A Complex World Underground

⊙ By Rupert Borrington

翻译：T Boy

如果说你从狐獴与卷尾鸟的故事联想到人与人之间常常发生的情形，那么，以下这篇对蚂蚁世界的描述，一定会让你为蚂蚁与人类之间极高的相似度感到惊讶不已。英式发音 适合泛听语速：100词/分钟

听力难度

Insects have1)evolved 2)sophisticatedsocieties that, in3)complexity, are the closest thing in nature to our own cities.

The insects that built this structure in Argentina 4)dominatethe surrounding grasslands, thanks to skills that seem almost more human than insect. It’s a5)metropolis,a home to millions of ants.

1) evolve [ɪ΄vɒlv] v. 发展，演变

2) sophisticated [sə΄fɪstɪkeɪtɪd] adj. 高度发展的，精密复杂的

3) complexity [kəm΄pleksɪtɪ] n. 复杂性

4) dominate [΄dɒmɪneɪt] v. 支配

5) metropolis [mɪ΄trɒpəlɪs] n. 都市，都会

The6)colony needs a huge supply of food. It’s surrounded by grass, but the ants themselves can’t digest a7)bladeof it.8)Nonetheless,they collect it. Although they’re all the same species, they exist in different shapes and sizes. The heads of these big-9)jawedindividuals are not full of brain, but10)brawn. They give the species its name—they are grass cutters.

They work all day, every day. The smaller ants,down on the ground, are11)porterswith the job of carrying the grass12)segmentsback to the colony. They have great strength. Their main problem is balance.13)Columns of them carry the grass back to the nest along highways as straight as Roman roads.

Different members of the colony specialise in particular tasks in much the same way as people do.But, as in human society, there can be problems. A14)hitch-hiker makes one ant’s job much harder. And this isn’t even grass.

A single colony harvests half a tonne of grass a year,more than any other animal on these15)plains. But since they themselves can’t eat it, why do they do so?

The answer lies underground. They have one of the most extraordinary survival16)strategiesin the insect world. The ants have dug a network of17)tunnelsthat18)extend19)downwardsfor over seven metres. At the heart of the colony lies the key to their survival.A20)fungus. But this isn’t21)sloppyhousekeeping. This is a fungus that is found nowhere else on earth. And the ants22)cultivateit23)assiduously. The big-jawed ants chop up the grass, covering it with an24)antibiotic25)salivathat kills every kind of fungus except this one.The ants are farmers. They feed the grass to the fungus and the fungus26)thrives. The ants cultivate27)dozens of these fungus gardens throughout the colony. This is what they eat.

The system is so efficient that a single colony can have five million members.

6) colony [΄kɒlənɪ] n. 集群，群体

7) blade [bleɪd] n. 草叶，叶片

8) nonetheless [nʌnðə΄les] conj. 尽管如此，但是

9) jawed [dʒɔːd] adj. 有颌的，有颚的

10) brawn [brɔːn] n. 肌肉

11) porter [΄pɔːtə（r）] n. 搬运工

12) segment [΄seɡmənt] n. 部分，片段

13) column [΄kɒləm] n. 纵队

14) hitch-hiker [΄hɪtʃ΄haɪkə] n. 搭便车者

15) plain [pleɪn] n. 平原，草原

16) strategy [΄strætɪdʒɪ] n. 战略，策略

17) tunnel [΄tʌn（ə）l] n. 地道，隧道

18) extend [ɪk΄stend] v. 延伸

19) downwards [΄daʊnwədz] adv. 向下

20) fungus [΄fʌŋɡəs] n. 真菌，复数为fungi或funguses。

21) sloppy [΄slɒpɪ] adj. 草率的，随便的

22) cultivate [΄kʌltɪveɪt] v. 种植，栽培

23) assiduously [ə΄sɪdjʊəslɪ] adv. 勤勉地

24) antibiotic [æntɪbaɪ΄ɒtɪk] adj. 抗生的，抗菌的

25) saliva [sə΄laɪvə] n. 口水，唾液

26) thrive [θraɪv] v. 繁荣，旺盛

27) dozen [΄dʌz（ə）n] n. 一打，12个

28) asphyxiate [æs΄fɪksɪeɪt] v. 使窒息

29) ingenious [ɪn΄dʒiːnɪəs] adj. 聪明的，有发明天才的

30) surface [΄sзːfɪs] n. 表面

31) breeze [briːz] n. 微风

32) stale [steɪl] adj. 不新鲜的

33) vent [vent] n. 通风孔

34) armour [΄ɑːmə] n. （动植物的）防护器官

35) adaptability [əˌdæptə΄bɪlətɪ] n. 适应性

But the fungus is also dangerous. As it grows, it releases carbon dioxide that could28)asphyxiatethe entire colony. The ants’ way of dealing with this danger is29)ingenious.They construct their nest so that it has an automatic air-conditioning system.The outer30)surfaceis so shaped that the slightest31)breezesucks out32)staleair through these central33)vents. At the same time, fresh air is drawn down through the outer vents, right into the heart of the nest.

Our own societies have existed for thousands of years, but insect societies have lasted for millions. There may be ten million different kinds of insects and there are 200 million individuals for every one of us. The insects’ flexible34)armourand their35)adaptabilityhas made them the most abundant and the most diverse animal group in our planet’s history.

见招拆招

文章一开头就表明蚂蚁世界与人类社会高度相似（the closest thing in nature to our own cities），随后在文章里多次以不同方式提醒受众这一点，强化印象。文章既用了再明白不过的文字把蚂蚁与人类作比较，如seem almost more human than insect、in much the same way as people do、as in human society等；又用了一些人类社会特有的词汇，给蚂蚁赋予人的特性，如：metropolis、Roman roads、hitchhiker、housekeeping、farmer、air-conditioning system等。这种多次呼应的手法是一种突出主题的写作方式，同学们可以反复阅读本文，细细体会这种写作手法，日后运用到自己的写作中去。

参考译文

昆虫已经进化发展为高度成熟的社会，其复杂程度是自然界里最接近人类城市的。

在阿根廷，打造这种建筑的昆虫主宰着周遭的草原，它们拥有的技能似乎更像人类，而不是昆虫。这种建筑是一个大都会，里面住着数百万的蚂蚁。

蚁群需要大量食物。它们的周围有大片青草，但蚂蚁本身连一根也消化不了。不过，它们仍然会收集叶片。这些蚂蚁同属一个物种，但是外形和大小不一。这些大颚蚂蚁脑袋算不上聪明，力气却不小。它们正是这种蚂蚁名称的由来——切叶蚁。

它们每天从早到晚辛勤工作。在地面的小蚂蚁充当搬运工，负责把一段段草片搬回蚁巢。它们力大无穷，主要的难题在于如何取得平衡。大队蚂蚁把草叶往蚁巢里搬，所走的路就像古罗马道路那般笔直。

蚁群中不同的成员有各自擅长的任务，跟人类一样。但一如人类社会，蚂蚁也会碰上问题。有只蚂蚁想搭顺风车，给同伴添麻烦；这只蚂蚁搬的根本不是草。

一个蚁群一年能收割半吨草，比在这个平原上任何一种动物都要多，但是既然它们本身并不吃草，那收集草片干什么呢？

答案就藏在地下。它们拥有昆虫世界里最非同凡响的生存策略。蚁群挖成的地道网络深入地底逾七米。蚁巢的正中央就是它们生存的关键——真菌，不过，这可不是由于巢内不整洁而长出来的，这可是别处绝对找不到的特殊真菌。众蚂蚁辛勤培育真菌：大颚蚂蚁咬碎草片，往真菌喷上有抗体的唾液。唾液可以杀死除这种真菌以外的菌类。蚂蚁原来是农夫。它们用草培育真菌，令其茁壮成长。蚂蚁在巢内培植了数十个真菌园，这才是它们的食粮。

由于这个机制非常高效，每个蚁群可以养活500万名成员。

但真菌也有其危险性。真菌在成长期间会释放二氧化碳，可导致蚁群窒息而亡。而蚂蚁的解决方法十分巧妙。它们所筑的巢穴有着自动循环空气系统，蚁巢外部表面造型特殊，一丝微风就能把穴内的混浊空气从这些中央通风口排出，同时，通过外部气孔吸入新鲜空气，送入巢穴中心。

我们自己的社会存活了几千年，但昆虫社会已延续了数百万年。地球上昆虫的种类也许有上千万种之多，其数量是人类的两亿倍。昆虫的弹性外壳和它们的适应能力使它们成为地球历史上数量最多、物种也最多样化的动物群。