作者：小雅和英美友人
Bees and Butterflies
蜜蜂和蝴蝶
Bees 蜜蜂
Child: Uh-oh, Mommy, there's a bee flying around us!
宝宝：喔，妈妈，有只蜜蜂正围着我们飞呢！
Mom: It's okay!
妈妈：没事的！
Just be still and don't bother it.
别动、别惹它就行。
Bees don't usually bother people
蜜蜂通常不会惹人类，
unless we are aggressive towards them.
除非我们对它们有攻击性。
Let's slowly step over there
咱们慢慢移到那边，
away from the flowers.
离花远点儿。
Child: So scary.
宝宝：吓死我了。
Mom: Now see how the bee is moving from flower to flower?
妈妈：现在看看蜜蜂是怎么从一朵花飞到另一朵花的。
It's pollinating the flowers
它正在给这些花授粉，
so they keep growing
使它们继续生长，
and give us fruit and vegetables,
给我们带来水果和蔬菜，
and make seeds to reproduce.
并产生种子得以繁殖。
Their work keeps our ecosystems going.
它们的工作让我们的生态系统得以运转。
Child: Cool, but too bad it's got a stinger!
宝宝：太好了，不过可惜它有毒刺！
Mom: Well, that is just its way to defend itself from predators!
妈妈：嗯，那只是它防御捕食者的方法！
We benefit a lot from all of their hard work.
我们从它们的辛勤劳动中获益很多。
We also get to eat the delicious honey they make.
我们还可以吃它们做的美味蜂蜜。
The worker bees make all the honey
工蜂负责酿蜜，
and the queen bee lays eggs
蜂后负责产卵，
that will grow into more worker bees.
卵会长成更多的工蜂。
Bees make honey using the nectar of the plants they pollinate and their saliva.
蜜蜂用授粉植物的花蜜和它们的唾液制造蜂蜜。
Child: Their saliva?
宝宝：它们的唾液？
Ew, but I like honey so much!
呃，但是我非常喜欢蜂蜜！
Mom: Me too.
妈妈：我也是。Honey is so tasty and good for us.
蜂蜜非常美味而且对我们很有好处。
It is capable of relieving a sore throat,
它可以缓解咽喉疼痛，
rejuvenating the body,
帮助恢复体力，
and accelerating the rate of recovery of your body.
加快身体康复的速度。
Child: Wow, bees do a lot for us and the earth!
宝宝：哇哦，蜜蜂为我们和地球做了很多！
Mom: Yup!
妈妈：是的！
We need to make sure to take care of the bees.
我们一定要保护蜜蜂。
Butterflies 蝴蝶
Mom: Look, this park has a butterfly garden!
妈妈：看，这个公园里有一个蝴蝶花园！
Child: Why do we have so many butterflies in the garden?
宝宝：花园里为什么有这么多蝴蝶啊？
Mom: Because butterflies are attracted to certain flowers.
妈妈：因为蝴蝶会被某些花吸引。
Look, there is a Monarch butterfly!
看，那儿有一只帝王蝶！
Isn't it beautiful?
它很漂亮吧？
Child: How do you know what kind of butterfly it is?
宝宝：你怎么知道它是什么种类的蝴蝶？
Mom: By the pattern on its wings.
妈妈：通过它们翅膀上的图案。
See how its wings are mostly orange with black and a few white specks?
它的翅膀主要是橙色的，有黑色和一些白色的斑点，看到了吗？
Child: Yeah.
宝宝：嗯。
Mom: Those are the markings of a Monarch.
妈妈：那是帝王蝶的标志。
Let's see if we can identify some more.
咱们看看能不能再认出来一些。
We can use this butterfly chart they have on the sign.
我们可以看这个指示牌上的蝴蝶图表。
Child: I think some butterflies have colors and patterns similar to some of the flowers.
宝宝：我发现有些蝴蝶的颜色和图案和有些花很像。
Mom: Good catch.
妈妈：这个发现很好。
Butterflies use those colors and patterns to blend into their surroundings
蝴蝶们利用这些颜色和图案与周围的环境相融合，
to avoid being seen and eaten by predators.
从而避免被捕食者看到和吃掉。
They also use their patterns to warn predators
它们还用图案来警告捕食者，
that they might be unpleasant or poisonous to eat.
它们可能不好吃或者有毒。
Child: Where are the colors from?
宝宝：那颜色是哪来的呢？
Mom: The scales on their wings reflect light in different directions,
它们翅膀上的鳞片能反射不同方向的光线，
like lots of tiny mirrors.
就像一个个小镜子。
Child: (flap arms up and down) Do I look like a colorful butterfly?
宝宝：（上下挥动胳膊）我看起来像一只五颜六色的蝴蝶吗？
更多夏天常见昆虫的亲子英文，请查看：
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