L54-3: Instinct or cleverness?
They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them. I immediately embarked on an experiment which, even though it failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for24 hours. I bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphids. The tape was so sticky that they did not dare to cross it. For a long time. I watched them scurrying around the base of the tree in bewilderment. I even went out at midnight with a torch and noted with satisfaction (and surprise) that the ants were still swarming around the sticky tape without being able to do anything about it. I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair. Instead, I saw that they had discovered a new route.
They were climbing up the wall of the house and then on to the leaves of the tree. I realized sadly that I had been completely defeated by their ingenuity. The ants had been quick to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!
colony /ˈkɑːləni/ 一群，殖民地;殖民地定居者群体
embark /ɪmˈbɑːrk/ 开始
sticky /ˈstɪki/ 粘的，告事贴，便利贴
sticky tape 胶带
bind /baɪnd/ 绑定;捆绑; 过去式 bound
scurry /ˈskɜːri/ 急促跑;碎步疾跑,小步跑
swarm /swɔːrm/ 聚集、成群地来回移动;成群地飞来飞去
ingenuity /ˌɪndʒəˈnuːəti/ 独创力;聪明才智;心灵手巧
网友评论