Instinct or cleverness?

原文

We have been brought up to fear insects. We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good. We continually wage war on them, for they contaminate our food, carry diseases, or devour our crops. They sting or bite without provocation; they fly uninvited into our rooms on summer nights, or beat ageist our lighted windows. We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless one like moths. Reading about them increases our understanding without dispelling our fears. Knowing that the industrious ant lives in a highly organized society does nothing to prevent us from being filled with revulsion when we find hordes of them crawling over a carefully prepared picnic lunch. No matter how much we like honey, or how much we have read about the uncanny sense of direction which bees possess, we have a horror of being stung. Most of our fears are unreasonable, but they are impossible to erase. At the same time, however, insects are strangely fascinating. We enjoy reading about them, especially when we find that, like the praying mantis, they lead perfectly horrible lives. We enjoy staring at them, entranced as they go about their business, unaware (we hope) of our presence. Who has not stood in awe at the sight of a spider pouncing on a fly, or a column of ants triumphantly bearing home an enormous dead beetle?

Last summer I spent days in the garden watching thousands of ants crawling up the trunk of my prize peach tree. The tree has grown against a warm wall on a sheltered side of the house. I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces luscious peaches. During the summer, I noticed tat the leaves of the tree were beginning to wither. Clusters of tin insects called aphids were to be found on the underside of the leaves. 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 if failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for twenty-four 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 stick 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!

译文

我们从小就被教育要害怕昆虫。我们把它们视为多害无益的生物。我们不断与它们作战，因为它们污染我们的食物、传播疾病，或吞噬我们的庄稼。它们无缘无故地蜇咬我们；它们在夏夜不请自来地飞进我们的房间，或撞击我们点亮的窗户。我们不仅对像蜘蛛或黄蜂这样的讨厌昆虫心存恐惧，而且对完全无害的飞蛾也同样畏惧。阅读有关它们的资料虽能增进我们的了解，却无法消除我们的恐惧。即使知道勤劳的蚂蚁生活在高度组织化的社会中，也无法阻止我们一看到成群的蚂蚁爬过精心准备的野餐午餐时，便充满厌恶之情。不管我们多么喜欢蜂蜜，或读过多少关于蜜蜂那奇妙的方位感，我们对被蜇的恐惧依然挥之不去。我们的大部分恐惧是毫无道理的，但却无法根除。然而，与此同时，昆虫却又奇妙地令人着迷。我们乐于阅读关于它们的事迹，尤其是当我们发现像螳螂这样的昆虫过着极其恐怖的生活时。我们喜欢凝视着它们，一动不动地观看它们忙于自己的事务，希望（我们想）它们没有察觉我们的存在。谁没有在目睹蜘蛛猛扑飞虫，或成队的蚂蚁得意洋洋地抬回一只巨大的死甲虫时，感到敬畏呢？

去年夏天，我在花园里花了数天时间，观察成千上万的蚂蚁爬上我那棵珍贵的桃树树干。这棵树靠着一面温暖的墙生长，在房屋的背风一侧。我特别为它感到自豪，不仅仅因为它经受住了几次严酷的冬天，而且因为它偶尔会结出美味的桃子。夏天里，我注意到树叶开始枯萎。在叶子的下面，发现了成群的微小昆虫，称为蚜虫。它们受到一大群蚂蚁的造访，这些蚂蚁从蚜虫身上获取一种类似蜂蜜的物质。我立即开始了一个实验，尽管它未能赶走蚂蚁，却让我着迷了整整二十四小时。我用粘性胶带缠绕树干底部，使蚂蚁无法到达蚜虫。胶带如此粘稠，以至于它们不敢越过它。有一段时间，我看着它们在树干底部困惑地乱窜。我甚至在午夜拿着手电筒出门，并满意（且惊讶地）注意到，蚂蚁仍在胶带周围蜂拥，却无能为力。次日清晨，我早早起身，希望发现蚂蚁已绝望地放弃。相反，我看到它们找到了一条新路径。它们爬上房屋的墙壁，然后再爬到树叶上。我悲伤地意识到，自己完全被它们的机智所击败。蚂蚁很快就找到了应对我那完全不科学的办法的答案！

词汇表

insects

名词

英:/ˈɪn.sekts/

美:/ˈɪn.sekts/

定义

1. 昆虫 - Small creatures with six legs, such as ants, bees, or flies, often considered pests.

例子: Insects like bees play a vital role in pollination.

例子: Many insects can be harmful, as they contaminate food supplies.

2. 小虫子 - Any small, often annoying creatures in a broader sense.

例子: The garden was full of insects after the rain.

例子: Scientists study insects to understand ecosystems.

近义词

bugs: 更口语化，常用于指害虫或引起不适的昆虫，而 'insects' 更中性且科学。

arthropods: 更精确，指节肢动物类群，包括昆虫但范围更广，适用于科学语境。

creepy-crawlies: 非正式且情感化，常用于儿童或非正式描述，强调令人毛骨悚然的方面。

反义词:

mammals, birds, reptiles

用法

常用于生物学、日常对话或描述害虫，常搭配如 'flying insects' 或 'beneficial insects'，在文化中常与恐惧或害处相关。

形式:

复数: insects, 单数: insect, 形容词形式: insectile

深入解析：关键句型 "not only... but also..."

定义

这个句型是一种强调并列结构，用于突出两个或多个相关事物的对比或并列，结构为：not only + [第一部分] + but also + [第二部分]。例如，在权威教材如《新概念英语》或《剑桥英语语法》中，它被定义为一种修饰语，用于连接两个平行元素，强调第二部分的重要性。核心含义是表示“不仅……而且……”，帮助句子表达更平衡和强调的对比关系。

用法

此句型常用于描述原因、特征或结果的并列场景中，例如在叙述个人经历或解释观点时。规则包括：not only 和 but also 必须连接语法上平行的元素，如名词与名词、从句与从句，或短语与短语。同时，在语法体系中，它属于连接词的范畴，链接到并列句和强调句型，帮助学生从简单句过渡到复杂句。跨语法点联系：它与状语从句（如 because 从句）结合使用，例如文章中的 "not only because... but because..."，还可以与形容词或动词并列，形成更丰富的句子结构，如 "not only survived but produced"。这种句型在正式写作和口语中都很常见，能增强表达的逻辑性和说服力。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：不保持平行结构，例如说 "not only because it survived but it produces peaches"，导致句子不平衡；或遗漏 also，使句意不完整，变成简单的 "not only... but..."，这会削弱强调效果。另一个常见偏误是将它用于非并列元素，如连接名词和动词，而不一致。纠正建议：练习时，确保两部分语法一致，并大声朗读以检查流畅性。另外，避免在非正式场合过度使用，以免显得生硬；如果句子过长，考虑分句以提高可读性。

练习

一个额外的例子：在文章灵感下，你可以说："I enjoy watching ants, not only because they are industrious but also because they show great ingenuity." 这个例子帮助学生应用句型于日常描述中。通过替换内容，如用 "not only in summer but also in winter"，学生可以练习灵活使用，增强实际表达能力。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型源于英语的修辞手法，类似于拉丁语的对比结构，在现代英语中用于增强文章的节奏感。对比分析：与 "either... or..." 不同，"not only... but also..." 更强调积极的添加，而非选择。同时，它能与其他强调结构如 "not only that, but" 结合，丰富表达。补充信息：掌握此句型后，学生能更好地处理复杂叙述，提升写作水平，尤其在描述个人故事时，如文章中的实验经历。

深入解析：关键句型 "No matter how..."

定义

这个句型是一种让步状语从句结构，用于表达尽管某种情况如何，结果仍然不变，结构为：No matter how + [形容词/副词] + [从句] + 主句。例如，在权威教材如《新概念英语》或《牛津英语语法》中，它被定义为一个引导让步从句的短语，强调条件下的必然性，核心含义是“无论如何……都……”。它常用于表示不可避免的结果或情感。

用法

此句型主要用于讨论情感、习惯或不可改变的事实场景中，如文章中的 "No matter how much we like honey... we have a horror of being stung"。规则是：No matter how 后跟疑问词 how 加上形容词或副词（如 how much、how little），然后是主句。语法体系中，它属于状语从句的一部分，链接到让步从句（如 although），帮助学生理解条件与结果的逻辑关系。跨语法点联系：它与比较级（如 how much）结合使用，还能与主从复合句相关联，例如与时间从句或原因从句并用，形成更复杂的句子，如 "No matter how fascinating insects are, we still fear them"。这种句型在议论文或叙述中很实用，能突出矛盾或坚持。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：误用为条件句，例如将 "No matter how" 替换为 "If"，导致句意从让步变为假设；或忽略从句的完整性，如省略主语和谓语。另一个偏误是搭配不当的形容词，例如说 "No matter how big the ant" 而非 "No matter how big the ant is"。纠正建议：通过分析文章中的例子，学生应练习完整从句结构，并注意语调的强调部分。另外，避免在口语中重复使用，以免显得啰嗦；如果句子复杂，建议先用简单句练习过渡。

练习

一个额外的例子：基于文章，你可以说："No matter how organized the ants are, I still find them disturbing." 这个例子让学生应用句型于个人观点表达中。通过修改，如 "No matter how ingenious they are"，学生可以练习替换形容词和上下文，逐步掌握在对话中的运用。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型起源于英语的让步表达，常见于文学和日常对话中，帮助缓解冲突。对比分析：与 "Even if..." 类似，但 "No matter how..." 更强调程度，而非可能性。同时，它能扩展到其他形式如 "No matter what..."，丰富表达方式。补充信息：学习此句型能提升学生的批判性思维，尤其在讨论恐惧和 fascination 的主题时，如文章所述。