狗狗的鼻子为什么总是湿的？

 　　Why are dogs'noses so wet?

　　狗狗的鼻子为什么总是湿的？

　　Humans and dogs share a special relationship, moulded over millennia¹ of reciprocal love and companionship.

　　数千年来，人类和狗狗都有十分特殊的关系，相互喜爱，相互陪伴。

　　Anyone who's ever had the fortune of sharing their life with a close canine² companion can attest³ that, from poodles to Pomeranians, dogs truly are a wondrous⁴ species.

　　有幸拥有一只狗狗作伴的人，都能证明这一点。无论是卷毛还是博美，狗狗确实是种超赞的物种。

　　狗狗的鼻子为什么总是湿的？

　　But there's something else that dog lovers the world over know all too intimately – the feel of a dog's cool, wet nose brushing up against your cheek.

　　爱狗之人还有个场景再熟悉不过——狗狗爱用湿漉漉、冰凉凉的鼻子，在你的脸上蹭来蹭去。

　　Whether they're running to fetch a ball, or merely pinning you down while they're snoozing on the couch, dogs'noses seem to be perennially⁵ wet.

　　无论它们是跑去捡球，还是正在沙发打盹的它们，看到你过来立马激动地把你扑倒，它们的鼻子总是湿湿的。

　　So what gives?

　　这带给我们什么信息呢？

　　To most dog owners, it's common knowledge that dogs don't sweat. Their lack of proper sweat glands⁶, as humans and some other mammals have, is one of the main causes of the excessive panting that happens when your mastiff mate is out for a run. Put simply, panting is a method of regulating heat within the canine body.

　　大多数狗主人都知道狗狗不会排汗的常识。它们没有人类和其他哺乳动物的汗腺，这也是为什么它们跑起来会不停喘气。简单说，喘气是狗狗调节体温的一种方式。

　　One other way which dogs keep cool though, is by excreting a substance similar to sweat on their extremities⁷ – namely, their nose and paws.

　　狗狗另一种降低体温的方式，就是在手足部分（鼻子和爪子）分泌类似汗液的液体。

　　Ever wonder why they're a similar colour and texture⁸? Boom. There's your answer. The moisture on their extremities helps to radiate heat away from your pawed pal⁹, in a similar way to their panting.

　　好奇为什么这种液体跟汗液颜色和质感这么相似吗？我们来告诉你答案。它们手足分泌的液体帮助它们散热，跟喘气效果相同。

　　The moisture on a dog's nose helps serve a secondary purpose, too. Covering a canine nose is a thin layer of mucous¹⁰, which helps to trap scents¹² and other particles in the air.

　　狗狗鼻子上的湿气还有另一个用途。它们鼻子上薄薄一层粘液，能帮助捕捉空气中的气味和微粒。

　　In order to sample this no-doubt delectable¹³ melange¹⁴, a dog will then proceed to lick its nose – a behaviour dog lovers will no doubt have noticed when their precious pup picks up a scent¹¹. This serves to present the trapped particles to the olfactory¹⁵ glands on the roof of a dog's mouth, enabling the dog to further analyse the scent.

　　为了检验这些味道，狗狗会去舔自己的鼻子。当心爱的狗狗嗅到气味时，爱狗之人对它们以上的举止一定不会陌生。这个举止能让把鼻子上收集到的颗粒送到口腔顶部的嗅腺，让它们能进一步分析这种味道。

1 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

2 canine   

adj.犬的，犬科的

参考例句：

• The fox is a canine animal.狐狸是犬科动物。
• Herbivorous animals have very small canine teeth,or none.食草动物的犬牙很小或者没有。

3 attest   

vt.证明，证实；表明

参考例句：

• I can attest to the absolute truth of his statement. 我可以证实他的话是千真万确的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place. 这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

4 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。

5 perennially   

adv.经常出现地；长期地；持久地；永久地

参考例句：

• He perennially does business abroad. 他常年在国外做生意。 来自辞典例句
• We want to know what is perennially new about the world. 我们想知道世上什么东西永远是新的。 来自互联网

6 glands   

n.腺( gland的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a snake's poison glands 蛇的毒腺
• the sebaceous glands in the skin 皮脂腺

7 extremities   

n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地

参考例句：

• She was most noticeable, I thought, in respect of her extremities. 我觉得她那副穷极可怜的样子实在太惹人注目。 来自辞典例句
• Winters may be quite cool at the northwestern extremities. 西北边区的冬天也可能会相当凉。 来自辞典例句

8 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。

9 pal   

n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友

参考例句：

• He is a pal of mine.他是我的一个朋友。
• Listen,pal,I don't want you talking to my sister any more.听着，小子，我不让你再和我妹妹说话了。

10 mucous   

adj. 黏液的，似黏液的

参考例句：

• Healthy,skin,mucous membranes,and cilia are natural barriers to many viruses.健康的皮肤，粘膜和纤毛是许多病毒的天然屏障。
• Seromucous glands contain both mucous and serous cells.浆粘液腺既含有粘液性细胞，又含有浆液性细胞。

11 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

12 scents   

n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉

参考例句：

• The air was fragrant with scents from the sea and the hills. 空气中荡漾着山和海的芬芳气息。
• The winds came down with scents of the grass and wild flowers. 微风送来阵阵青草和野花的香气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 delectable   

adj.使人愉快的；美味的

参考例句：

• What delectable food you cook!你做的食品真好吃！
• But today the delectable seafood is no longer available in abundance.但是今天这种可口的海味已不再大量存在。

14 melange   

n.混合物；大杂烩

参考例句：

• Usa is a cultural melange.美国是个文化大熔炉。
• That aong is a successful melange of music styles,from soul and rhythm and blues to rap.那首歌是从灵乐、节奏布鲁斯到说唱等各种音乐风格的成功组合。

15 olfactory   

adj.嗅觉的

参考例句：

• He is to develop a sensor to substitute for the olfactory abilities of dogs.克罗克将研制一种传感器用以代替狗的嗅觉功能。
• Based on these findings, Keller suspects that each person has an olfactory blind spot.根据这些发现，凯勒推断，每个人都有一个嗅觉盲区。