字神帝國英語天地

 
 今日主題：Bearcats Naturally Pass the Popcorn  爆米花味道的小熊貓

 洪欣老師推薦：托福聽力最好的課外教材：60-Second Science
 康康精選托福會考的主題，堅持每天精聽一定會進步的哦!!

 建議方法：
1. 先聽兩三遍 (不看文稿)
2. 再一句一句聽寫 (每句都要聽寫數遍，直到寫出85%以上的字)
3. 最後check文稿，看哪聽不出來，單字沒背過，還是發音不熟。
4. 堅持天天聽，就能每天進步哦。

 MP3音檔 (按右鍵可下載聽)：喜歡的同學，幫忙推或按讚哦~~
http://online1.tingclass.net/voaspe/…/20160421sa_science.mp3

 只有音檔怎夠，聽不懂地方，不用怕，康康幫你準備好中英文稿了：

 中英文稿：
Chances are you’ve never seen a binturong. It’s a tree-dwelling mammal about the size of a raccoon that’s native to Southeast Asia. But if you’ve ever been to the movies, you’d be familiar with their scent. That’s because binturongs smell like freshly cooked popcorn. And now, in a major advance in research connecting animal odors to human recreational venues, researchers know why.
可能你從沒有見過熊狸。這是一種住在樹上的哺乳類動物，體型和浣熊一樣大，產於東南亞地區。如果你曾看過相關電影，就會對它們所散發出的氣味不陌生。這是 因為，熊狸的氣味就好像新鮮烹製出的爆米花哦。那麼現在，有項針對動物氣味和人類娛樂場所之間關係的研究取得了重大進展，研究人員們已經知道熊狸身上氣味 的原因啦。

In the wild, binturongs, also called bearcats, are thought to spend most of their time alone. So to communicate with potential mates—or rivals—they leave behind aromatic messages. Although to you and me their musk evokes a matinee, to other animals it reads pure binturong. But previous studies of the animals’ scent glands failed to find chemicals that could account for the distinctive stank. Desperate for an answer, the researchers opted to peruse some pee.
在野外，熊狸，又被稱作小熊貓，一般是單獨居住。所以為了和其它同伴——或者敵人——交流，它們常常會留下有芳香氣味作為信號。儘管，對你我來講，這些香 氣只會使我們想到電影院，對其它動物來講，這種氣味可是純粹的就是說明始作俑者是只熊狸呢。可是之前對於動物氣味腺的研究並沒有發現相關化學物質和這些氣 味相對應。為了找尋答案，研究人員們選擇從它們的尿跡入手。

They ever-so-gently squeezed 33 sedated binturongs at a North Caroline wildlife sanctuary to produce urine for analysis. And they discovered that the samples contained a compound called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, or 2-AP—which is the very same chemical that lends its distinctive scent to popcorn, as well as to some rice and breads. The finding is served up in the journal Naturwissenschaften, or The Science of Nature.
他們在北卡萊羅那野生保護區用十分輕柔的動作擠出了33只被下了鎮靜劑的熊狸的尿液進行分析。研究發現，這些樣品中含有一種名為化合物2乙醯1二氫吡咯， 或簡稱為2-AP——這個物質和爆米花發出的獨特氣味十分相似，還有一些大米、麵包類食物也有此種氣味。該研究已經發表在《自然科學》雜誌上。

Popcorn gets its 2-AP from the Maillard reaction, chemistry that occurs as corn kernels heat up. But for bearcats, who don’t have access to an air popper, it’s probably the bacteria present on their fur or in their intestines that help cook up their signature scent—the researchers confirmed that the animals don’t get their 2-AP from their diet, which, in captivity, includes kibbles and mice.
爆米花是因為製作過程中發生美拉德反應而生成了2-AP，這種反應起因於玉米粒受熱。但是對於小熊貓來講，它們可沒有空氣爆米花機啊，很可能就是它們毛皮 或者宣導內的微生物細菌説明製造出的這種特徵氣味——研究人員們進一步確認了它們的飲食中也沒有製作出2-AP的可能，它們的食物也就是圈養的小動物比如 kibbles小狗和小鼠。

When binturongs go wee, they tend to soak their tails and feet, which ensures that they leave behind a trail of odiferous information about their species, sex, and reproductive readiness. Of course, if you find yourself in binturong country, remember: that ain’t popcorn you smell. So don’t lick your fingers.
當熊狸虛虛的時候，尿液會弄到尾巴和腳上，然後這樣就可以使它們在離開後留下一種氣味痕跡裡面包含了一些資訊，如它們的種類，性別以及生殖能力等。當然，如果你發現自己處於熊狸的國度，記住：你聞到的香氣可不是爆米花。所以千萬不要舔碰過的手指哦!