VOA常速英语2014--蜜蜂化石揭示气候变化

 

Fossilized Bees Reveal Climate Changes 蜜蜂化石揭示气候变化

LOS ANGELES —

For millennia¹, natural tar² that seeped³ from the ground in what is now southern California trapped large and small animals, preserving their fossils and providing scientists with a trove⁴ of specimens⁵ suitable for study.

数千年前，从地面渗透出的天然沥青将南加州的大型和小型动物困住,经过时间的洗礼将它们保存在化石当中,而现在则成了科学家们研究的标本。

Anna Holden, a researcher at the Page Museum in Los Angeles, is analyzing⁶ fossilized bees to learn about the ancient environment.

洛杉矶佩琪博物馆研究员安娜·霍尔顿通过分析蜜蜂化石了解古代的环境。

蜜蜂化石.jpg

In trying to reconstruct what the climate and local habitat were like, this bee offered kind of unprecedented⁷ information."

在试图重建当地气候及栖息地的样貌时,这种蜜蜂提供了前所未有的信息。”

By exposing the fossils to a micro CT scanner, scientists discovered that the bee's habitat was warmer than expected. Which let them to conclude that at the end of the Ice Age, about 11,500 years ago, this area was not covered with snow and ice, as previously⁸ thought.

经过微型CT扫描仪对化石进行分析,科学家们发现蜜蜂的栖息地比预期所想更为温暖。这让他们得出结论,在冰河时代末期,大约11500年前,这个地区并没有如之前的结论那样被冰雪覆盖。

Holden said unlike that of the large mammals that came to La Brea from South America or across the land bridge now covered by the Bering Strait-allows the collection of detailed⁹ information about their immediate¹⁰ environment.

霍尔顿表示不像从南美来到那种拉布雷亚的大型哺乳动物,或穿过现在白令海峡覆盖的大陆桥，可以收集关于它们直接环境的详细信息。

“Insects have very specific life cycles, so they're just really good palaeoecological indicators¹¹.In other words,they're just very specific in their behavior, their habitats.”

“昆虫有非常特定的生命周期,所以它们是很好的原生态的指引者。换句话说,他们有着自己独特的行为,栖息地。”

Holden said whoever collected the specimens in the 1970s did a good job of keeping records. Comparing that data with current findings can reveal something about our future.

霍尔顿表示在20世纪70年代收集标本的人保存记录工作做的很好。这些数据和当前的结果比较可以为我们的揭示未来。

“Understanding past climate change is understanding current climate change.Climate change is a big issue right now and insects are often really good indicators.”

“理解过去的气候变化就是理解当前的气候变化。现在气候变化成了大问题和昆虫通常很好的指标”。

Holden said her work may help today's farmers fight the problem of collapsing¹² bee populations, by switching over to bee species better adapted for the changing climate.

霍尔顿表示她的工作可以通过转换到更好适应气候变化的蜜蜂物种帮助现今的农民解决蜜蜂种群消亡的问题。

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 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

3 seeped   

v.（液体）渗( seep的过去式和过去分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• The rain seeped through the roof. 雨水透过房顶渗透。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Icy air seeped in through the paper and the room became cold. 寒气透过了糊窗纸。屋里骤然冷起来。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

4 trove   

n.被发现的东西，收藏的东西

参考例句：

• He assembled a rich trove of Chinese porcelain.他收集了一批中国瓷器。
• The gallery is a treasure trove of medieval art.这个画廊是中世纪艺术的宝库。

5 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 analyzing   

v.分析；分析( analyze的现在分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析n.分析

参考例句：

• Analyzing the date of some socialist countries presents even greater problem s. 分析某些社会主义国家的统计数据，暴露出的问题甚至更大。 来自辞典例句
• He undoubtedly was not far off the mark in analyzing its predictions. 当然，他对其预测所作的分析倒也八九不离十。 来自辞典例句

7 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

8 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

9 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

10 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

11 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。

12 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。