老托听力30篇.doc

老托福Part C 听写30篇文稿 ________________________________________ 1. This morning I want to tell you about a recent scientific discovery dealing with the relationship between plants and animals. This is about a desert shrub whose leaves can shoot a stream of poisonous resin a distance of six feet. You think it would be safe from all attacks by insects? But a recent study has found one insect, a beetle that can chew its way past the plants defense system by cutting the main vein that delivers the poison to the leaves. This vein cutting is just one method the beetles used to prepare a safe meal. Another is by cutting a path all the way across the leaves to hold the flow of chemicals. Then they simply eat between the veins of poison. In the past, scientists who studied insect adaptation to plant defenses have focused on chemical responses, that is, how the insects can neutralize or alter the poisonous substances plants produce. Whats unique about this chewing strategy is that the beetle is actually exhibiting a behavioral response to the plants defenses rather than the more common chemical response. It is only after a beetles survived several encounters with the plants resin that it learns how to avoid the poison: by chewing through the resin transporting veins on the next leaf it eats, and thus gives itself a safe meal. However, it can take a beetle an hour and a half of careful vein cutting to prepare a small leaf that takes it only a few minutes to eat. So, though the method is effective, its not very efficient.? 生词摘录： shrub: n. 灌木 resin: n. 树脂 beetle: n. 甲壳虫 vein: n. 静脉 neutralize: v. 中和 alter: v. 改变 ________________________________________ 2. Human populations near the equator have evolved dark skin over many generations because of exposure to the fiercest rays of the sun. A similar phenomenon has also occurred in other parts of the animal kingdom. The African grass mouse is a good example. Most mice are nocturnal, but the African grass mouse is active during daylight h