小小蠕蟲默默無聞、粘粘乎乎，還扭來扭去，但它們?yōu)槭裁幢环Q為 “大英雄”？作為蠕蟲的一種，蚯蚓可通過松動和混合土壤來助農(nóng)耕者一臂之力；人們還發(fā)現(xiàn)蠟蟲的唾液中含有可分解塑料的酶；血蟲的口部為建筑師帶來了設計靈感。原來小蟲子真能幫大忙！

詞匯：worms 蠕蟲

Are?worms?the heroes we didn't know we needed? Silent,?slimy?and?wriggling, you might think that worms are good for nothing except?bait?on the end of a fishing rod. However, there is more to the?humble?worm than meets the eye.

蠕蟲是我們不知道自己需要的英雄嗎?沉默、黏糊糊、蠕動著，你可能認為蠕蟲除了在魚竿末端做誘餌外別無用處。然而，這條不起眼的蠕蟲并不像我們看到的那么簡單。

The British?naturalist?Charles Darwin said that no other animal has "played such an important part in the history of the world as these?lowly?organised?creatures". They have lived on Earth for 600 million years and have even survived five?mass extinctions. So, what do worms do that is so great?

英國博物學家查爾斯·達爾文(Charles Darwin)說，沒有其他動物“在世界歷史上扮演過像這些組織較低的生物那樣重要的角色”。它們在地球上生活了6億年，甚至在五次大滅絕中幸存下來。那么，蠕蟲有什么了不起的地方呢?

Earthworms?literally move the earth, and this is why farmers love them. As they travel, they?aerate?the?soil?by?loosening, mixing and?oxygenating?it, which increases the ground's capacity to hold and drain water. They are effectively a small but very efficient?plough. But it's not just earthworms that deserve praise.

蚯蚓真的在移動地球，這就是農(nóng)民喜歡蚯蚓的原因。當它們移動時，它們通過松動、混合和充氧使土壤透氣，這增加了地面保持和排水的能力。它們實際上是一種小而高效的犁。但值得表揚的不僅僅是蚯蚓。

In 2022, a group of scientists at the Margarita Salas Center for Biological Research isolated?enzymes?found in?wax worm?saliva?which are?plastic-eating. These can break down polyethylene, a very common plastic that normally degrades over many years. It's hoped that by producing these enzymes on an industry-level scale, we will have a more environmentally friendly way to reduce plastic pollution.

2022年，瑪格麗塔·薩拉斯生物研究中心的一組科學家從蠟蟲唾液中分離出了能吃塑料的酶。它們可以分解聚乙烯，這是一種很常見的塑料，通常需要很多年才能降解。希望通過在工業(yè)規(guī)模上生產(chǎn)這些酶，我們將有一種更環(huán)保的方式來減少塑料污染。

And worms are even inspiring the building industry.?Bloodworms?are small sea creatures which?burrow?into the mud of the ocean floor. Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara have been studying their?jaws, which are made up of 10% copper proteins and are so strong that they last the worm's entire five-year lifespan. Because of this research, engineers may start using the jaws as inspiration for the design and manufacture of materials like concrete.

蠕蟲甚至啟發(fā)了建筑行業(yè)。血蟲是一種小型海洋生物，它們會在海底的泥漿中挖洞。加州大學圣巴巴拉分校的科學家們一直在研究它們的下顎，它由10%的銅蛋白組成，非常堅固，可以維持蠕蟲5年的生命周期。因為這項研究，工程師們可能會開始使用顎作為設計和制造混凝土等材料的靈感。

So, next time you see a worm, show it a little respect. They really are changing the world!

所以，下次你看到蟲子的時候，給它一點尊重。他們真的在改變世界!

詞匯表

worm 蠕蟲
slimy 黏糊糊的
wriggling 蠕動著的，扭動著的
bait （魚）餌
humble 不起眼的，普通的
naturalist 博物學家
lowly 低等的
creature 動物，生物
mass extinction （生物）聚群絕滅
earthworm 蚯蚓
aerate 使（土壤）透氣
soil 土壤
loosen 松動
oxygenate 給…供氧
plough 犁
enzyme 酶
wax worm 蠟蟲
saliva 唾液
plastic-eating 分解塑料的
bloodworm 血蟲
burrow 鉆，打洞
jaws 口部

測驗與練習

1.?閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. How long have worms existed on Earth?

2. How do earthworms help farmers?

3. True or False??Wax worms eat plastic.

4. Why might enzymes help to reduce plastic pollution?

5. What makes the jaws of the bloodworm so special?

2.?選擇意思恰當?shù)膯卧~或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. I hate touching animals like slugs and frogs – they're so _______!

lowly? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?slimy? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? humble? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?plastic-eating

2. They are trying to remove the rats – they have _______ into the riverbank.

loosened? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?aerated? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? burrowed? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?oxygenated

3. We often use worms as _______ when we go fishing.??

bait? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? enzyme? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? jaws? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?extinction

4. Only use this in emergencies. It's a blanket that's _______ to fire.

efficient? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?resistant? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?wriggling?????????????????? inspiring

5. This new plant isn't growing. I think it should be in sand, not _______.

saliva? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?soil? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? naturalist?????????????????? creature

答案

1.?閱讀課文并回答問題。?

1. How long have worms existed on Earth?

They have lived on Earth for 600 million years.

2. How do earthworms help farmers?

As they travel, they aerate the soil by loosening, mixing and oxygenating it,?which increases the ground's capacity to hold and drain water.

3. True or False??Wax worms eat plastic.

False. Enzymes found in wax worm saliva are plastic-eating.

4. Why might enzymes help to reduce plastic pollution?

Because the enzymes can break down polyethylene, a very common plastic that normally degrades over many years.

5. What makes the jaws of the bloodworm so special?

They are made up of 10% copper proteins and are so resistant that they last the worm's entire five-year lifespan.

2.?選擇意思恰當?shù)膯卧~或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. I hate touching animals like slugs and frogs – they're so?slimy!

2. They are trying to remove the rats – they have?burrowed?into the riverbank.

3. We often use worms as?bait?when we go fishing.?

4. Only use this in emergencies. It's a blanket that's?resistant?to fire.

5. This new plant isn't growing. I think it should be in sand, not?soil.

文章來源BBC，侵權刪，本文僅用于英語學習。