词汇: nature 大自然
There’s nothing better than a walk in the countryside for lifting our spirits. Connecting with nature has been proven to help our mental health. For some, the best tonic is to stroll through a forest, but as we admire the trees that surround us, it’s worth knowing these trees are doing more than just being nice things to look at.
没有什么比在乡下散步,提升我们的精神。与大自然连接已被证明有助于我们的心理健康。对一些人来说,最好的补药是漫步森林,但当我们欣赏我们周围的树木,值得知道这些树所做的不仅仅是好东西。
We’re already aware of the healing properties of trees – they produce oxygen and clean the air we breathe by absorbing about a quarter of all human-caused carbon dioxide emissions. Deforestation isn’t helping with this which is why so many people want to save them. But there’s more to these impressive forms of vegetation than we might think. Researchers have discovered evidence that proves they are actually intelligent.
我们已经意识到树木的治疗功效——它们产生氧气和清洁我们呼吸的空气通过吸收大约四分之一的人为二氧化碳排放。砍伐森林并不是帮助这是为什么这么多人想要拯救他们。但是有更多的这些令人印象深刻的形式的植物比我们想象。研究人员发现证据证明他们是聪明的。
It’s thought that trees talk and share resources right under our feet, using a fungal network. Under the ground are tree roots, and mingling among them, along with bacteria, are thousands of superfine threads of fungi, known as hyphae. And research has shown that they are all interconnected. They can help each other by sharing nutrients, and they can even warn of approaching threats. Scientists say it’s like the trees are talking to one another.
人们认为，树木在我们脚下交谈并共享资源，使用真菌网络。地底下是树根，其中夹杂着数以千计的超细真菌丝，与细菌一起，被称为菌丝。研究表明，它们都是相互关联的。他们可以通过分享营养来互相帮助，甚至可以警告即将到来的威胁。科学家们说，这就像树木在互相交谈。
Ecologist Suzanne Simard has called this network the Wood Wide Web. She discovered that parent trees use this network to help their offspring. Speaking to the BBC, she said: “We found that the parent trees would favour those seedlings that were of their own kin versus the strangers” by sending them more nutrients. She also found that trees are smart enough to change their behaviour and have managed to adapt and survive in a changing environment.
生态学家 Suzanne Simard 称这个网络为Wood Wide Web。她发现父树使用这个网络来帮助他们的后代。她在接受 BBC 采访时说：“我们发现，与陌生人相比，母树会偏爱那些属于自己亲属的幼苗”，因为它们会为它们提供更多的营养。她还发现树木足够聪明，可以改变它们的行为，并设法在不断变化的环境中适应和生存。
So it seems trees really are the stars of our natural world, and with around three trillion of them on our planet, it’s time to show them some respect if we want them to flourish.
因此，树木似乎真的是我们自然界的明星，我们的星球上大约有 3 万亿棵树，如果我们想让它们茁壮成长，是时候向它们表示一些尊重了。
词汇表countryside 郊外，乡下lift one’s spirits 振奋精神tonic 使人精神振作的事情forest 森林healing properties 治疗功效oxygen 氧气carbon dioxide emissions 二氧化碳排放deforestation 毁林，大面积砍伐森林vegetation 植被，植物resources 资源fungal network 真菌网络tree root 树根bacteria 细菌fungi 真菌，真菌类植物hyphae 菌丝nutrient 养分，营养物Wood Wide Web “树联网”offspring 后代，产物seedling 幼苗kin 同族，亲戚flourish 茁壮成长
测验与练习1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. What can being surrounded by nature help us with?
2. How do trees help improve the air quality?
3. How do parent trees help their offspring to survive?
4. True or false? Trees talk to each other by using thousands of superfine threads of fungi under the ground.
5. Why do trees need to adapt if they want to survive?
2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。
1. Watching the comedy film really _______ after a hard day at work.
lifting my spirits lifted my spirits lift my spirits lifted my spirit
2. To survive in the modern world, the business has to _______ its working practices.
absorb hyphae adapt resources
3. My brother and his _______ always come over for dinner on Sundays.
offsprung offsprings offsprang offspring
4. None of the crops grew because there was a lack of _______ in the soil.
nutrients bacteria roots seedlings
5. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is one of the wonders of the _______.
nature world natural worlds naturing world natural world
答案1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. What can being surrounded by nature help us with?Being connected with or surrounded by nature has been proven to help our mental health.
2. How do trees help improve the air quality?Trees clean the air we breathe by absorbing about a quarter of all human-caused carbon dioxide emissions.
3. How do parent trees help their offspring to survive?Doctor Suzanne Simard said that parent trees would favour those seedlings that were of their own kin as opposed to the strangers by sending them more nutrients.
4. True or false? Trees talk to each other by using thousands of superfine threads of fungi under the ground.True. Trees talk to each other using thousands of superfine threads of fungi, known as hyphae, which are all interconnected.
5. Why do trees need to adapt if they want to survive?They need to adapt because the environment is changing.
2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。
1. Watching the comedy film really lifted my spirits after a hard day at work.
2. To survive in the modern world, the business has to adapt its working practices.
3. My brother and his offspring always come over for dinner on Sundays.
4. None of the crops grew because there was a lack of nutrients in the soil.
5. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is one of the wonders of the natural world.
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