蚂蚁跑得很快。很多蚂蚁的速度能达到每秒二三十厘米，考虑到它们的身长只有一厘米左右，这个速度已经非常快了。但是世界上跑得最快的蚂蚁，比这还要快得多。
The world's fastest ant
by Rory Sullivan
Scientists have recorded the speed of the world's fastest ant, which lives in the Sahara and is able to travel 108 times its own body length per second.
record /rɪˈkɔːd/ v. 记录
Sahara /səˈhɑːrə/ n. 指非洲的撒哈拉沙漠
Harald Wolf, a professor at the University of Ulm, Germany, and his colleagues found that the Saharan silver ant, Cataglyphis bombycina, can reach speeds of 0.855 meters per second with its high-frequency strides. The team's findings, based on experiments conducted in Tunisia, will be published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
frequency /ˈfriːkwənsi/ n. 频率
stride /straɪd/ n. 一步、一大步
based on 基于
conduct /kənˈdʌkt/ v. 做、实施
Tunisia /tjuːˈnɪziə/ n. 突尼斯（北非国家）
publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/ v. 发表
journal /ˈdʒɜːn(ə)l/ n. 期刊
experimental /ɪkˌsperɪˈment(ə)l/ adj. 以实验为基础的（由experiment加后缀-al变成形容词）
Wolf, who mainly researches navigation（找路） in ants, said: "We knew these animals would be fast, but nobody knew how fast exactly and how they would achieve that speed." He added that their speed surprised his research group, given that they have such short legs compared to their cousins, the desert ant – Cataglyphis fortis.
given /ˈɡɪv(ə)n/ prep. 考虑到
cousin /ˈkʌz(ə)n/ n. 近亲
Although the reason behind their extraordinary speed is yet to be proved, Wolf thinks their shorter legs may be behind it. By way of hypothesis, he said: "With their short legs, they can better synchronise（使同步） the three legs they have on the ground at any given time. So, they can make very brief powerful impacts on the sand."
be yet to 还没有（做某事）
hypothesis /haɪˈpɒθəsɪs/ n. 假说
impact /ˈɪmpækt/ n. 撞击、撞击力（这里指用脚踩地的力量）
Their shallow impacts prevent them from sinking into the soft sand too much, while they travel across the dunes（沙丘） to scavenge（找动物尸体吃） for dead insects – like flies, butterflies and beetles – to eat. This seems a wise strategy in an area where sand temperatures can reach up to 60°C, according to Wolf's team.
shallow /ˈʃæləʊ/ adj. 浅的
sink /sɪŋk/ v. 下沉、下陷
fly /flaɪ/ n. 蝇、苍蝇
butterfly /ˈbʌtəflaɪ/ n. 蝴蝶
beetle /ˈbiːt(ə)l/ n. 甲壳虫、金龟子
wise /waɪz/ adj. 明智的
strategy /ˈstrætədʒi/ n. 策略
The ants' silver color also gives them some relief from the heat, as their shiny coats reflect sunlight and infrared（红外线）, helping to keep them relatively cool. Unlike the scientists, who found the heat a challenge, Wolf said.
relief /rɪˈliːf/ n. 缓解、解脱
reflect /rɪˈflekt/ v. 反射
relatively /ˈrelətɪvli/ adv. 相对而言地
unlike /ʌnˈlaɪk/ prep. 不像、跟…不同（由like加上表示否定的前缀un-）
Another difficulty was finding the ants' nests in the first place. Sarah Pfeffer, a scientist at the University of Ulm who worked on the project, said the team had to look for digging ants or follow a foraging（觅食） ant back to its nest.
nest /nest/ n. 巢穴
project /ˈprɒdʒekt/ n. 项目
Once they had located one, an aluminum channel was joined to the entrance with food at the end – to entice（引诱） the ants out. The scientists then filmed them from above to work out their speed. They also excavated（挖出） a nest, which they took back to Germany to record the ants running more slowly in cooler temperatures.
locate /ləʊˈkeɪt/ v. 定位、找到…的位置
aluminum /ˌæljuˈmɪniəm/ n. 铝
channel /ˈtʃæn(ə)l/ n. 通道
film /fɪlm/ v. 拍视频
work out 算出
A possible result of their work is a future collaboration with roboticists（机器人学家）. "Insect research rather classically has provided some ideas for walking robots – how they might be used for coordinating their legs," Wolf said. He went on to say that this is "not immediately relevant," as walking robots travel too slowly at the moment. But when they get faster, the study of insects may help the robotics（机器人学） field.
collaboration /kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 合作、协作
classically /ˈklæsɪk(ə)li/ adv. 经典地、典型地（由classic加后缀-ally变成副词）
coordinate /kəʊˈɔːdɪneɪt/ v. 协调
relevant /ˈreləv(ə)nt/ adj. 密切相关的
field /fiːld/ n. 领域
Although it is the fastest ant, other animals beat the Saharan silver ant in terms of body length traveled per second – the Australian tiger beetle manages 171 times per second, while the California coastal mite（螨虫） achieves 377 times per second.
in terms of 就…而言
manage /ˈmænɪdʒ/ v. 成功做到
California /ˌkælɪˈfɔːniə/ n. 加利福尼亚（美国西部的州）
coastal /ˈkəʊst(ə)l/ adj. 海岸边的、沿海的（由coast加后缀-al变成形容词）
（如果您发现某些行的最后一个单词被分成两半了，请把您使用的浏览器升级到最新版本就能正常显示了。）
网友评论