SSS 2008-08-12
时间：2019-01-08 作者：英语课 分类：Scientific American(八)月
This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber . This will just take a minute.
Some peppers have a mild, fresh flavor. But others burn your lips and leave a lingering, numbing 2 kick. If you enjoy that tingling 3 thrill, you might want to say thanks. But not to the peppers themselves—to bugs 4. Peppers are tasty so they’ll be eaten and have their seeds dispersed 5. But the snacker has to be the right creature—which the peppers need to be birds. Some insects also like to munch 6 peppers, and they may puncture 7 the skin. The wound leaves an opening for a microbial fungus 8. The fungus wriggles 9 inside and snacks on the seeds, destroying them.
Researchers from the U.S. and Bolivia tested whether a pepper’s heat offers it protection. They published August 11th in the Proceedings 10 of the National Academy of Sciences. First, they collected chilies 11 from seven populations of the same pepper species over a thousand-mile area. Then they counted insect-induced scars and tested pepper heat. In regions with lots of insects, and a greater risk of death by microbe, plants tended to be much hotter. And the hot chemicals, called capsaicinonids, slow microbial growth. Birds can’t sense capsaicin. So the hot peppers kill bugs, and still attract birds. And many humans, too.
Thanks for the minute for Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber .
- A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
- They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。
- Watching television had a numbing effect on his mind. 看电视使他头脑麻木。
- It was numbing work, requiring patience and dedication. 这是一种令人麻木的工作，需要有耐心和忘我精神。 来自辞典例句
- My ears are tingling [humming; ringing; singing]. 我耳鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- My tongue is tingling. 舌头发麻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
- After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。
- We watched her munch through two packets of peanuts.我们看她津津有味地嚼了两包花生米。
- Getting them to munch on vegetable dishes was more difficult.使他们吃素菜就比较困难了。
- Failure did not puncture my confidence.失败并没有挫伤我的信心。
- My bicycle had a puncture and needed patching up.我的自行车胎扎了个洞，需要修补。
- Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
- This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。
- Each tail piece wriggles to wholly confuse and distract an attacker. 但是与其他的蜥蜴不同，玻璃蜥蜴的尾巴会逐段的散成碎片，每段碎片都在扭动，以迷惑攻击者，分散其注意力。 来自互联网
- No turning back. He wriggles into the pipe and starts crawling, plastic bag dragging behind. 没有回头路，安迪钻进下水管开始爬行，塑料袋拖在后面。 来自互联网
- He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
- to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼