美国国家公共电台 NPR Shhhhh. Listen Closely. Your Plants Might Be Talking

Shhhhh. Listen Closely. Your Plants Might Be Talking

(SOUNDBITE OF CORN GROWING)

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Is that the hum of a UFO? A nuclear power plant? Actually, it's the sound of corn as it grows. And an exhibit at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York puts the sound of corn and other plant sounds on display. NPR's Dana Cronin visited the exhibit and brought back this report.

DANA CRONIN, BYLINE¹: It's a hot day in Brooklyn when I meet Adrienne Adar, the artist behind the "Sonic Succulents" exhibit. We're standing² beside Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, and I have my microphone stuck in a big, yellow megaphone in a corn patch.

This one sounds good, too.

(SOUNDBITE OF CORN GROWING)

ADRIENNE ADAR: So you can hear a bit of crackling and stuff like that, and that's the corn growing.

CRONIN: Adar planted this corn patch back in May. And now, three months later, the stocks are over 6 feet tall and fruiting. And you can hear what all that growing sounds like.

(SOUNDBITE OF CORN GROWING)

ADAR: It can be a little bit meditational, you know? People were sitting and, especially, children were sitting on the ground and putting their heads in, like, the lower horns and just hanging out.

CRONIN: Adar says the whole point of this exhibit is to show that plants are alive. They grow, breathe and communicate in their own ways. She says audio was the most effective way to get that across.

ADAR: You hear a sound, a big sound, and you move. And you - what is that? Or if you hear something in your apartment moving, you're like, what - you know? You kind of assume it's an animal. You always think there's an alive quality.

CRONIN: Adar says she also wants to show visitors to the exhibit how we, as humans, affect plants. To put the visitor in the mind of a plant so to speak, we go inside where a long line of potted plants are paired with headphones. I put the headphones on, and Adar thumbs a succulent leaf...

(SOUNDBITE OF TOUCHING³ SUCCULENT)

CRONIN: ...And flicks⁴ the spines⁵ on a cactus⁶.

(SOUNDBITE OF TOUCHING CACTUS)

CRONIN: Ooh, that's very springy. It does kind of sound like an instrument, like a xylophone almost.

There are little microphones embedded⁷ in each planter that pick up the plant's internal vibrations⁸. So the sound is a reflection of what the plant feels when we touch it. Taya and Julian Dupont (ph) are visiting the exhibit from France.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (Speaking French).

CRONIN: They're headphone-clad and are stroking the leaves of a palm plant.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: That sounds like scraping or something. Like, you know, you can feel the texture⁹, I guess.

CRONIN: Adar stands nearby, watching visitors handle her plants.

DIASON ALVAREZ: Is this for real?

ADAR: Yeah.

ALVAREZ: It looks so fake.

CRONIN: Diason Alvarez (ph) is visiting from Miami, and he's touching a cactus.

ALVAREZ: I have some tiny ones at home, but they're tiny.

ADAR: Now when you go home, you'll be like...

ALVAREZ: I mean, I've always loved my plants, so I still - I'm really gentle with them, anyway.

CRONIN: And for those who maybe aren't as gentle, Adar says she hopes they walk away with a new respect for plants.

ADAR: Listen to what it feels when you touch it. So when you step on a plant or when you, you know, see, maybe next time it kind of changes the behavior.

CRONIN: The exhibit runs through October 27.

Dana Cronin, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF NYM'S "CATOPTRICS")

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

4 flicks   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的第三人称单数 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• 'I shall see it on the flicks, I suppose.' “电影上总归看得见。” 来自英汉文学
• Last night to the flicks. 昨晚看了场电影。 来自英汉文学

5 spines   

n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊

参考例句：

• Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
• The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 cactus   

n.仙人掌

参考例句：

• It was the first year that the cactus had produced flowers.这是这棵仙人掌第一年开花。
• The giant cactus is the vegetable skycraper.高大的仙人掌是植物界巨人。

7 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。

8 vibrations   

n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动

参考例句：

• We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
• I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。