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考研英语阅读真题中的文章，多摘自英美主流外刊，有时候你认识所有单词、搞清全部语法还不够，还需要了解英美文化，掌握他们的表达方式，这就是阅读的潜台词。有时候是一些俗语和俚语，有时候是固定搭配，有时候需要借助历史、风俗、文化才能理解某种现象或表达。总之，这些地道的英语文章背后都有潜台词，一般人不容易读出，但往往是理解文章的关键。
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Invasive Ladybird Has Biological Weapon.
配备有生化武器的侵略性瓢虫
Ladybirds around the world are in danger from aninvader that inadvertently
wipes out its competitorsusing a biological weapon.
世界各地的瓢虫都因为一个侵略者而处于危险之中。这个侵略者使用生物武器在不经意间就消灭了它的竞争对手。
The interloper is the harlequin ladybird (Harmoniaaxyridis), one of the
world's most invasive insects.From its homelands in central Asia, H.axyridis
wasintroduced to Europe and North America to control aphids. Since then,
however, it has becomea serious pest that has put native ladybird species under
threat by outcompeting or eveneating them.
这个侵略者就是异色瓢虫，它是世界上最具攻击性的昆虫。异色瓢虫来自中亚，为控制蚜虫而被引入欧洲和北美。自那以后，它就因为战胜本地瓢虫物种或是吃掉它们而对本地瓢虫造成了威胁，成为了害虫。
Entomologist Andreas Vilcinskas of Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen,
Germany, suggests thatthe harlequin's success partly hinges on the presence of a
single-celled parasite that he andhis colleagues found living inside the
ladybirds. The parasite does no harm to the harlequin,but if it infects other
ladybird species, such as the native seven-spot ladybird, it invariablykills
them.
德国吉森尤斯图斯-李比希大学的昆虫学家安德列亚斯·威尔科林萨克斯认为，异色瓢虫的胜利在于一种单细胞寄生虫的出现。安德列亚斯·威尔科林萨克斯和他的同事们发现，这种寄生虫可以存活于瓢虫体内。它不会对异色瓢虫造成伤害，但是却会感染其他瓢虫，例如本地的七星瓢虫，并通常会杀死它们。
Some scientists had previously thought that the harlequin owed its success
to haemolymph, atoxic antibacterial chemical found in its blood. Harmonine
allows the harlequin to resistcertain diseases and to poison native ladybirds
that eat its eggs. However, Vilcinskas and histeam found that high
concentrations of harmonine do not kill seven- spot ladybirds—but a doseof the
harlequin's haemolymph does. When Vilcinskas and his colleagues looked at
theharlequin's haemolymph under a microscope, they found the culprit: a
microsporidianparasite. These exist in the eggs and larvae of all harlequin
ladybirds, but in a dormant andapparently harmless state.
先前，一些科学家认为，异色瓢虫的胜利在于血淋巴。血淋巴指的是异色瓢虫血液中有毒的抗菌化学物质。它可以使异色瓢虫抵抗某些疾病，毒害吃它的卵的本地瓢虫。但是，威尔科林萨克斯和他的同事们发现高浓度血淋巴并不会杀死七星瓢虫，少量的血淋巴反而会杀死瓢虫。之后，他们用显微镜观察异色瓢虫的血淋巴时发现了真凶：一种微孢子寄生虫。这些寄生虫可以在异色瓢虫的卵和幼虫中存活，且处于休眠和显然的无害状态。
Other ladybirds are not so lucky. Ladybirds often eat each other's eggs and
larvae, so byconsuming invading harlequins, native species could contract the
fatal parasitic infection inthe wild. And there could be other reasons for the
harlequin's success. For example, it is highlyresistant to a fungal disease that
kills native species.
但是，其他的瓢虫就没有异色瓢虫这么幸运了。瓢虫经常会吃掉对方的卵和幼虫。若是本地瓢虫吃了具有侵略性的异色瓢虫，它们就会在野外被致命的寄生虫所感染。当然，异色瓢虫的胜利还有其他的原因。比如，真菌疾病会杀死本地瓢虫，但是，异色瓢虫却对真菌疾病有很强的抵抗力。
Nature May 16th,2013
《自然》2013年5月16日 |
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发表于 2017-8-6 16:11:37