微小生物的避风港

1、微小生物的避风港This is Scientific American 60-Second Science. I'm Jason Goldman.Imagine a world without elephants. Not only would we have lost one of the planet's most charismatic, extraordinary creatures. Also gone would be a network of ecosystem engineersbecause elephants are crucial for other cr

2、eatures to exist.They disperse seeds in their copious droppings. By literally cutting paths through forests as they trample trees and bushes, they create a more complex landscape. And now we know that their very footprints are important. "We were walking through the forest in Kibale National Pa

3、rkand that's when we stumbled upon these water-filled elephant footprints."University of KoblenzLandau ecologist Wolfram Remmers."And we looked at them and we quickly noticed that they were not only filled by water, but there were lots of animals living in them."Remmers and his co

4、lleagues discovered that elephant footprints are a critical habitat for aquatic invertebrates like water beetles. The team studied 30 footprints in different parts of the national park in Uganda to see just who calls this unique habitat their home. In all, they found 61 species from 27 taxonomic ord

5、ers.The researchers then created 18 artificial footprints to see how fast they would be colonized. Water beetles showed up on day one. After five days, 410 individual invertebrates were occupying the prints. The findings are in the African Journal of Ecology."If you think of these footprints as

6、 tiny islands in a big forest, it was amazing to me to see how quickly these small animals could find them and colonize them and use them as habitat for foraging and reproduction and living."In some places, elephant footprints are the only stagnant ponds to be found, which could mean that these

7、 insects depend on the pachyderms for their very survival. But because this discovery is so new, nobody really knows how critical these habitats are."We are not sure how much they are really dependent on elephant-made footprints in other areas, or if they would completely disappear or if they w

8、ould just be there in a lower number."Without additional protections, elephants will undoubtedly disappear from large swaths of their ranges. Which means a huge community of invertebrates might be severely restricted in their ability to move across the landscapewith ecosystem consequences we ca

9、n only guess at.Thanks for listening for Scientific American 60-Second Science Science. I'm Jason Goldman.这里是科学美国人60秒科学。我是杰森·古德曼。想象一下没有大象的世界。我们不仅会失去世界上最有魅力、最独特的物种。同时，也会失去由生态系统工程师组成的网络，因为大象对其它生物的存在是至关重要的。大象在粪便中散播种子。从字面上理解，大象在踩踏树木和灌木丛时，可以在森林中开创道路，这样它们就创造了一个更为复杂的景观。现在我们知道它们的脚印也是非常重要的。“我们当时正在穿越

10、基巴莱国家公园，然后我们偶然发现了积满水的大象脚印。”沃尔夫拉姆·雷默斯是德国科布伦茨·兰道大学的生态学家。“我们观察了一下这些脚印，然后我们很快就注意到脚印里面不仅仅有积水，还有许多小动物生活在里面。”雷斯斯和他的同事发现，大象脚印是龙虱等水生无脊椎动物的重要栖息地。研究小组对乌干达国家公园中不同地方出现的30个大象脚印进行了研究，他们想知道有哪些生物把这个独特的栖息地当作了家。他们总共发现了27个分类中的61种生物。然后研究人员制造了18个人工脚印，想看看这些脚印被寄居生物占领的速度会有多快。龙虱在第一天就出现了。5天后，410个无脊椎动物占领了这些脚印。该研究结果发表

11、在非洲生态学期刊上。“如果将这些脚印比喻为大森林中的小岛，让我惊讶的是，这些小动物们找到这些小岛并占领那里的速度是如此之快，然后它们会将这些小岛作为栖息地，在那里找寻食物、生殖繁衍并生存。”在某些地方，大象脚印只是不流动的小池塘，这意味着这些昆虫要依靠厚皮动物生存下去。但是因为这点刚刚被发现，所以目前还没有人真正了解这种动物栖息地的重要性。“我们还不确定在其他地区，它们对大象脚印的依赖性有多强，或者说如果这些脚印完全消失，或者数量减少的话，会发生什么事。”没有额外的保护措施，大象必将大面积消失。这就意味着，一大群无脊椎动物也许会因为自身能力所限，不能大面积移动，我们也只能猜测这是大象脚印对生态

12、系统的一些影响。谢谢大家收听科学美国人60秒科学。我是杰森·古德曼。重点讲解：1. stumble upon 意外发现；偶然看见；例句：I stumble upon the rare book in a second-hand bookstore.我在一家旧书店偶然找到这本珍贵的书。2. in all 总共；合计；例句：In all some 15 million people live in the selected areas.总共有大概1,500万人住在所选定的区域内。3. show up 出现；露面；例句：I promise you that he will show up.

13、我向你保证他肯定会来的。4. depend on 依靠；依赖；例句：You may depend on the accuracy of the report.你可以信赖报告的准确性。JUDY WOODRUFF: Another big seat is filled in the Trump Cabinet-to-be, and it sets up a potential confirmation fight.The president-elect's transition team confirmed this morning that a top oil executive is

14、the choice for secretary of state.After days of speculation, official word of the Rex Tillerson pick came before sunrise, followed by praise from the vice president-elect.MIKE PENCE (R), Vice President-Elect: We just could not be more grateful that someone of Rex Tillerson's proven leadership an

15、d accomplishments has been willing to step forward to serve our nation as our next secretary of state.JUDY WOODRUFF: Tillerson, a native Texan, is currently CEO of oil giant Exxon Mobil, among the world's largest publicly traded companies. He rose through the ranks over four decades, and, as chi

16、ef executive, he's expanded Exxon Mobil's business overseas, including its operations in Russia.In a 2013 interview with Charlie rose for CBS News, Tillerson made clear his company will go wherever there's oil.REX TILLERSON, CEO, Exxon Mobil: My philosophy is to make money. And so if I c

17、an drill and make money, then that's what I want to do. But it really is for us, it's about making quality investments for our shareholders.特朗普的国务卿提名可能会引起新的纷争JUDY WOODRUFF: To that end, Exxon Mobil began working closely with the Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft. That, in turn, brought T

18、illerson into close contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Since then, he's received the Russian Order of Friendship, and he's said he opposes U.S. and European sanctions against Russia over its intervention in Ukraine.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today highlighted Tillerson

19、's experience, and said he looks forward to supporting his nomination. But the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ben Cardin, said he is deeply troubled by Tillerson's vocal opposition to sanctions on Russia, and Republican Senator Marco Rubio voiced serious concerns abo

20、ut the planned nomination.There's also word that another Texan, former Governor Rick Perry, could be tapped to be energy secretary. But the transition at Energy could be rocky. The department said today that it will not provide the names of employees who've worked on climate change, as the T

21、rump transition team requested.There are also reports that Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke could be tapped for interior secretary.Meanwhile, President Obama criticized Mr. Trump's lack of interest in receiving a daily intelligence briefing. He spoke last night on "The Daily Show."PRESID

22、ENT BARACK OBAMA: It doesn't matter how smart you are. You have to have the best information possible to make the best decisions possible. And if you're not getting their perspective, their detailed perspective, then you are flying blind.JUDY WOODRUFF: Back at Trump Tower today, the presiden

23、t-elect met with Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates.BILL GATES: We had a good conversation about innovation.JUDY WOODRUFF: Others he met with, pro football greats Jim Brown and Ray Lewis and entertainer Kanye West.Tonight, Mr. Trump is making the latest stop on what he's calling his thank you tour

24、, this time in Wisconsin.The government of Venezuela has seized nearly 4 million children's toys from a toy distributor. It will give the toys to children for free or at discounted prices in time for Christmas. The government says the distributor was unfairly charging high prices for the toys, w

25、hich meant only the richest people could buy them. Venezuela has one of the highest rates of inflation in the world. This is the rate at which prices go up. The IMF says the rate could be as much as 2,000 per cent in 2017. Many Venezuelans can't afford to buy non-essential items like toys. Even

26、a jar of Nutella can cost half the monthly minimum salary. In the past few months, Venezuela has also ordered price cuts on clothes.breaking.jpgIn total, the government seized 3,821,926 toys from two warehouses. It tweeted: "Our children are sacred. We will not let anyone rob them at Christmas.

27、 Boys and girls of this country will have a happy Christmas." The government said the toy distributor was keeping the toys out of the shops to reduce their supply and so increase prices. The government also accused the company of buying them with dollars it got at very low rates several years a

28、go and now wanted to sell the toys at much higher prices. The toy distributor has said it has done nothing wrong and was not trying to sell the toys at high prices to make huge profits. It said many of the toys were out of fashion.1.seize vt.& vi.抓住；逮捕；捉拿Police were reported to have seized all c

29、opies of this morning's edition of the newspaper.据说警方已经将该报纸今天的早间版全部没收。2.unfairly adv.不公平地，不公正地；不正当地The press invade people's privacy unfairly and unjustifiably every day.新闻媒体每天都在不公正地且没有正当理由地侵犯人们的隐私。3.minimum adj.最低的；最小的Many of Britain's beaches fail to meet minimum standards of cleanline

30、ss.英国许多海滩连最起码的卫生标准都达不倒。4.rob vt.抢劫；抢夺，掠夺They rob us, they infringe our rights, they kill us.他们劫掠我们，侵犯我们的权利，对我们实施杀戮。5.distributor n.批发公司，批发商You can get the book through your local distributor.你可以通过当地经销商买到这本书。1.It will give the toys to children for free or at discounted prices in time for Christmas.in

31、 time for赶得上She managed to make herself presentable in time for work.她想方设法让自己在工作时间穿得更像样。2.Many Venezuelans can't afford to buy non-essential items like toys.afford to（买）得起（某物）They could not afford to spoil those maps by careless colouring.若是上色的时候不小心弄坏了那些地图，他们可承担不起。3.In total, the government seiz

32、ed 3,821,926 toys from two warehouses.in total总计，合计I was with my husband for eight years in total.我和丈夫在一起的时间总共有8年。4.It said many of the toys were out of fashion.out of fashion不流行；不兴Marriage seems to be going out of fashion.婚姻似乎快要过时了。委内瑞拉政府从一个玩具批发商那里没收了近400万件儿童玩具。这些玩具将在圣诞节前免费赠送给孩子或者打折出售。政府表示，这家批发商出售玩

33、具的价格过高，只有富人才买得起。委内瑞拉拥有全世界最高的通胀率，也就是物价上涨率。IMF表示，到2017年，委内瑞拉的通胀率将高达2000%。许多委内瑞拉人买不起玩具等非必需品。一罐巧克力酱都要花掉半个月的最低薪资。过去几个月，委内瑞拉还下令下调服装价格。政府总共从两个仓库没收了3,821,926件玩具。政府发表推文称：“我们的孩子是神圣的。我们不会让任何人在圣诞节抢劫他们。这个国家的男孩女孩们都将度过一个快乐的圣诞节。”政府表示，玩具批发商一直给商场断供，减少供应量，囤积居奇来提高价格。政府还指控该公司以几年前低汇率购入的美元来购买这些玩具，然后以高得多的价格来出售。该玩具批发商辩解称，他们

34、没有做错任何事，并没有试图高价出售这些玩具来牟取暴利。该公司称，许多玩具已经过时了。Iran Air Signs $16 Billion Plane Deal with BoeingIran's main air travel company Iran Air has signed an agreement with American manufacturer Boeing to buy 80 passenger airplanes.The two companies announced the $16.6 billion deal Sunday after a signing cer

35、emony in Iran's capital,Tehran.The agreement calls for Boeing to provide 50 737 planes and 30 777 aircraft to Iran Air over the next 10 years. Boeing said the first planes would start arriving in 2018.It is the biggest agreement to be signed between an Iranian and American company since Iran'

36、;s revolution in 1979.Iran had previously been barred from buying planes from U.S.-based Boeing because of economic sanctions against the country. The U.S. government approved the deal in September.The approval was the result of an international nuclear agreement signed by Iran and six world powers

37、in July 2015. The agreement eased restrictions on Iran in exchange for limits on Iran's nuclear program.The U.S. House of Representatives voted last month to block aircraft sales to Iran possibly affecting the Boeing deal. The measure must still pass the Senate. U.S. President Barack Obama has s

38、aid he will veto the bill if it reaches his desk before he leaves office on January 20.Boeing said in a statement the deal would "support tens of thousands of U.S. jobs" directly related to production of the planes.Iran's transport minister said the agreement represented a "histor

39、ic" day for Iran. He added that the deal would create 8,000 jobs in Iran.The official indirectly noted the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. "We hope that despite changes in the U.S. administration, the country will remain loyal to its commitments," he said

40、.During his campaign for president, Trump strongly criticized the nuclear agreement. He called it a "disaster" and the "worst deal ever negotiated." Trump also threatened to end the deal if elected president.The president-elect recently criticized Boeing for "out of control&

41、quot; costs related to another contract. Boeing has an agreement to build new airplanes for the president, known as Air Force One."Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!" Trump tweeted.The U.

42、S. Air Force has agreed with Boeing to build two new Air Force One planes expected to go into service by 2024. The deal for the Air Force One contract is expected to cost about $3 billion, but costs have reportedly been rising.In response to Trump, Boeing said in a statement that it was currently un

43、der contract with the Air Force for $170 million for the project's first phase. It said that amount would be spent "to help determine the capabilities of these complex military aircraft.""We look forward to working with the U.S. Air Force on subsequent phases of the program allowi

44、ng us to deliver the best planes for the president at the best value for the American taxpayer," the statement said.Boeing is not the only defense company that Trump has criticized.On Monday, the president-elect said the "cost is out of control" on the F-35 fighter jet program of aero

45、space company Lockheed Martin. The $400 billion program has been called the most costly in the history of the U.S. Defense Department.I'm Anne Ball.1.Deal with 处理He's a hard man to deal with.要跟他这个人做生意很难。2.military aircraft 军用飞机US military aircraft were hit by gunfire as they tried to rescue

46、stranded Americans.美国军机前往救援受困美国公民之时，遭到了地面火力的袭击。3.leaves office 卸任This was President Bush's last G-Eight summit; he leaves office in January.这是布什总统最后一次参加八国峰会了，他将在明年的一月离任。4.president-elect 侯任总统Republicans are also offering the president-elect some advice.共和党人也对当选总统提出了一些忠告。1.On Monday, the presiden

47、t-elect said the "cost is out of control" on the F-35 fighter jet program of aerospace company Lockheed Martin.out of control 失去控制My impression is that they are totally out of control.我的感觉是它们完全失去了控制。The car had apparently hit a traffic sign before skidding out of control.汽车显然是撞上了一个交通标志牌后打滑

48、失控的。2.The U.S. Air Force has agreed with Boeing to build two new Air Force One planes expected to go into service by 2024.go into service 投入使用She had to go into service of that family.她不得不去那户人家充当佣人。The new type of antiaircraft gun will go into service next year.新型的高射炮明年将开始启用了。伊朗签署购买波音飞机协议 总价超160亿美元伊

49、朗主要航空旅行公司伊朗航空与美国波音公司签订了购买80架客机的协议。在伊朗德黑兰举行签字仪式后，两家公司宣布了这一合同总价高达166亿美元的消息。协议中规定，未来十年内，波音公司要向伊朗交付50架波音737飞机和30架波音777飞机。波音公司称，第一架飞机将于2018年交付。特朗普取消波音空军一号订单.jpg这是自1979年伊朗伊斯兰革命以来，美伊两国间最大金额的交易。此前，伊朗因遭受经济制裁而被禁止向美国波音公司购买飞机。今年9月份，美国政府批准了这笔交易。2015年伊朗与6个国家签署了核协议促使这笔交易得以获批。该协议通过放松对伊朗的制裁以遏制对伊朗核计划。上月，美国众议院投票禁止向伊朗出

50、售飞机，此举或影响到与波音公司的交易。该法案还需要参议院批准。美国总统奥巴马表示，若该法案在他离任（1月20日）前递交，他会否决这项法案。波音在一份声明中称，这笔交易直接影响到美国数万个与飞机生产息息相关的就业岗位。伊朗运输部长表示，这纸协议代表着伊朗历史性的一天。他补充说，这笔交易将为伊朗创造8000个就业机会。他还间接提到即将上台的美国候任总统唐纳德·川普（Donald Trump）政府。“我们希望换届后美国政府仍能遵守承诺。”川普曾在竞选期间强烈反对这份核协议。他将其称为“灾难”和“史上最糟糕的协议”。川普还威胁称，若当选将废除该协议。近期，特朗普指责波音公司在一项合同中开出“

51、天价费用”。波音与政府签有协议，负责为美国总统制造一架“空军一号”飞机。川普在推特上表示，“波音公司正在为未来的美国总统制造一架全新波音747空军一号专机，但成本太高，超过了40亿美元。我要取消这笔订单!”美国空军同意波音制造两架全新“空军一号”飞机，预计将于2024年投入使用。“空军一号”这笔交易预计将花费约30亿美元，有消息称，制造成本却一直在增加。波音在一份声明中回应川普的指责，波音目前仍有价值1.7亿美元的合同在身。波音公司表示，这笔费用“是用来测定这些复杂军用飞机的能力”。“我们期望与美国空军继续该项目的后续合作，在不辜负美国纳税人的情况下将最好的飞机交给总统。”波音并不是唯一一家遭

52、到川普炮轰的国防公司。周一，这位候任总统表示，航天航空公司洛克希德马丁（Lockheed Martin）的F35战斗机花销已经超出控制范围。这项价值4千亿美元的合同被称为“美国国防部史上最昂贵的合同”。安妮·波尔为您播报。Nokia will make a comeback next year with a plan to launch new smartphones.诺基亚将于明年回归并计划推出新款智能手机。But whether it will rekindle interest among Chinese consumers for the Finnish brand rema

53、ins to be seen, said analysts.但是分析师表示，其能否再次吸引中国消费者对该芬兰品牌的兴趣仍有待观察。They pointed out that brand reputation alone cannot help Nokia regain lost glory or market share as China represents the world's most competitive smartphone market.分析人士指出，仅凭品牌知名度无法帮助诺基亚恢复失去的荣誉或市场份额，因为中国代表着世界上竞争最激烈的智能手机市场。HMD Global

54、, which now owns the handset brand, announced last Thursday it is planning to reintroduce Nokia in the market in the first half of 2017.现在拥有该手机品牌的HMD Global公司于上周四宣布，计划在2017年上半年将诺基亚重新引入市场。诺基亚宣布明年回归并推出新款智能手机!Florian Seiche, president of the Finland-based HMD Global, said "with our passionate team

55、, startup attitude, a brand with a 95 percent worldwide awareness and a unique, asset-light partnership approach, we believe we are perfectly placed to forge a new way in mobile".芬兰HMD Global的总裁弗洛里安·塞切表示：“凭借我们充满激情的团队、创业态度、一个在全球具有95知名度的品牌以及一个独特、轻资产的伙伴合作，我们相信我们完全可以在移动领域创造一种新的方式。”However, Xia

56、ng Ligang, independent analyst and CEO of the telecom industry website , said Nokia handsets' future in China appears rather bleak.但是，电信业网站飞象网的独立分析师兼首席执行官项立刚表示，诺基亚手机在中国的未来显得相当暗淡。"In terms of producing mid-to-low end smartphones, Nokia won't be able to beat China's homegrown brands,&

57、quot; he said.“在生产中低端智能手机方面，诺基亚将无法击败中国的本土品牌，”他说。"Many of Chinese brands, such as Huawei and Xiaomi, have really big shipment volumes. The more they produce, the more they will be able to reduce the cost."“很多中国的品牌，比如华为和小米，确实有很大的销量，他们生产的越多，就越能降低成本。”According to Xiang, Nokia does have a very recognizable brand, but so do Motorola, Sony and LG.根项立刚表示，诺基亚确实有一个非常知名的品牌，但是摩托罗拉，索尼和LG也是如此。"In the highly competitive smartphone industry, you need to have a really cutting-edge technology to come back and stand out. The reputation of the brand is not en