評論
打印
To test that idea, he and his colleagues set up an experiment involving loggerhead turtles, a species frequently killed by plastic.
為了驗(yàn)證這個(gè)想法，他和他的同事們做了一個(gè)實(shí)驗(yàn)，實(shí)驗(yàn)對象是經(jīng)常被塑料殺死的紅海龜。
They arranged for 15 of the animals, each around five months old, to be exposed, in random order,
他們安排了15只動物，每只大約5個(gè)月大，按照隨機(jī)的順序，讓它們聞四種氣味，
to four odours delivered through a pipe to the air above an experimental arena.
這些氣味通過管道輸送到實(shí)驗(yàn)場地上方的空氣中。
The odours were: the vapour from deionised water; the smell of turtle-feeding pellets made of shrimp and fish meal;
這四種氣味是：去離子水的蒸汽；由蝦和魚粉制成的喂海龜?shù)男⊥璧奈兜?/div>
the smell of a clean plastic bottle chopped up into ten pieces;
一個(gè)被切成10塊的干凈的塑料瓶的味道；
and the smell of a similarly chopped bottle that had been kept in the ocean for five weeks to allow algae and bacteria to grow on it.
以及類似被切塊的瓶子的味道，這個(gè)瓶子在海洋里漂了五周，上邊長滿了海藻和細(xì)菌。
Two of the smells proved far more attractive to the animals than the others.
事實(shí)證明，其中兩種氣味對動物的吸引力要比其他氣味大得多。
When sniffing both the odour of food pellets and that of five-week-old bottles
當(dāng)海龜聞食物顆粒的氣味和那個(gè)五周瓶子的氣味時(shí)，
turtles kept their nostrils out of the water more than three times as long,
它們鼻子離水時(shí)間是聞到新鮮塑料瓶或去離子水蒸汽氣味時(shí)的三倍，
and took twice as many breaths as they did when what was on offer was the smell of fresh bottle-plastic or deionised-water vapour.
呼吸的次數(shù)是聞到新鮮塑料瓶或去離子水蒸汽氣味時(shí)的兩倍。
On the face of it, then, the turtles were responding to the smell of old bottles as if it were the smell of food.
從表面上看，海龜對舊瓶子的氣味的反應(yīng)就像聞到食物的氣味一樣。
Though they have not yet tested whether dimethyl sulphide is the culprit,
盡管他們還沒有測試過是否二甲基硫化物是罪魁禍?zhǔn)祝?/div>
Dr Pfaller and his colleagues think it is the most likely candidate.
但Pfaller博士和他的同事認(rèn)為它是最有可能的候選者。
In an unpolluted ocean, pretty well anything which had this smell would be edible—or, at least, harmless.
在一個(gè)沒有污染的海洋里，任何有這種氣味的東西都是可以食用的——或者至少是無害的。
Unfortunately, five-week-old plastic bottles and their like are not.
不幸的是，漂浮五周的塑料瓶和類似的東西卻不是。
譯文由可可原創(chuàng)，僅供學(xué)習(xí)交流使用，未經(jīng)許可請勿轉(zhuǎn)載。
| 重點(diǎn)單詞 | 查看全部解釋 | |||
| attractive | [ə'træktiv] |
想一想再看 adj. 有吸引力的，引起注意的 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| harmless | ['hɑ:mlis] |
想一想再看 adj. 無害的，無惡意的 |
||
| current | ['kʌrənt] |
想一想再看 n. (水、氣、電)流，趨勢 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| random | ['rændəm] |
想一想再看 adj. 隨機(jī)的，隨意的，任意的 |
||
| plastic | ['plæstik, plɑ:stik] |
想一想再看 adj. 塑料的，可塑的，造型的，整形的，易受影響的 |
||
| arena | [ə'ri:nə] |
想一想再看 n. 競技場 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| species | ['spi:ʃiz] |
想一想再看 n. （單復(fù)同）物種，種類 |
||
| bacteria | [bæk'tiəriə] |
想一想再看 n. (復(fù)數(shù))細(xì)菌 |
||
| experimental | [iks.peri'mentl] |
想一想再看 adj. 實(shí)驗(yàn)(性)的，試驗(yàn)(性)的 |
||
| exposed | [iks'pəuzd] |
想一想再看 adj. 暴露的，無掩蔽的，暴露于風(fēng)雨中的 v. 暴露， |
