VOA标准英语2011--Panama Research Institute Dedicated to E

Panama Research Institute Dedicated to Earth's Ecosystem

Every year, about 1,000 scientists from around the world visit the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. The Institute is one of the oldest and largest facilities of its kind in the world. Its research on flora¹, fauna² and geology is responsible for many recent discoveries about how the Earth's tropical ecosystems³ work.
Barro Colorado Island
It's 6 o'clock in the morning, and light barely filters through the canopy⁴ of this tropical rainforest on Barro Colorado Island in Panama. But neither insects, the lack of light nor the intense humidity deter⁵ these scientists. They are looking for monkeys.
Anthropology⁶ Professor Stephanie Ramirez studies spider monkeys. “I am interested in knowing how food affects their reproductive potential, because spider monkeys mostly consume fruit, and we noticed that when fruit is not abundant or available they can’t conceive,” she said.
There are 1,800 monkeys on the island; 39 of them are spider monkeys. Eight of have had radio collars placed around their necks.
Ramirez and her assistant Lauren Mills can locate the animals by picking up their signals with a radio receiver.
Field studies
The two researchers are only a small contingent⁷. About 1,000 scientists come here every year for field studies.
“The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute here in Panama is something of a mecca for all biologists in the world who are interested in the tropics and in tropical biology,” explains Tony Coates, a scientist emeritus⁸ with the Institute.
The Institute was established in Panama 100 years ago. Today, Barro Colorado is the most studied rain forest in the world.
Abby Bruning came from South Dakota to study ants. “We manipulate their diets. Either they will be on a high carbohydrate⁹ or a high protein diet and at the end we run analyses to see how well they fight off infection, death rates and things like that,” Bruning stated. She studies one of about 200 species of ants here.
Pink flower trees on the forest’s canopy are Dipteryx Panamensis, better known as Almendro. The working ants love the flowers and take them home, one petal¹⁰ at a time. It took Azteca ant colony more than a year to build their structure. They are the favorite meal of ant eaters.
Smithsonian scientists estimate there are about 100 species of mammals on this tiny island. More than half of them are bats. There are 71 species of reptiles¹¹ and about 30 million insect species.
“The vast majority of all species of plants and animals live in the tropics. The vast majority of all the technical knowhow, political will, education and financing are in the temperate¹² world. How to get those two worlds together is one of the greatest issues facing global conservation,” Coates explained.
Tropical biology library
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is headquartered in Panama City. Its library, with 70,000 volumes on tropical biology, is regarded by scientists as one of the best in the world.
“It follows the same system as the Library of Congress,” Coates added.
Nearby, Culebra, a major Smithsonian educational center, is open to the public. One hundred thousand people, mostly Panamanian school children, visit this center each year.
“That’s our biggest educational contribution to our host country of Panama,” Coates noted¹³.
As the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama prepares for its centennial, it is also getting ready to launch new research facilities in the town of Gamboa.
Private donors¹⁴ want STRI to examine subjects of growing concern today, such as the forest's ability to control erosion and to capture carbon from the air, and ways to restore and preserve one of the richest and most important excosystems on the planet.

1 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

2 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

3 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

4 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

5 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

6 anthropology   

n.人类学

参考例句：

• I believe he has started reading up anthropology.我相信他已开始深入研究人类学。
• Social anthropology is centrally concerned with the diversity of culture.社会人类学主要关于文化多样性。

7 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

8 emeritus   

adj.名誉退休的

参考例句：

• "Perhaps I can introduce Mr.Lake Kirby,an emeritus professor from Washington University?"请允许我介绍华盛顿大学名誉教授莱克柯尔比先生。
• He will continue as chairman emeritus.他将会继续担任荣誉主席。

9 carbohydrate   

n.碳水化合物；糖类；(plural)淀粉质或糖类

参考例句：

• You should not have too much carbohydrate in your diet.你日常饮食中不该有过多碳水化合物。
• Cashew nuts are rich in carbohydrate.腰果含丰富碳水化合物。

10 petal   

n.花瓣

参考例句：

• Each white petal had a stripe of red.每一片白色的花瓣上都有一条红色的条纹。
• A petal fluttered to the ground.一片花瓣飘落到地上。

11 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 temperate   

adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的

参考例句：

• Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
• Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》