2023.9.18 时文阅读 蜘蛛或将成为飞蛾虫害的新救星？.docxVIP

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/17/how-spiders-could-save-world-crop-eating-pests-according-scientists/ 难度：5星 主题语境：人与自然-自然与环境-灾害防治 天学网|时文阅读：蜘蛛或将成为飞蛾虫害的新救星？ 遍及南美及欧洲多地的飞蛾是威胁当地作物生长的最大虫害之一。它们分布广泛，危害严重，有时甚至可导致作物绝收。更糟糕的是，传统的农药灭除法对其收效甚微，这给各地农民和专家带来了不小的难题。不过最近，有研究提出了一种新的解决方法——蜘蛛防治法。那么蜘蛛如何起到灭蛾的作用，它的优势和缺点是什么？未来又是否会成为飞蛾虫害的新救星呢？让我们一起来看看吧。 阅读短文并回答问题 The tomato leafminer moth（飞蛾）originates from Peru and is common throughout South America. However, it has spread through Europe since 2007 and has become one of the largest pests in Mediterranean regions, threatening food supplies. Experts around the world are currently struggling with new ways to battle the moth, but it has developed resistance to pesticides（杀虫剂）, leaving farmers helpless to stop the damage. A new study from the University of Portsmouth has shown that the answer may lie in the tropical tent web spider. Scientists carried out laboratory tests and found that the spiders banded together to form webs that easily caught the flying insects, which they then ate. Dr Lena Grinsted, the lead author of the study, said, “The tropical tent web spiders operate in large groups and can create giant joined-up webs capable of catching insects in the air. This could potentially lead to a reduction of reliance on chemical pesticides, resulting in less pollution in soils, waterways and food chains in the future.” Crop damage is also caused by the larvae（幼虫）, which directly attack the tomato fruit, making the crop ugly and thus unmarketable. Larvae live inside the leaf until they begin the process of turning into a moth, making them difficult to control. However, scientists expect that targeting the adult moth population will reduce the number of eggs being laid. In addition, the spiders build the biggest webs during the summer, which can benefit the tomato planting and growing season in May and June. The researchers said the study would “open doors for the use of group-living spiders to control agricultural pests” but warned t