美国科学60秒 SSS 2013-01-24
时间：2018-12-24 作者：英语课 分类：Scientific American(一)月
英语课
This is Scientific Americans 60 second Science, I am Christopher Intagliata, got a minute.
Sailors don't need to read the stars anymore—they've got GPS. But dung beetles 1 do not have GPS. And it now appears that they use the
Milky 2 Way
as a compass.
Dung beetles need a keen sense of direction so they can roll their dung patties away from the communal 3 dung pile, and feast in peace. Ten years ago, Marie Dacke at Lund University in Sweden and her colleagues discovered that some dung beetles use polarized moonlight to keep a straight course. But what’s their plan on moonless nights?
Dacke tracked the beetles as they successfully rolled dung away from the center of a circular sandbox. Then she blocked the beetles' starry 4 view with tiny cardboard hats, and set 'em loose again. Without stars to guide them, the beetles traveling twisted, circular paths. Those findings appear in the journal
Current Biology.
The beetles' tiny compound eyes probably aren't sharp enough to make out individual stars. In a planetarium 5, for example, when only 18 bright stars were illuminated 6, the beetles got lost. But the faint streak 7 of the Milky Way seems to be just enough light to point them to a dung dining hole—no reservations required.
Thanks for the minute for Scientific Americans 60 second science, I am Christopher Intagliata
Patty: 小馅饼；肉饼
starry: 满天繁星的
planetarium: 天文馆；行星仪
streak: 一条
1 beetles
n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 )
- 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》
2 milky
adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的
- Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
- I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。
3 communal
adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的
- There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
- The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。
4 starry
adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的
- He looked at the starry heavens.他瞧着布满星星的天空。
- I like the starry winter sky.我喜欢这满天星斗的冬夜。
5 planetarium
n.天文馆；天象仪
- The planetarium staff also prepared talks for radio broadcast.天文馆的工作人员还要准备讲稿给电台广播。
- It landed in a shallow basin fifty yards from the planetarium.它降落在离天文馆五十码处的一个浅盆地中。
6 illuminated
adj.被照明的；受启迪的
- Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
- the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市