英语听力：自然百科 野性俄罗斯之西伯利亚 Siberia—16

 Chipmunks aren't the top collectors of the forest. That prize probably belongs to the colonies of red ants. Worldwide, ants are so numerous their total weight is almost as much as the human population, a force to reckon with. Workers form a never-ending conveyor belt of food salvage¹. This ladybug is just one of about 60,000 creatures captured and carried into a single anthill each day.

 

When ants go on the march, other insects flee. But the slippery bark of this birch proves this longhorned beetle's undoing². The mob rushes in to overpower it, dousing³ it with formic acid which penetrates⁴ the bug's armor. Then the ants dismember the giant and carry it back to the nest, piece by piece.

 

As winter returns in November, distant peaks regain⁵ their snowy cover. It will soon spread.

 

1 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

2 undoing   

n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭

参考例句：

• That one mistake was his undoing. 他一失足即成千古恨。
• This hard attitude may have led to his undoing. 可能就是这种强硬的态度导致了他的垮台。

3 dousing   

v.浇水在…上( douse的现在分词 )；熄灯[火]

参考例句：

• The other spider took a second dousing before it emerged, still alive. 另外一个蜘蛛在冲刷第二遍时才被发现，是个活蜘蛛。 来自互联网
• At this point, the specimen can be shattered by dousing it with sterilized warm saline. 此时，可以用浸入温暖的消毒盐水的方法粉碎标本。 来自互联网

4 penetrates   

v.穿过( penetrate的第三人称单数 )；刺入；了解；渗透

参考例句：

• This is a telescope that penetrates to the remote parts of the universe. 这是一架能看到宇宙中遥远地方的望远镜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dust is so fine that it easily penetrates all the buildings. 尘土极细，能极轻易地钻入一切建筑物。 来自辞典例句

5 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。