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Strange Animal Senses 奇妙的动物直觉

課文朗讀

課文中英文講解

繁體中文譯本

We constantly use our five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. We rely on them for almost everything. They keep us safe by warning us of potential danger and enable us to learn about our environment. Other animals have senses that are much more powerful than our own, and some even have senses that we do not have.

人类经常使用视觉、听觉、嗅觉、味觉及触觉，做任何事几乎都少不了这五种官觉。它们可警告我们潜在的危险，让我们受到保护并了解周遭环境。其他动物则有比人类更灵敏官觉，有些动物的官觉甚至是人类所没有的。

Bats and dolphins look very different, yet they both use “echolocation” to navigate. They give off high-pitched sounds which echo off of objects around them. Special ear and brain adaptations allow them to identify the size and shape of objects based on the echoes. Bats, for example, have enlarged ear flaps that gather and direct sound towards thin, supersensitive eardrums.

蝙蝠和海豚的外型天差地别，但两者都使用「回音定位」来探知方向。牠们发出碰到周遭物体时会回弹的高音波，特殊耳朵及脑部适应力使牠们能根据回音来辨识物体的大小及形状。例如，蝙蝠有巨大的耳瓣可接收音波，并传输到薄且超级敏感的鼓膜。

When a butterfly lands on something, it is doing more than just taking a rest. Butterflies have taste receptors in their feet, so it is also finding out what its perch tastes like. Also, when they are flying, butterflies can feel changes in air pressure. This is done through special hairs on their wings.

蝴蝶停在某物，可不只是休息而已。蝴蝶脚上有味觉接收器，因此牠们可探知自己栖息处的味道如何。此外，当蝴蝶飞行时，亦可藉由翅膀上特殊的毛来感知气压的变化。

Homing pigeons are birds that never have to worry about getting lost. They have been selectively bred to be able to find their way home over great distances. Flights of nearly 1,700 miles have been recorded in pigeon racing. Homing pigeons navigate by using the Earth’s magnetic field. Once they get closer to home, they are guided by natural landmarks, much like we are.

信鸽从不必担心会迷路。这些经过精选育种的鸽子，即使千里迢迢仍能找到回家的路；赛鸽纪录中，甚至有鸽子飞行达1,700英里远。信鸽是利用地球的磁场来导航，一旦飞近鸽舍，便和人类一样受天然地标导引方向。

Vocabulary

potential [pəˋtɛnʃəl] adj. 潜在的

adaptation [͵ædæpˋteʃən] n. 适应作用

perch [pɝtʃ] n. 栖息处

selectively [səˋlɛktɪvlɪ] adv. 有选择地

More Information

constantly [ˋkɑnstəntlɪ] adv. 不断地；时常地

rely [rɪˋlaɪ] on 依靠, 信赖

echolocation [͵ɛkoloˋkeʃən] n.【物】回波定位（法）

navigate [ˋnævə͵get] v. 航行; 导航

give off: 发出〔气味﹑光﹑热﹑声音等〕to send forth; emit

high-pitched [ˋhaɪˋpɪtʃt] adj. 声调高的；尖声的

identify [aɪˋdɛntə͵faɪ] v. 识别；鉴定

flap [flæp] n. 垂下物

homing pigeon [ˋpɪdʒɪn] n. 信鸽

landmark [ˋlænd͵mɑrk] n. 地标，陆标

課文中英文講解

Dogs can be very helpful in many ways, and one of their greatest contributions is helping with police work. This is because their olfactory membrane, responsible for their sense of smell, has an area of about 150 square centimeters. Human beings, by comparison, have only about four square centimeters. The canine sense of smell is so acute that dogs are used to sniff out bombs, drugs, and even to assist in search and rescue missions after a disaster.

狗儿在许多方面是人类的好帮手，其中最大的贡献便是协助警察工作。牠们负责辨别气味的嗅觉膜，面积达150平方公分，相较之下，人类的仅约4平方公分。正因犬类嗅觉如此灵敏，牠们常被用来搜索炸弹及毒品，甚至协助灾后搜救任务。

One of the oddest animals on earth is the platypus. It uses electric sensors in its bill to help locate its prey. The sensors can detect the tiny electrical currents that come from the muscles of its prey. It also has receptors in its bill that can both detect temperature and feel objects.

鸭嘴兽是地球上最奇特的动物之一，牠们使用喙部的电流传感器探查猎物位置。这些传感器能侦测到猎物肌肉产生的微小电流。其喙部还有可侦测温度及物体的传感器。

If you thought snakes taste the world with their forked tongues, think again. Actually, their tongues cannot taste anything. Snakes have special pits on the roofs of their mouths called “Jacobson’s organs,” which are used for tasting and smelling. All the tongue does is carry tastes and smells into the mouth!

假如你认为蛇的味觉来自牠分岔的舌头，那可就错了。事实上，蛇类的舌头根本无法分辨味道。蛇的上颚有两个被称为「贾克布森氏器官」（译注：以丹麦解剖学家Ludwig L. Jacobson为命名）的特殊小凹穴负责味觉及嗅觉，而舌头的作用只是将气味送入口中！

These fascinating animal senses are necessary for their survival. So next time you see an animal, remember that they might be seeing, hearing or even tasting you!

这些奇妙官觉对动物的生存极为重要。下次当你看到任动物时，别忘了牠们也许正在看你、听你、闻你或品尝你呢！

−by Joseph Schier

Vocabulary

sniff [snɪf] v. 嗅，闻

prey [pre] n. 被捕食的动物

fascinating [ˋfæsn͵etɪŋ] adj. 迷人的

More Information

contribution [͵kɑntrəˋbjuʃən] n. 贡献

olfactory [ɑlˋfæktərɪ] adj. 嗅觉的

be responsible for 负责

by comparison [kəmˋpærəsn] 相比之下

canine [ˋkenaɪn] adj. 犬的，狗的

acute [əˋkjut] adj. 尖锐的；敏锐的

assist [əˋsɪst] v. 帮助，协助 [（+with/in）]

platypus [ˋplætəpəs] n. 鸭嘴兽

electric [ɪˋlɛktrɪk] adj. 电的

sensor [ˋsɛnsɚ] n. 传感器

bill [bɪl] n. 鸟嘴，喙

forked [fɔrkt] adj. 分岔的

pit [pɪt] n. 坑

Reading Questions

1.   Which of the following is true of both bats and dolphins?

A.  The sounds they give off are very low-frequency.

B.  They each have enlarged ear flaps.

C.  They rely on echoes to know what is around them.

D.  Their eardrums aren’t very sensitive.

2.   How do homing pigeons find their way home?

A.  By following the natural navigation system provided by the earth.

B.  Through random breeding and long-distance racing.

C.  By following other birds’ migrations and man-made landmarks.

D.  Through their strong eyesight and sense of smell.

3.   Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of police dogs?

A.  To locate bombs that may have been planted somewhere.

B.  To alert police if someone is carrying drugs.

C.  To find people who may have been lost as the result of a disaster.

D.  To assist police officers in developing their strong sense of smell.

4.   What can be inferred from the article?

A.  Because of their superior senses, animals will one day dominate humans.

B.  Animals’ strange senses allow them to do things that humans cannot.

C.  Because they have better senses, animals are a threat to man.

D.  Due to evolution, animals are becoming increasingly intelligent.

Answer