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Fun Facts-6 活用知识搜查线-6

课文朗读

课文讲解

Q: During a dark summer evening, you might witness the tiny flashes of light made by a firefly. But can you guess how fireflies light up?  你可能在夏夜时分目击萤火虫的微小闪光，但你猜得到萤火虫是怎么发光的吗？

(A) They burn small fires under their feet.  它们在脚下燃烧微弱的火焰

(B) A chemical in their bodies reacts to the air they breathe. 它们体内的一种化学物质与它们呼吸的空气起反应

(C) They create electricity by flapping their wings. 它们以拍打翅膀创造出电流

A: There’s a brilliant light bulb above your head if you said B. Luciferin is a naturally-occurring compound found in this insect’s stomach. Whenever the firefly breathes in air, the luciferin has a chemical reaction to the oxygen and gives off a burst of light. The reason why they light up at all is to warn potential predators or to attract a mate.

如果你说答案是B，你的头上有个明亮的灯泡。荧光素是可在这种昆虫的腹部中找到的一种自然产生的化合物。萤火虫呼吸空气时，荧光素便会和氧气起一种化学反应，并发出一阵闪光。萤火虫发光的原因是要警告潜在的掠食者，或吸引伴侣。

Q: You’ve likely heard the annoying whine of a mosquito in your ear before. Do you know why mosquitoes buzz in your ears? 你可能听过烦人的蚊子悲鸣声在你的耳朵响起，你知道为什么蚊子会在你的耳朵嗡嗡作响吗？

(A) They are creating music to attract a mate. 它们制造音乐来吸引伴侣

(B) They are just trying to get your attention. 它们只是在试着引起你的注意

(C) They are making their bodies warmer. 它们在使自己身体暖和

A: You’ve struck the right note if you think A is the correct choice. Mosquitoes sing to each other to see if they are compatible. If a male can match a female’s tune, then she deems him a good mate. Both males and females have wings and make a buzzing sound, but male mosquitoes don’t seek out humans. That’s because males do not drink blood, only females do. Instead, males feed on plant nectar.

如果你觉得A是正确答案，你想得恰到好处。蚊子互相鸣叫来看出彼此是否合适。如果公蚊能够与母蚊的音调相配，那她便会将他视为一位好伴侣。公蚊和母蚊都有翅膀可发出嗡嗡声响，但公蚊并不会去找人类。那是因为公蚊不饮血，只有母蚊才会；公蚊是以植物汁液为食。

单词发音

Vocabulary

witness [ˋwɪtnɪs] v. 目击

The police are looking for people who witnessed the crime.

compound [kɑmˋpaʊnd] n. 化合物

Dentists use a compound of metals to fill the holes in our teeth.

oxygen [ˋɑksədʒən] n. 氧气

There is a lack of oxygen at the top of high mountains.

whine [hwaɪn] n. 嘎嘎声；嗖嗖声

The driver heard a loud whine from the engine of his old car.

tune [tjun] n. 准确的音调

The kids heard a popular tune on the radio and sang along with it.

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firefly [ˋfaɪr͵flaɪ] n. 萤火虫

luciferin [luˋsɪfərɪn] n. 荧光素

give off 多指“(液体、气体、雾、烟等的)发出或放出

predator [ˋprɛdətɚ] n. 掠夺者,食肉动物

strike the right note  说(或做)得恰当; 奏效

compatible [kəmˋpætəb!] adj. 适合的

deem [dim] v. 认为；视作

nectar [ˋnɛktɚ] n. 【植】花蜜

课文朗读

课文讲解

Q: It’s no secret that tourists want to visit famous places while on their vacations. So, world record holders, like the narrowest street, are always on their itineraries. How wide is the narrowest street though?  度假中的旅客显然想去参观知名景点，所以像「最窄的一条街」这种拥有世界记录之地总是会在他们的行程中。那最窄的一条街有多宽呢？

(A) 16 cm  16公分

(B) 31 cm  31公分

(C) 40 cm  40公分

A: You’re not stuck on the answer if you say B. Spreuerhofstraße in Reutlingen, Germany is listed in the Guinness World Records as the world’s narrowest street. Built between two houses in 1726, Spreuerhofstraße was not recognized by Reutlingen as a street until a city official walked down it in 1820. Unfortunately, one of the houses is leaning, making the passage even narrower. Sadly, the record is likely to be lost if no one can pass through anymore because of the leaning home.

如果你说答案是B，你并没有卡在这一题。位于德国罗伊特林根镇的Spreuerhofstrasse名列金氏世界纪录中的「世界最窄街道」。Spreuerhofstrasse于1726年建于两栋房子间，直至1820年一位市府官员走过这里后，才被认可为一条街。遗憾的是其中一间房子正在倾斜，使这条通道更加狭窄。如果因为这间倾斜的房子而不再有人能通过，可能就要失去这项纪录了。

Q: Imagine your birthday candles reaching triple digit numbers. How old is the oldest living woman in the world?  想象一下你的生日蜡烛达到三位数字是什么感觉。现存于世界上最年长的女人是几岁？

(A) 111 years old  111岁

(B) 115 years old  115岁

(C) 122 years old  122岁

A: If your answer is B, nobody can hold a candle to you. The current oldest living woman is Japan’s Misao Okawa. As of writing, Okawa is 115 years old. That ranks her 30^th (and climbing) in the 100 oldest supercentenarians in history. A supercentenarian is someone who has lived at least 110 years. Okawa has a long way to go if she plans to beat France’s Jeanne Calment, a woman who lived to be 122 years and 164 days young.

如果你的答案是B，没人可以跟你媲美。现今世上最年长的女人是日本的大川纱绪。本篇文章撰写时，她已臻115岁，这令她排进史上百位最年长超级人瑞中的第30名。超级人瑞是指至少110岁以上的人。如果打算赢过「只」活了122岁又164天的法国妇女瑞雅娜．卡尔芒，大川还有很长一段路要走。

 －by Kristopher Snyder

单词发音

Vocabulary

official [əˋfɪʃəl] n. 官员，公务员

A government official's duty is to serve the people.

lean [lin] v. 倾斜

Do not lean on the doors when the train is moving.

triple [ˋtrɪp!] adj. 三重的

Tie a triple knot to make sure that your shoe won't come off again.

current [ˋkɝənt] adj. 现时的，当前的

Most people no longer use typewriters in current times.

rank [ræŋk] v. 列为; 排名

The list on the wall ranked all of the students from highest to lowest test score.

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itinerary [aɪˋtɪnə͵rɛrɪ] n. 旅行计划

can hold a candle to 能与....相比

supercentenarian 超级人瑞(110岁以上)