Honey Bee Pollination (蜜蜂授粉)

Honeybees play an interesting and important role in nature ['netʃɚ].

In addition to making honey, honeybees help many plants reproduce.

They do this by pollinating the plant, which means to transfer pollen ['pɑlən].

Pollination occurs when pollen is moved within a plant's flower or carried to another flower.

This is how the plants reproduce.

For reproduction to succeed, the pollen must be transferred from the male part of a flower to the female part.

译文：蜜蜂在自然界中扮演着有趣而重要的角色。除了制作蜂蜜外，蜜蜂还可以帮助许多植物繁殖。他们通过给植物授粉来达到这一目的，这意味着传播花粉。当花粉在植物的花内传送或携带到另一朵花时，授粉就发生了。 这就是植物繁殖的方式。 为了成功繁殖，必须将花粉从花的雄性部分转移到雌性部分。

Exercise:

1. Put the sentences below in order:

(1) Pollination occurs when pollen is moved within a plant's flower or carried to another flower.

(2) In addition to making honey, honeybees help many plants reproduce.

(3) They do this by pollinating the plant, which means to transfer pollen.

(4) Honeybees play an interesting and important role in nature.

Correct Order: (4) (2) (3) (1)

2. Honeybees play an interesting and important role in nature.

Many plants depend on pollination for reproduction.

These include many fruits and vegetables.

Besides honeybees, there are many other pollinators, including birds, insects, and other kinds of bees.

Without enough pollinators, many of our favorite fruits and vegetables would become more expensive and hard to find.

These include almonds [ˈɑːmənz] and cherries.

译文： 许多植物包，括许多水果和蔬菜，依靠授粉进行繁殖。除蜜蜂外，还有许多其他传粉媒介，包括鸟类，昆虫和其他种类的蜜蜂。如果没有足够的传粉媒介，许多我们喜欢的水果和蔬菜，包括杏仁和樱桃，将变得更加昂贵且难找。

Exercise:

1.— What do many plants depend on for reproduction?

  — Many plants depend on pollination for reproduction.

2.— Besides honeybees, what are some other pollinators?

  — birds and insects

Honeybees are important pollinators and play an important role in agriculture.

Beekeepers are people who keep honeybees.

In addition to collecting honey, some beekeepers provide pollination services to farmers.

They do this by raising and managing colonies of bees.

Farmers need the colonies to pollinate their crops.

Beekeepers can provide and manage bee colonies for farmers.

译文：蜜蜂是重要的传粉媒介，在农业中发挥着重要作用。养蜂人是饲养蜜蜂的人。除收集蜂蜜外，一些养蜂人还为农民提供授粉服务。他们通过饲养和管理蜂群来做到这一点。农民需要蜂群为他们的作物授粉。养蜂人可以为农民提供和管理蜂群。

Exercise:

1.— What service do some beekeepers provide to farmers?

  — In addition to collecting honey, some beekeepers provide pollination services to farmers.

2. Farmers need the colonies to pollinate their crops.

Repeat & Read Sentences:

1. Honeybees play an interesting and important role in nature.

2. Beekeepers are people who keep honeybees.

3. Many plants depend on pollination for reproduction.

4. Honeybees are important pollinators and play an important role in agriculture.

5. Without enough pollinators, many of our favorite fruits and vegetables would become more expensive and hard to find.

Colony Collapse (蜂群衰竭)

Honey bees are social insects that live in colonies.

A bee colony consists of a queen bee, male drones [dronz] and thousands of female worker bees.

Each colony also contains eggs and immature [,ɪmə'tʃʊr] bees in various stages of development.

The number of bees within a colony depends on seasonal changes.

A colony's population increases during the warm seasons and decreases during colder seasons.

译文：蜜蜂是生活在群体里的群居昆虫。蜂群由蜂王，雄蜂和许多雌工蜂组成。 每个蜂群中还含有处于不同发育阶段的卵和未成熟的蜜蜂。 蜂群内的蜜蜂数量取决于季节变化。蜂群数量在温暖的季节增加，在寒冷的季节减少。

Exercise:

1. — What does the population of a colony depend on?

  — seasonal changes

2. Honey bees are social insects that live in colonies.

In recent years, many bee colonies have collapsed or disappeared.

A bee colony collapse occurs when a majority of the bees in a colony disappear and leave behind the queen.

Some beekeepers have reported losing 30 to 90 percent of their colonies.

This loss of bee colonies can cause significant problems for farmers who depend on them to pollinate their crops.

In some parts of the world, a shortage of bees has increased the cost of renting bees by up to 20%.

译文：近年来，许多蜂群已经衰竭或消失。当蜂群中的大多数蜜蜂消失并离开蜂王时，蜂群就会衰竭。一些养蜂人报告说，他们失去了30%到90%的蜂群。蜂群的丧失会给依靠蜂群给庄稼授粉的农民带来严重的问题。在世界上的一些地方，蜜蜂的短缺使得租用蜜蜂的成本增加了20%。

Exercise:

1. A bee colony collapse occurs when a majority of the bees in a colony disappear.

2. Some beekeepers have reported losing 30 to 90 percent of their colonies.

There are several possible causes for bee colony collapse.

One possible cause is the use of new pesticides.

Other possible causes include infections from viruses, genetic factors, and malnutrition ['mælnʊ'trɪʃən].

Changing weather patterns may also play a role as summers get hotter and winters get colder.

These changes in weather may weaken the bees, making it more difficult for them to fight infections.

译文：蜂群衰竭有几个可能的原因。一个可能的原因是使用了新的杀虫剂。其他可能的原因包括病毒感染、遗传因素和营养不良。随着夏季变热、冬季变冷，气候模式的变化也可能起到一定作用。这些天气变化可能会削弱蜜蜂的力量，使它们更难抵御感染。

Exercise:

1. Put the sentences below in order:

(1) Changing weather patterns may also play a role as summers get hotter and winters get colder.

(2) There are several possible causes for bee colony collapse.

(3) These changes in weather may weaken the bees, making it more difficult for them to fight infections.

(4) One possible cause is the use of new pesticides.

Correct Order: (2) (4) (1) (3)

2. Changing weather patterns may also play a role as summers get hotter and winters get colder.

Whatever the cause of colony collapse, it's important to understand that many parts of our world are interdependent.

Changes that affect one species may have serious effects on other species.

A change to our environment can start a chain of events that is difficult to predict.

In any complex system such as the Earth's environment, small changes can have unforeseen consequences.

The danger of unforeseen consequences is something we all need to understand better.

译文：不管蜂群衰竭的原因是什么，重要的是要明白世界的许多地方是相互依存的。影响一个物种的变化可能会对其他物种产生严重影响。环境的变化会引发一系列难以预测的事件。在任何复杂的系统中，比如地球环境，微小的变化都可能带来无法预料的后果。我们需要更好地理解意外后果的危险。

Exercise:

1. An unforeseen consequence occurs when an action produces a result that isn't expected.

2. Changes that affect one species may have serious effects on other species.

Repeat & Read Sentences:

1. The Earth's environment is an extremely complex system.

2. One possible cause is the use of new pesticides.

3. Some beekeepers have reported losing 30 to 90 percent of their colonies.

4. A colony's population increases during the warm seasons and decreases during colder seasons.

5. Whatever the cause of colony collapse, it's important to understand that many parts of our world are interdependent.