These are tough times for fireflies. Like alot of other insects, they face increasing threats from habits loss, pesticides and pollution. But they also face a problem that’s unique to luminous bugs: It’s getting harder for them to reproduce because light pollution is outshining their mating signals.
萤火虫们遇到非常困难的时期：跟其它所有昆虫一样，萤火虫同机面临着失去居所，灭虫剂和环境污染等威胁，但是它们还有面临着荧光类昆虫独有的困境，由于灯光污染严重胜过它们的求偶信号，它们很难繁殖。
如今萤火虫的日子很难过。和许多其它昆虫类似，它们面临着栖息地不断丧失、杀虫剂和污染加剧等威胁。但它们还有一个发光类昆虫独有的烦恼：光污染盖过了它们的求偶信号，因而繁衍后代越来越难
Fireflies, it turns out, use their special glowing powers in courtship: Males light up to signal availability and females respond with patterned flashes to show that they are in the mood. But bright light from billboards, streetlights and houses is interfering and blocking potential firefly couples from paring up.
萤火虫是通过它们特别的光来求偶的，公萤火虫发出交配需求，母萤火虫通过回复带有图案的光闪来说明自己可以交配，但是这些交配信号通通被城市广告牌的灯光，街上的灯光，以及房屋里的灯光干扰了。
研究证明，萤火虫在求偶时会用到它们特殊的发光能力：雄性萤火虫发光来传递可以交配的信号，雌性萤火虫则用规律性的闪烁来表明自己也感兴趣。但广告牌、街灯以及屋舍的强光会造成干扰，阻碍潜在萤火虫伴侣的配对。
The problem can reach far from big cities: Bright light gets diffused in the atmosphere and can be reflected into the wilderness. In addition to messing with mating signals, it also disrupts the feeding patterns of the females of some species that glow to attract and eat males.
这种干扰可以从很远的城市传来，光通过大气分散，反射到野外，除了干扰萤火虫的交配信号，灯光也干扰了某些母萤火虫种类的捕食信号，这些萤火虫靠发出的灯光吸引异性并吃到他们来生存。
这个问题远不仅限于大城市：强光在大气中发生散射，可被反射到野外。这样不仅会干扰萤火虫的交配信号，还会扰乱某些雌性物种的哺育模式，它们靠发光来吸引并吃掉雄性。
The finding was published Monday in the journal Bio Science.
这些研究周一被刊登在生物医学报刊上。
该发现源自周一发表在《生物科学》杂志上的一项研究。
The study warned that fireflies coulde ventually face extinction globally because of multiple threats, including pollution and habitat loss and habitat degradation from insecticides and chemical pollution.
这些研究提醒我们，萤火虫将因为更种威胁逐渐成为全球濒临灭种的昆虫，这些威胁包括环境污染，丢失居所，灭虫剂和化学污染等导致的居所处的减少。
该研究警告称，面对光污染、栖息地丧失以及杀虫剂和化学污染导致的栖息地退化等多重威胁，萤火虫可能最终面临全球性灭绝。
New expressions:
Mating n.交配（由指动植物间的交配）
Paring up v.配对
Unique to…. …特有的
Panda is unique to China.
Luminous bug 发光类昆虫
Outshine v.超过胜过（Better
or more impressive than someone or something else）
She outshines me in writing.
She outshines me in speaking
Courtship n.求偶
In the mood 有兴致
I am in the mood for/to do sth
In no mood for/to do sth
Degradation n.恶化
网友评论