# 第三册 Lesson 54 Instinct or cleverness? 是本能还是机智？

## 一、课文原文

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 against our lighted windows. We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones 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 that the leaves of the tree were beginning to wither. Clusters of tiny 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 it 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 sticky 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!

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| contaminate | /kənˈtæmɪneɪt/ | v. | 污染 | contaminate our food 污染食物 |
| devour | /dɪˈvaʊə/ | v. | 吞食 | devour our crops 吞食庄稼 |
| provocation | /ˌprɒvəˈkeɪʃən/ | n. | 挑衅 | without provocation 无故地 |
| revulsion | /rɪˈvʌlʃən/ | n. | 厌恶 | filled with revulsion 充满厌恶 |
| horde | /hɔːd/ | n. | 一大群 | hordes of ants 一大群蚂蚁 |
| uncanny | /ʌnˈkæni/ | adj. | 神秘的，不可思议的 | uncanny sense of direction 不可思议的方向感 |
| erase | /ɪˈreɪz/ | v. | 消除 | impossible to erase 无法消除 |
| praying mantis | /ˈpreɪɪŋ ˈmæntɪs/ | n. | 螳螂 | — |
| entranced | /ɪnˈtrɑːnst/ | adj. | 入迷的 | entranced as they go about... 看得入迷 |
| pounce | /paʊns/ | v. | 猛扑 | pouncing on a fly 扑向苍蝇 |
| aphid | /ˈeɪfɪd/ | n. | 蚜虫 | clusters of tiny insects called aphids |
| luscious | /ˈlʌʃəs/ | adj. | 甘美的 | luscious peaches 甘美的桃子 |
| scurry | /ˈskʌri/ | v. | 急忙移动 | scurrying around 急急忙忙地跑来跑去 |
| ingenuity | /ˌɪndʒɪˈnjuːəti/ | n. | 足智多谋，独创性 | defeated by their ingenuity 被它们的智慧打败 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. 动名词作主语

> **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...

动名词（短语）作主语，谓语用第三人称单数。

### 2. no matter how 让步状语从句

> **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.

= However much we like honey...

### 3. so...that... 结果状语从句

> The tape was **so** sticky **that** they did not dare to cross it.

### 4. 现在分词作伴随状语

> I watched them **scurrying** around the base of the tree in bewilderment.

watch sb. doing sth. 看到某人正在做某事。

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. wage war on 对……开战
> We continually **wage war on** insects.

### 2. in dread of 害怕
> We live **in dread** not only of unpleasant insects...

= in fear of; terrified of

### 3. stand in awe 敬畏
> Who has not **stood in awe** at the sight of a spider pouncing on a fly?

### 4. 长难句分析
> 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.

主语：Knowing that...整个动名词短语；谓语：does nothing to prevent；when引导时间状语从句；prevent sb. from doing阻止某人做某事。

## 五、课文翻译

我们从小就被教育要害怕昆虫。我们把它们视为弊大于利的多余生物。我们不断地向它们开战，因为它们污染我们的食物、传播疾病、吞食我们的庄稼。它们无故地蜇人咬人；它们在夏夜不请自来地飞进我们的房间，或者撞击我们亮着灯的窗户。我们不仅害怕蜘蛛或黄蜂等令人不快的昆虫，还害怕飞蛾等完全无害的昆虫。阅读关于昆虫的书籍增加了我们的了解，却不能消除我们的恐惧。知道勤劳的蚂蚁生活在高度组织化的社会中，并不能阻止我们在发现一大群蚂蚁爬过精心准备的野餐午餐时充满厌恶。无论我们多么喜欢蜂蜜，无论我们读了多少关于蜜蜂具有不可思议的方向感的东西，我们都害怕被蜇。我们的大多数恐惧是不合理的，但又是无法消除的。然而与此同时，昆虫又有一种奇怪的吸引力。我们喜欢阅读关于它们的内容，尤其是当我们发现像螳螂这样的昆虫过着完全可怕的生活时。我们喜欢盯着它们看，看着它们忙自己的事情时入了迷，（希望它们）没有注意到我们的存在。谁不曾敬畏地看着蜘蛛猛扑苍蝇，或一队蚂蚁凯旋般地扛着一只巨大的死甲虫回家？

去年夏天，我在花园里花了几天时间观察数千只蚂蚁爬上我珍贵的桃树树干。这棵树种在房子避风一面温暖的墙边。我特别引以为豪，不仅因为它经受住了几个严冬，还因为它偶尔会结出甘美的桃子。夏天，我注意到树叶开始枯萎。在叶子背面发现了成群的叫做蚜虫的小昆虫。一大群蚂蚁来拜访它们，从它们身上获取一种蜜。我立即开始了一项实验，虽然没能赶走蚂蚁，却让我着迷了二十四小时。我在树干底部缠上了胶带，使蚂蚁无法到达蚜虫那里。胶带太黏了，它们不敢穿过。很长时间里，我看着它们在树干底部困惑地急急忙忙跑来跑去。我甚至在午夜拿着手电筒出去，满意地（也惊讶地）注意到蚂蚁仍然在胶带周围大量聚集，却束手无策。第二天一早我起来，希望发现蚂蚁已经绝望地放弃了。相反，我看到它们发现了一条新路线。它们爬上房子的墙壁，然后再爬到树叶上。我悲哀地意识到我已经被它们的智慧彻底打败了。蚂蚁很快就找到了对付我那完全不科学的方法的答案！

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
1. **矛盾心理**：恐惧vs着迷，贯穿全文
2. **拟人化**：用"triumphantly""ingenuity"等词赋予昆虫智慧
3. **实验叙事**：以亲身实验展示蚂蚁的智慧

### 文化背景
- 蚂蚁和蚜虫的共生关系是生物学中的经典案例
- 蚂蚁"放牧"蚜虫，从它们身上获取蜜露（honeydew）
- 英国花园文化中，果树和昆虫的关系是常见话题

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **动名词作主语**：Reading/Knowing... increases/does nothing
2. **让步状语**：no matter how + adj./adv.
3. **词汇搭配**：wage war on, in dread of, stand in awe
4. **写作练习**：描述一种动物的行为，讨论是本能还是智慧

## 八、本课小结

本课通过观察蚂蚁绕过障碍物的实验，探讨了昆虫行为是本能还是智慧的问题。语法重点是动名词作主语、no matter how让步从句和so...that结果状语。词汇方面掌握contaminate、revulsion、uncanny、ingenuity等核心词。写作上学习矛盾心理描写和实验叙事。