54 Instinct or cleverness?

We have been brought up to fear insects.

我们自幼就在对昆虫的惧怕中长大。

We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good.

我们把昆虫当作害多益少的无用东西。

We continually wage war on them, for they contaminate our food, carry diseases, or devour our crops.

人类不断地同昆虫斗争,因为昆虫弄脏我们的食物,传播疾病，吞噬庄稼。

They sting or bite without provocation; they fly uninvited into our rooms on summer nights, or beat against our lighted windows.

它们无缘无故地又叮又咬;夏天的晚上,它们未经邀请便飞到我们房间里,或者对着露出亮光的窗户乱扑乱撞。

We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones like moths.

我们在日常生活中,不但憎恶如蜘蛛、黄蜂之类令人讨厌的昆虫，而且憎恶并无大害的飞蛾等。

Reading about them increases our understanding without dispelling our fears.

阅读有关昆虫的书能增加我们对它们的了解,却不能消除我们的恐惧心理。