大千世界:嚙齒類動物有蜜蜂、大象

大伙肯定都覺得大象怕老鼠...其實不然，大象真正怕的居然是蜜蜂!

Don: Hey Yaël, have you ever heard that old wives' tale about how elephants are afraid of smallrodents like mice and rats?

Yaël: Yeah, Don. But like many old wives' tales this one is incorrect, as the experiment has been done several times. For example, a few years ago John Stossel of the TV show 20/20 introduced a mouse to some circus elephants and the big guys didn't even blink an eye.

D: Hmm. And what if the rodent was a big as a cow? Do you think the elephant would be afraid of something that big?

Y: Well I don't know, but I can tell you the thought of a rat that big is definitely creepy me out! Rodents that big don't exist do they?

D: Well not today, but four million years ago they did! A record setting twenty-one- inch-long rat skull was discovered in Uruguay. It is thought to have belonged to a rat the size of a bull.

Y: Ahh!!

D: Not to worry though, analysis of the skull led researchers to conclude that the big rat ate only veggies.

Y: Phew!

D: So elephants would likely not fear such a large rodent either.

Y: Then that old wives' tale is likely wrong no matter the size of the rodent! But did you know that elephants are afraid of something smaller than a common mouse?

D: Really? What's that?

Y: Bees. Scientists have noted that elephants tend to avoid trees with beehives, will run away if they hear buzzing, and have been seen fleeing from the little buzzers over long distances.

D: Hmm. I guess its time to revise that old wives' tale then isn't it?

D:嗨，Y. 你有沒有聽說過像大象害怕老鼠這類小型嚙齒類動物的謬誤?

Y:是的，唐。就像許多謬論一樣，這個同樣已經(jīng)被多次試驗證實是錯誤的。舉例說，幾年前在一個電視表演節(jié)目2020上，約翰把一只老鼠和幾頭馬戲團(tuán)大象放在一起，但是這些大家伙根本沒把它放在眼里。

D:嗯。但是如果這些嚙齒類動物如牛一樣大，結(jié)果又是什么樣的呢?你認(rèn)為大象會害怕那么大個的生物嗎?

Y:我不知道，但是我告訴你，一想到老鼠會有那么大就讓我毛骨悚然!嚙齒類動物沒有那么大個的吧，是吧?

D:今天是沒有體型那么大的嚙齒類動物了，但是在四百萬年前，它們確實存在過。在烏拉圭發(fā)現(xiàn)了這樣一個記錄，上面記載著發(fā)現(xiàn)了21英尺長的老鼠的頭蓋骨。估計擁有這個頭蓋骨的老鼠體型應(yīng)該和一頭公牛一樣大小。

Y:天啊!

D:但是不要擔(dān)心，研究人員通過對這個頭蓋骨的分析發(fā)現(xiàn)這個巨型老鼠是個食素者。

Y:唔!(放心地松了口氣)

D:所以大象也不會害怕這種大型的嚙齒類動物。

Y:所以不管嚙齒類動物的體型是大是小，大象都不會害怕它們。但是你知道大象害怕一種比老鼠還小的生物嗎?

D:真的?是什么?

Y:是密蜂。科學(xué)家們已經(jīng)指出大象往往總是避開有蜂房的樹木，當(dāng)它們聽到蜜蜂的嗡嗡的聲音就會跑開，而且還被見到為了躲避這些小的蜜蜂還會跑開很遠(yuǎn)。

D:嗯。我想是時候改正這個謬誤了，不是嗎?

old wives' tale

n. 無稽之談;愚蠢的迷信

The saying "Lightning never strikes twice in the same place" is a dangerous old wives' tale that has brought death to many people.

“雷永遠(yuǎn)不會在同一地方打第二次”這一諺語是很危險的迷信，曾經(jīng)使許多人喪生。

rodent

a. 咬的, 嚙齒類的

n. 嚙齒動物

The squirrel is an example of a rodent.

松鼠，嚙齒類動物的代表.

creepy

a. 爬行的, 令人毛骨悚然的

I get a creepy feeling when he looks at me.

當(dāng)他看著我的時候,我覺得不寒而栗。

Uruguay n. 烏拉圭

veggie

n. 素食者

My families are all veggies. 我家人都是素食者。

beehive

n. 蜂箱，蜂房

Scientists have noted that elephants tend to avoid trees with beehives.

科學(xué)家們指出大象往往避開有蜂房的樹木。

It is thought to have belonged to a rat the size of a bull.

belong to v. 屬于

例句：

Does this radio belong to you?

這臺收音機(jī)是你的嗎?

Scientists have noted that elephants tend to avoid trees with beehives, will run away if they hear buzzing, and have been seen fleeing from the little buzzers over long distances.

that后接note的賓語從句，Scientists為后面并列三個句子的主語。

tend to v. 有...的傾向,往往

例句：

Modern furniture design tends to simplicity.

現(xiàn)代家具設(shè)計越來越簡單。