聽力原文
This is Scientific American's 60-second Science, I'm Bob Hirshon.
If you're a skunk, or fox, or very strange person, and you poke your nose under a rock in the desert Southwest, looking for something to eat, you might be surprised to see dozens of bright blue and red beetles scurrying to and fro. And you might be really curious as they quickly turn their butts toward you.
But the curiosity wouldn't last long: a couple thousandths of a second later, a fusillade of boiling hot, toxic spray would drive off both you and your musings.The insects with the spraying butts are fittingly named bombardier beetles. And they can fire off 500 pulses per second of caustic defensive chemicals. What also makes them unusual is that even though the nocturnal beetles are solitary by night, dozens or even hundreds of them—of various bombardier species—snuggle together under rocks during the day."
It's actually a fairly unusual phenomenon for different species to regularly associate with one another."University of Arizona entomologist Wendy Moore.
"But these guys are sheltering together, and they're actually doing it intentionally, you know, because they have more options. There's plenty of options within the habitat that they could actually segregate out by species, and they don't."In fact, when Moore and her colleagues put beetles into a setting where they had cozy solitary hiding places, as well as hiding places already packed with other beetles, the newcomers invariably chose to shelter with others under the crowded rocks.
The study is in the journal PLOS One.Moore says buddying up may help protect the insects from predators."Bombardier beetles produce benzoquinones, which are really powerful as a matter of defense, but these other beetles produce other kinds of defensive chemicals that probably contribute to a big chemical cocktail for a vertebrate predator that might find them during the day."In addition, a lone beetle, no matter how brightly colored, might not scare off a predator as effectively as a whole bunch of beetles."
If you imagine being a predator, even a human, turning over a rock and seeing hundreds of these blue and red beetles going in every direction, that serves as a bigger advertisement to them of their toxicity. It may help them be able to avoid attack."So whatever you can say about an encounter with these fearsome little insects, you can't say that you weren't warned.Thanks for listening for Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Bob Hirshon.
重點解析
1. to and fro 往返地；來回地；
She rocked the baby to and fro.
她來回搖動著嬰兒。
2. drive off 擊退；趕走；
Men drove off the dogs with stones.
人們用石頭趕走了狗群。
3. buddy up 親近（某人），（和某人）結交；If you buddy up with someone from work, you'll be less likely to skip out on trips from the office to the gym.
如果你和工作夥伴一起，就不太會逃避從辦公室到健身房的那段路了。4. scare off 嚇跑；
Don't get closer, or you will scare off those cute birds.
不要再靠近了，不然你會把那些可愛的鳥給嚇跑。
雙語譯文
This is Scientific American's 60-second Science, I'm Bob Hirshon.
這裡是科學美國人——60秒科學系列，我是鮑勃·赫爾尚。
If you're a skunk, or fox, or very strange person, and you poke your nose under a rock in the desert Southwest, looking for something to eat, you might be surprised to see dozens of bright blue and red beetles scurrying to and fro.
如果你是臭鼬，或狐狸，或是非常奇怪的人，你在西南沙漠將鼻子伸進巖石下面尋找食物時，可能會驚訝地發現幾十隻鮮豔的藍色和紅色的甲蟲在跑來跑去。And you might be really curious as they quickly turn their butts toward you.
它們會迅速將臀部朝向你，這可能會令你非常好奇。But the curiosity wouldn't last long: a couple thousandths of a second later, a fusillade of boiling hot, toxic spray would drive off both you and your musings.
但這種好奇不會持續太久：千分之幾秒後，滾燙且有毒的噴霧一齊發射，這會將你和你的沉思全部驅散。
The insects with the spraying butts are fittingly named bombardier beetles.
這種屁股會噴射的昆蟲有個非常貼切的名字：投彈手甲蟲。
And they can fire off 500 pulses per second of caustic defensive chemicals
它們每秒能發射500脈衝的腐蝕性防禦化學物質。
What also makes them unusual is that even though the nocturnal beetles are solitary by night, dozens or even hundreds of them—of various bombardier species—snuggle together under rocks during the day.
它們另一個不同尋常之處在於，儘管這種夜行性甲蟲習慣在夜間獨處，但在白天，會有數十隻甚至數百隻不同種類的投彈手甲蟲蜷縮在巖石下面。
"It's actually a fairly unusual phenomenon for different species to regularly associate with one another."
「不同種類的甲蟲規律性地聚在一起，這是一種相當不尋常的現象。」
University of Arizona entomologist Wendy Moore.
亞利桑那大學的昆蟲學家溫迪·摩爾說到。
"But these guys are sheltering together, and they're actually doing it intentionally, you know, because they have more options.
「但這些傢伙是在一起避難，它們實際上是有意這樣做的，因為它們有更多選擇。
There's plenty of options within the habitat that they could actually segregate out by species, and they don't."
在棲息地它們有很多選擇，它們可以按照種類分別聚集，但它們沒有這樣做。
」In fact, when Moore and her colleagues put beetles into a setting where they had cozy solitary hiding places, as well as hiding places already packed with other beetles, the newcomers invariably chose to shelter with others under the crowded rocks.
事實上，當摩爾及其同事將甲蟲分別放到舒適的獨自藏身地或擠滿其它甲蟲的躲藏處時，新來者總是選擇和其它甲蟲一起躲在擠滿甲蟲的巖石下。
The study is in the journal PLOS One.
這項研究發表在《公共科學圖書館·綜合》期刊上。Moore says buddying up may help protect the insects from predators.
摩爾表示，結伴有助於甲蟲免受捕食者的傷害。
"Bombardier beetles produce benzoquinones, which are really powerful as a matter of defense, but these other beetles produce other kinds of defensive chemicals that probably contribute to a big chemical cocktail for a vertebrate predator that might find them during the day."
「投彈手甲蟲會產生苯酚類物質，這是一種非常強大的防禦物質，但其它甲蟲也會產生其他種類的防禦性化學物質，這些物質可能會促成一種大型化學混合物，以攻擊在白天可能找到它們的脊椎動物捕食者。」
In addition, a lone beetle, no matter how brightly colored, might not scare off a predator as effectively as a whole bunch of beetles.另外，一隻甲蟲要單槍匹馬地嚇跑捕食者，無論其顏色有多鮮豔，都不可能像一群甲蟲那樣有效。
"If you imagine being a predator, even a human, turning over a rock and seeing hundreds of these blue and red beetles going in every direction, that serves as a bigger advertisement to them of their toxicity.
「如果想像自已是捕食者，或是我們人類本身，你翻開石頭，看到數百隻這種藍色和紅色的甲蟲在向各個方向逃跑，這種情況會加大其毒性的廣告效應。It may help them be able to avoid attack."
這可能有助於它們避免遭遇攻擊。」
So whatever you can say about an encounter with these fearsome little insects, you can't say that you weren't warned.
因此，無論你在遇到這些可怕的小昆蟲之後說些什麼，都不能說它們沒有警告你。Thanks for listening for Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Bob Hirshon.
謝謝大家收聽科學美國人——60秒科學。我是鮑勃·赫爾尚。
來源：51科學美國人,僅供學習分享使用，如有侵權請聯繫（管理員：HH18175998542）進行刪除。非常感謝！
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