学物质。
resort:n.度假胜地;诉诸;采取;旅游胜地;v.去;凭藉;
So a firefly vampire , brought to you by natural selection. 所以,一只吸血鬼萤火虫 在自然的选择中诞生了。
vampire:n.吸血鬼;[脊椎]吸血蝙蝠;
We still have a lot to learn about fireflies, but it looks like many stories will remain untold , because around the world, firefly populations are blinking out. 还有很多关于萤火虫的故事值得我们去发现, 但可能许多故事会永远保持着缄默, 因为萤火虫可能在眨眼间 就在世上灭绝。
untold:adj.数不清的;未说过的;未透露的;无限的;
The main culprit : habitat loss. 罪魁祸首是:栖息地的消失。
culprit:n.犯人,罪犯;被控犯罪的人; habitat:n.[生态]栖息地,产地;
Pretty much everywhere, the fields and forests, the mangroves and meadows that fireflies need to survive, are giving way to development and to sprawl . 世界各地的许多旷野和森林,红树林和草地, 这些萤火虫生存需要的环境 都让路给开发和扩张。
mangroves:n.[林]红树林(mangrove的复数);红树属植物; meadows:n.[畜牧]草地;[地理]草甸(meadow的复数); sprawl:vi.蔓延; vt.懒散地伸开; n.蔓生;
Here's another problem: we've conquered darkness, but in the process, we spill so much extra light out into the night that it disrupts the lives of other creatures, 还有另一个问题:我们已经征服了黑暗, 但在这个过程中,我们把这么多多余的光投向夜晚, 这让其他生物的生活陷入混乱,
conquered:v.攻克;征服;击败,战胜;控制;(conquer的过去分词和过去式) spill:v.溢出;涌出;蜂拥而出;n.跌落;洒出(量);泼出(量);溢出(量); extra:adj.额外的:n.额外的事物:adv.额外:另外: disrupts:v.使…紊乱;使…瓦解(disrupt的单三形式);
and fireflies are especially sensitive to light pollution because it obscures the signals that they use to find their mates. 萤火虫对光污染尤其敏感, 因为这让它们用来寻找配偶的 信号变得模糊不清。
sensitive:adj.敏感的;感觉的;易受影响的;n.敏感的人;有灵异能力的人; light pollution:n.光污染(人工照明造成); obscures:adj.模糊的;晦涩的;昏暗的;vt.遮掩;使变暗;使难理解;
Do we really need fireflies? 我们真的需要萤火虫吗？
After all, they're just one tiny bit of Earth's biodiversity . 毕竟,它们只是地球生物多样性中 一个微小的点。
biodiversity:n.生物多样性;
Yet every time a species is lost, it's like extinguishing a room full of candles one by one . 然而每次一种生物灭绝, 就像在一间摆满蜡烛的房间 一个接一个地熄灭蜡烛。
extinguishing:n.熄灭;v.熄灭;消灭(extinguish的ing形式); one by one:一个接一个;
You might not notice when the first few flames flicker out, but in the end, you're left sitting in darkness. 你可能不会注意 最初摇曳熄灭的那些火焰, 但最后,只剩下你独自坐在黑暗中。
flicker:vi.闪烁; vt.使闪烁; n.闪烁;
As we work together to craft a planetary future, 在我们一起努力为这个星球创造美好的未来时,
craft:n.工艺;船;手艺;飞行器;v.(尤指用手工)精心制作; planetary:adj.行星的;
I hope we can find a way to keep these bright lights shining. 我希望我们可以找到一种方法 让这些明亮的小灯笼继续闪耀。
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) （鼓掌）