Awesome Ants

Awesome Ants, written by Russ Bulyak. Focus question. What makes ants awesome?

了不起的蚂蚁，拉斯·布里亚克 著 探究问题 蚂蚁哪里了不起呀？

a little history. You've seen them marching through grass and across sidewalks. You may have even seen them crawling over your kitchen counter or inviting themselves to your picnic. They come in colors such as red, yellow, brown, and black. We're talking about

小小简史 你一定见过蚂蚁排着队爬过草地、走过人行道 你说不定还见过它们爬上厨房台面，不请自来蹭你的野餐呢 它们有各种颜色：红的、黄的、棕的、黑的 我们今天要说的就是——

Ants are about 100 million years old. They were crawling around under the dinosaurs, early mammals, and ancient birds. Between then and now, they've changed a lot. Ants used to look more like wasps with shorter jaws. Today, more than 10 ,000 species of ants live in deserts, rainforests, swamps, and cities on every continent except Antarctica. They have been able to survive so long because of their bodies and how they live. Through the years, they have been able to adapt to changes in their environments.

蚂蚁已经有大约一亿年的历史啦 早在恐龙、早期哺乳动物和古代鸟类生活的年代，它们就已经四处爬行了 从那时到现在，它们发生了很大的变化 远古的蚂蚁长得更像黄蜂，颚部更短 如今除了南极洲，全世界各个大陆的沙漠、雨林、沼泽和城市里，生活着一万多种蚂蚁 蚂蚁能存活这么久，靠的是特殊的身体构造和生活方式 这么多年来，它们一直能适应环境的变化

Body parts. Like all insects, ants have six legs and three body parts. The back part of their body is the abdomen. This part holds the heart and stomachs. Some ants have stingers and poison sacs that they use to protect themselves from predators. There are three pairs of legs attached to the middle part called the thorax. Each leg has three joints and little hooks that allow ants to climb almost anything. Ants don't have ears, but they can hear by feeling vibrations through their legs and feet.

身体结构 和所有昆虫一样，蚂蚁有六条腿，身体分成三个部分 身体靠后的部分是腹部 这里容纳着心脏和胃 有些蚂蚁长有蛰针和毒囊，用来抵御天敌、保护自己 三对腿都长在中间的胸部 每条腿有三个关节，还有小钩子，能让蚂蚁爬上几乎任何东西 蚂蚁没有耳朵，但它们能通过腿脚感知震动，以此“听见”声音

The head contains the brain, two eyes, antennae, and jaws. The jaws open and close like scissors. They are used for cutting and carrying things and also for digging and hunting. They are an ant's most important tool. Ants can lift more than 20 times their own weight. Ants also have other mouthparts for chewing food and drinking.

头部有大脑、两只眼睛、触角和颚 颚像剪刀一样开合 它们可以用来切割、搬运东西，还能挖洞、捕猎 颚是蚂蚁最重要的工具 蚂蚁能举起超过自身体重20倍的东西 蚂蚁还有其他口器，用来咀嚼食物、喝水

The two eyes, called compound eyes, are each made up of many smaller eyes. Even though ants have so many eyes, their eyesight is not very good. Instead, they use their antennae to get around. The antennae are like all -in -one sense machines. Ants use them to taste, smell, hear, and communicate with other ants through touch. The long, thin antennae bend in the middle like a human's elbow and are always moving around. Ants don't have lungs. Instead, they breathe through small holes all over their bodies.

蚂蚁的两只眼睛叫做复眼，每只复眼都由很多更小的小眼组成 虽然蚂蚁有这么多眼睛，视力却不太好 它们靠触角来探路活动 触角就像万能的感知机器 蚂蚁用它来尝味、闻气味、感知声音，还能通过触碰和其他蚂蚁交流 细细长长的触角中间会弯曲，就像人的手肘一样，而且一直不停活动 蚂蚁没有肺 它们靠全身的小孔来呼吸