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家里进了蜜蜂怎么办(Honeybees invaded my house, and no one would help.)
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我注意到第一只蜜蜂是在一天下午，当时我的狗正在家里欢快地跑来跑去追逐它。
双语精读
I noticed the first bee one afternoon as my dog gleefully chased it around the house. When the pest settled on a window by the stairwell, I swatted it with a cookbook and cleaned up the mess.
我注意到第一只蜜蜂是在一天下午，当时我的狗正在家里欢快地跑来跑去追逐它。当它落在楼梯间旁边的一扇窗户上时，我用一本食谱书拍死了它，然后把死掉的蜜蜂清理干净。
Five minutes later, another bee buzzed at the same window. Then a third in my kids' room. When I heard a loud droning coming from inside a wall next to my son's bed, the ominous situation finally hit me: The house was infested.
五分钟后，另一只蜜蜂在同一扇窗户上嗡嗡作响。然后在我孩子的房间里发现了第三只蜜蜂。当我听到儿子床边的一堵墙里传来巨大的嗡嗡声时，我终于意识到大难来临：家里被蜜蜂入侵了。
This was early April, the start of "swarm season," when honeybee colonies search for places to build new hives. A small gap in the roof gave them access to our attic and put us on the honeybee real estate market.
当时是4月初，"蜂群季节"刚刚开始，成群的蜜蜂在寻找建造新蜂巢的地方。屋顶上的一个小缝隙让蜜蜂进入了阁楼，然后让我家进入了蜜蜂的房地产市场。
Over the past two decades, fears of a collapsing honeybee population have inspired elegiac journalism and 30 state laws aiming to protect pollinators. Three states have given special tax breaks to beekeepers, and others have devoted millions to studying the disappearing colonies.
在过去20年里，对蜜蜂数量锐减的担忧引发了许多哀悼蜜蜂的新闻报道，也让30个州出台了旨在保护传粉昆虫的法律。有三个州为养蜂人提供了特殊税收优惠，还有一些州投入了数百万美元来研究正在消失的蜂群。
In Washington, where I live, the DC Beekeepers Alliance notes that it is "illegal for pest control contractors to spray honeybees." As evening approached and a gray cloud of bees grew steadily outside our roof's crack, we headed to a hotel, kids and energetic dog in tow.
在我居住的华盛顿，"华盛顿养蜂人联盟"指出："虫害防治承包商向蜜蜂喷杀虫剂是非法的。"随着夜幕降临，一大群蜜蜂形成一团灰云，在房顶缝隙的外面逐渐越变越多，于是我们只好带着孩子和精力充沛的狗前往一家酒店。
Honey bees are one of the two species, the other is humans, that can communicate directions to a new place without directly leading others there. And they engage in an elaborate, democratic process to choose new homes.
所有物种中，只有蜜蜂和人类可以不需要直接带领同伴前往一个新地方，就能把去那里的路线告诉给同伴。而且蜜蜂选择新家时还要参与一个复杂、民主的程序。
They prefer to build hives in tight spaces about the size of a large backpack, often within crawl spaces, walls and attics. Once established in a comfy spot, they can stay there indefinitely, building hives and producing honey.
蜜蜂更喜欢在狭小空间里（差不多大背包的大小）建造蜂巢，通常是在人们只能爬行的空间、墙壁和阁楼内。一旦在一个舒适的地方定居下来，它们就可能无限期地住下来，在那里建造蜂巢并酿蜜。
Ben Hottel, an entomologist and spokesman for Orkin, a pest control company, later told me: "When we identify a honeybee issue, we try to have a local beekeeper assist."
虫害控制公司奥金的发言人、昆虫学家本·霍特尔后来告诉我："当我们发现蜜蜂问题时，我们会尝试寻求当地养蜂人的协助。"
So we tried the swarm squad, a volunteer group of beekeepers who will collect wayward colonies. Unfortunately, the squad generally only deals with outdoor hives.
于是我们尝试联系了蜂群小组，这是一个由养蜂人组成的志愿者团队，他们会去收走难控制的蜂群。不巧的是，小组通常只处理户外蜂巢问题。
A representative recommended a dozen other beekeepers with indoor expertise. Every one of them told me the same thing: Our problem was too small. When a colony is looking for a new home, it sends out a few hundred "scouts" to find options, each visiting 10 to 20 possible locations.
一名代表推荐了其他十几名有室内专业知识的养蜂人。这些养蜂人都告诉我一件事：我们的问题太小了。当一个蜂群在寻找新家时，会派出数百只"侦察蜂"去物色可供选择的地点，每只蜂会去10到20个可能的地点。
When a scout likes a place, it returns to the hive and performs a "waggle" dance that tells its brethren exactly how far and in what direction they need to travel to find the potential home.
当侦查蜂喜欢一个地方时，它会回到蜂巢，并表演一种"摇摆"舞，告诉同伴他们需要飞多远、朝着什么方向去这个可能的新家。
The more vigorous the dance, the more a scout likes the location. Eventually, the thousands of hive dwellers vote on which place they like best. Apparently, scouts were sizing up our home.
舞蹈越活跃，侦查蜂就越喜欢这个地方。最终，成千上万的蜂巢居民会投票选出他们最喜欢的地方。显然，侦查蜂在评估我们的房子。
To us, they were plenty alarming on their own. But the beekeepers reassured us that they were unlikely to sting; they didn't have a hive or queen to defend. Call us back, they said, when you see a few thousand bees.
对我们来说，这些侦查蜂本身就足够令人担忧了。但养蜂人让我们放心，这些蜜蜂不太可能蜇人，因为这里没有蜂箱或蜂王让它们保护。他们说，等你看到几千只蜜蜂的时候，再给我们打电话。
词汇预习
species [高考]
美[ˈspiːʃiːz] | 英[ˈspiːʃiːz]
n. 种类；（单复同）物种
issue [高考]
美[ˈɪʃuː] | 英[ˈɪʃuː]
n. 问题，议题，争论点；（报纸、杂志等的）期刊号；发放，分配；（新股票或邮票等的）发行；子女，后嗣；流出，发出 v. 发表，颁布；分发，分配；正式发行；流出，发出；由……产生，由…得出
identify [高考]
美[aɪˈdentɪfaɪ] | 英[aɪˈdentɪfaɪ]
v. 鉴定；识别；确认；发现；找到
engage [高考]
美[ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ] | 英[ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ]
v. 答应，预定，使忙碌，雇佣，订婚，啮合；吸引住（注意力、兴趣）
unlikely [高考]
美[ʌnˈlaɪkli] | 英[ʌnˈlaɪkli]
adj. 不太可能的
colony [高考]
美[ˈkɑːləni] | 英[ˈkɒləni]
n. 殖民地；侨居地；侨民；聚居(地)；群体；菌落
steadily [高考]
美[ˈstɛdəlɪ] | 英['stedɪlɪ]
adv. 稳定地；稳固地；逐步地
sting [高考]
美[stɪŋ] | 英[stɪŋ]
vt. 刺痛；使苦恼；欺诈 vi. 叮；刺痛 n. 刺；刺痛；讽刺
swarm [高考]
美[swɔːrm] | 英[swɔːm]
n. 群；蜂群 v. 云集；充满
ominous [高考]
美[ˈɑːmɪnəs] | 英[ˈɒmɪnəs]
adj. 不祥的；预兆的
estate [高考]
美[ɪˈsteɪt] | 英[ɪˈsteɪt]
n. 财产；遗产；房地产；状态；庄园
crawl [高考]
美[krɔːl] | 英[krɔːl]
v. 爬行；卑躬屈膝；自由式游泳 n. 爬行；匍匐而行；[体]自由式游泳
within [高考]
美[wɪˈðɪn] | 英[wɪˈðɪn]
prep. 在(某段时间、距离或范围)内；在…里面 adv. 在…里面 n. 内部
potential [高考]
美[pəˈtenʃl] | 英[pəˈtenʃl]
adj. 潜在的；可能的 n. 潜力；潜能 n. 电位；电势
access [高考]
美[ˈækses] | 英[ˈækses]
n.入口，通道；获得的机会，使用权；（对计算机存储器的）访问，存取；（情感）爆发，发作；探视权 v. 接近，进入；获取，访问（计算机信息） adj.[美]（电视节目或时间等）对外公开的
tight [高考]
美[taɪt] | 英[taɪt]
adj. 紧的；紧身的；密集的；拮据的 adv. 紧紧地；牢固地；迅速地
roof [高考]
美[ruːf] | 英[ruːf]
n. 屋顶；顶 vt. 覆盖；给 ... 覆以屋顶
illegal [高考]
美[ɪˈliːɡl] | 英[ɪˈliːɡl]
adj. 非法的；不合法的 n. 非法移民
vote [高考]
美[voʊt] | 英[vəʊt]
n. 选举权；投票；选举；投票结果 v. 表决；选举；投票
assist [高考]
美[əˈsɪst] | 英[əˈsɪst]
vt. 帮助；协助 vi. 帮助；出席 n. 帮助；协助；助攻；协助的器械
tax [高考]
美[tæks] | 英[tæks]
n. 税；负担 v. 斥责；课税；使 ... 负重荷
defend [高考]
美[dɪˈfend] | 英[dɪˈfend]
v. 防守；防护；辩护
spokesman [高考]
美[ˈspoʊksmən] | 英[ˈspəʊksmən]
n. 发言人
spray [高考]
美[spreɪ] | 英[spreɪ]
v. 喷雾；喷射；扫射 n. 喷雾；喷雾器；水沫
representative [高考]
美[ˌreprɪˈzentətɪv] | 英[ˌreprɪˈzentətɪv]
n. 代表；众议员；典型 adj. 代表的；典型的；代表制的
next to [高考]
美[nɛkst tu] | 英[nekst tu:]
邻近； 紧靠
access to [高考]
美[ˈæksɛs tu] | 英[ˈækses tu:]
接近，有权使用；进入，通向…的路口
engage in [高考]
美[ɪn'gedʒ ɪn] | 英[ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ in]
从事； 参加
gap [高考]
美[ɡæp] | 英[ɡæp]
n. 缺口；裂缝；差距；空白
crack [高考]
美[kræk] | 英[kræk]
v. (使)破裂；噼啪作响；重击；破译；失控；变嘶哑；[非正式]开玩笑 adj. 训练有素的；一流的 n. 裂缝；裂痕；爆裂声；猛击；尝试；俏皮话
expertise [高考]
美[ˌekspɜːrˈtiːz] | 英[ˌekspɜːˈtiːz]
n. 专门知识；专门技术；专家的意见
where [高考]
美[wer] | 英[weə(r)]
adv. 在哪里；在那个地方 conj. 在 ... 地方
vigorous [四级]
美[ˈvɪɡərəs] | 英[ˈvɪɡərəs]
adj. 精力充沛的；有力的；元气旺盛的
elaborate [四级]
美[ɪ'læbəret] | 英[ɪ'læb(ə)rət]
adj. 详尽的；复杂的；精心的；精美的 v. 详细地说明；用心制作；推敲；变得复杂
democratic [四级]
美[ˌdeməˈkrætɪk] | 英[ˌdeməˈkrætɪk]
adj. 民主的；民主党的；大众的
scout [四级]
美[skaʊt] | 英[skaʊt]
n. 童子军；侦察员；守卫 vt. 侦察；物色
journalism [四级]
美[ˈdʒɜːrnəlɪzəm] | 英[ˈdʒɜːnəlɪzəm]
n. 新闻工作；新闻业；新闻写作
tow [四级]
美[toʊ] | 英[təʊ]
v. 拖；拉；牵引 n. 拖；拽；拖绳
leading [四级]
美[ˈliːdɪŋ , ˈledɪŋ] | 英[ˈliːdɪŋ , ˈledɪŋ]
adj. 领导的；指导的；主要的；在前的
indefinitely [六级]
美[ɪnˈdefɪnətli] | 英[ɪnˈdefɪnətli]
adv. 无限地；不确定地；模糊地
pest [六级]
美[pest] | 英[pest]
n. 害虫；讨厌的人
wayward [专八]
美[ˈweɪwərd] | 英[ˈweɪwəd]
adj. 任性的；倔强的；刚愎的
hive [专八]
美[haɪv] | 英[haɪv]
n. 蜂房；蜂箱；蜂群；喧闹繁忙的场所 vi. 蜂进入蜂箱；聚居；把一部分分离出来 vt. 使蜂入箱；储备
waggle [托福]
美[ˈwæɡəl] | 英[ˈwægl]
v. 摇动；摇摆；摆 n. 摇动；摇摆
重点讲解
I noticed the first bee one afternoon as my dog gleefully chased it around the house. When the pest settled on a window by the stairwell, I swatted it with a cookbook and cleaned up the mess.
我注意到第一只蜜蜂是在一天下午，当时我的狗正在家里欢快地跑来跑去追逐它。当它落在楼梯间旁边的一扇窗户上时，我用一本食谱书拍死了它，然后把死掉的蜜蜂清理干净。
pest n. 害虫；害鸟
【例】to get rid of the pests 除虫
pest control 害虫防控
【拓展】pesticide n. 杀虫剂；农药
【辨析】parasite n. 寄生虫；寄生植物
hit v. 使突然想起
【例】It hit me that I had left the stove on.
我突然想起来我离开的时候没关炉灶。
【近义词】occur to sb 某人想到
dawn on sb 某人开始明白
infest v. （昆虫、老鼠等）大量出没；侵扰
【例】The kitchen was infested with cockroaches.
厨房里闹蟑螂了。
【辨析】infect v. 传染；感染
【拓展】infestation n. 虫害；侵害
【例】a cockroach infestation 蟑螂泛滥
【近义词】plague n. 害虫肆虐造成的祸患
【例】the plague of locusts 蝗灾
Five minutes later, another bee buzzed at the same window. Then a third in my kids' room. When I heard a loud droning coming from inside a wall next to my son's bed, the ominous situation finally hit me: The house was infested.
五分钟后，另一只蜜蜂在同一扇窗户上嗡嗡作响。然后在我孩子的房间里发现了第三只蜜蜂。当我听到儿子床边的一堵墙里传来巨大的嗡嗡声时，我终于意识到大难来临：家里被蜜蜂入侵了。
pest n. 害虫；害鸟
【例】to get rid of the pests 除虫
pest control 害虫防控
【拓展】pesticide n. 杀虫剂；农药
【辨析】parasite n. 寄生虫；寄生植物
hit v. 使突然想起
【例】It hit me that I had left the stove on.
我突然想起来我离开的时候没关炉灶。
【近义词】occur to sb 某人想到
dawn on sb 某人开始明白
infest v. （昆虫、老鼠等）大量出没；侵扰
【例】The kitchen was infested with cockroaches.
厨房里闹蟑螂了。
【辨析】infect v. 传染；感染
【拓展】infestation n. 虫害；侵害
【例】a cockroach infestation 蟑螂泛滥
【近义词】plague n. 害虫肆虐造成的祸患
【例】the plague of locusts 蝗灾
This was early April, the start of "swarm season," when honeybee colonies search for places to build new hives. A small gap in the roof gave them access to our attic and put us on the honeybee real estate market.
当时是4月初，"蜂群季节"刚刚开始，成群的蜜蜂在寻找建造新蜂巢的地方。屋顶上的一个小缝隙让蜜蜂进入了阁楼，然后让我家进入了蜜蜂的房地产市场。
swarm n. & v.
1. 作名词：一大群（昆虫）
【例】a swarm of bees 一大群蜜蜂
2. 作动词：蜂拥；成群移动
【例】Tourists swarm to the park to see cherry blossoms.
成群的游客来到公园看樱花。
【搭配】swarm with 挤满了（人）
【例】The park swarms with tourists.
公园里挤满了人。
pollinator n. 传粉昆虫
【例】Bees are essential pollinators in many ecosystems, helping flowers and crops to reproduce.
蜜蜂是许多生态系统中至关重要的传粉昆虫，能帮助花朵和庄稼繁殖。
【拓展】pollinate v. 传粉
pollen n. 花粉
Over the past two decades, fears of a collapsing honeybee population have inspired elegiac journalism and 30 state laws aiming to protect pollinators. Three states have given special tax breaks to beekeepers, and others have devoted millions to studying the disappearing colonies.
在过去20年里，对蜜蜂数量锐减的担忧引发了许多哀悼蜜蜂的新闻报道，也让30个州出台了旨在保护传粉昆虫的法律。有三个州为养蜂人提供了特殊税收优惠，还有一些州投入了数百万美元来研究正在消失的蜂群。
swarm n. & v.
1. 作名词：一大群（昆虫）
【例】a swarm of bees 一大群蜜蜂
2. 作动词：蜂拥；成群移动
【例】Tourists swarm to the park to see cherry blossoms.
成群的游客来到公园看樱花。
【搭配】swarm with 挤满了（人）
【例】The park swarms with tourists.
公园里挤满了人。
pollinator n. 传粉昆虫
【例】Bees are essential pollinators in many ecosystems, helping flowers and crops to reproduce.
蜜蜂是许多生态系统中至关重要的传粉昆虫，能帮助花朵和庄稼繁殖。
【拓展】pollinate v. 传粉
pollen n. 花粉
In Washington, where I live, the DC Beekeepers Alliance notes that it is "illegal for pest control contractors to spray honeybees." As evening approached and a gray cloud of bees grew steadily outside our roof's crack, we headed to a hotel, kids and energetic dog in tow.
在我居住的华盛顿，"华盛顿养蜂人联盟"指出："虫害防治承包商向蜜蜂喷杀虫剂是非法的。"随着夜幕降临，一大群蜜蜂形成一团灰云，在房顶缝隙的外面逐渐越变越多，于是我们只好带着孩子和精力充沛的狗前往一家酒店。
in tow 拖着；紧跟着
【例】The ship had a small boat in tow.
轮船后面拖着一艘小船。
The mother came with a kid in tow.
妈妈来了，身后带着一个小孩。
【近义词】tag along with sb 跟在某人后面
engage in 参加；进行
【例】to engage in a conversation 进行谈话
to engage in volunteer work 参与志愿者活动
【拓展】be engaged in sth 忙着做某事
Honey bees are one of the two species, the other is humans, that can communicate directions to a new place without directly leading others there. And they engage in an elaborate, democratic process to choose new homes.
所有物种中，只有蜜蜂和人类可以不需要直接带领同伴前往一个新地方，就能把去那里的路线告诉给同伴。而且蜜蜂选择新家时还要参与一个复杂、民主的程序。
in tow 拖着；紧跟着
【例】The ship had a small boat in tow.
轮船后面拖着一艘小船。
The mother came with a kid in tow.
妈妈来了，身后带着一个小孩。
【近义词】tag along with sb 跟在某人后面
engage in 参加；进行
【例】to engage in a conversation 进行谈话
to engage in volunteer work 参与志愿者活动
【拓展】be engaged in sth 忙着做某事
They prefer to build hives in tight spaces about the size of a large backpack, often within crawl spaces, walls and attics. Once established in a comfy spot, they can stay there indefinitely, building hives and producing honey.
蜜蜂更喜欢在狭小空间里（差不多大背包的大小）建造蜂巢，通常是在人们只能爬行的空间、墙壁和阁楼内。一旦在一个舒适的地方定居下来，它们就可能无限期地住下来，在那里建造蜂巢并酿蜜。
indefinitely adv. 无限期地；不确定地
【例】The project has been postponed indefinitely due to lack of funding.
因为缺乏资金，该项目被无限期推迟。
【反义词】definitely adv. 肯定；确切地
【辨析】infinitely adv. 无限地；非常
Ben Hottel, an entomologist and spokesman for Orkin, a pest control company, later told me: "When we identify a honeybee issue, we try to have a local beekeeper assist."
虫害控制公司奥金的发言人、昆虫学家本·霍特尔后来告诉我："当我们发现蜜蜂问题时，我们会尝试寻求当地养蜂人的协助。"
indefinitely adv. 无限期地；不确定地
【例】The project has been postponed indefinitely due to lack of funding.
因为缺乏资金，该项目被无限期推迟。
【反义词】definitely adv. 肯定；确切地
【辨析】infinitely adv. 无限地；非常
So we tried the swarm squad, a volunteer group of beekeepers who will collect wayward colonies. Unfortunately, the squad generally only deals with outdoor hives.
于是我们尝试联系了蜂群小组，这是一个由养蜂人组成的志愿者团队，他们会去收走难控制的蜂群。不巧的是，小组通常只处理户外蜂巢问题。
wayward adj. 难控制的；不听话的
【例】The wayward child was always causing trouble at school.
这个不听话的孩子老是在学校里惹麻烦。
【反义词】obedient adj. 听话的
A representative recommended a dozen other beekeepers with indoor expertise. Every one of them told me the same thing: Our problem was too small. When a colony is looking for a new home, it sends out a few hundred "scouts" to find options, each visiting 10 to 20 possible locations.
一名代表推荐了其他十几名有室内专业知识的养蜂人。这些养蜂人都告诉我一件事：我们的问题太小了。当一个蜂群在寻找新家时，会派出数百只"侦察蜂"去物色可供选择的地点，每只蜂会去10到20个可能的地点。
wayward adj. 难控制的；不听话的
【例】The wayward child was always causing trouble at school.
这个不听话的孩子老是在学校里惹麻烦。
【反义词】obedient adj. 听话的
When a scout likes a place, it returns to the hive and performs a "waggle" dance that tells its brethren exactly how far and in what direction they need to travel to find the potential home.
当侦查蜂喜欢一个地方时，它会回到蜂巢，并表演一种"摇摆"舞，告诉同伴他们需要飞多远、朝着什么方向去这个可能的新家。
wayward adj. 难控制的；不听话的
【例】The wayward child was always causing trouble at school.
这个不听话的孩子老是在学校里惹麻烦。
【反义词】obedient adj. 听话的
The more vigorous the dance, the more a scout likes the location. Eventually, the thousands of hive dwellers vote on which place they like best. Apparently, scouts were sizing up our home.
舞蹈越活跃，侦查蜂就越喜欢这个地方。最终，成千上万的蜂巢居民会投票选出他们最喜欢的地方。显然，侦查蜂在评估我们的房子。
size up sth 估量；判断
【例】He sized up the stranger.
他打量着陌生人。
to size up the situation 对形势做出判断
【近义词】assess/evaluate/judge v. 评估；判断
reassure v. 使安心；使放心
【例】to reassure the public about the food safety
让公众对食品安全放心
【近义词】be rest assured that... 对……放心
【拓展】assure v. 保证
To us, they were plenty alarming on their own. But the beekeepers reassured us that they were unlikely to sting; they didn't have a hive or queen to defend. Call us back, they said, when you see a few thousand bees.
对我们来说，这些侦查蜂本身就足够令人担忧了。但养蜂人让我们放心，这些蜜蜂不太可能蜇人，因为这里没有蜂箱或蜂王让它们保护。他们说，等你看到几千只蜜蜂的时候，再给我们打电话。
size up sth 估量；判断
【例】He sized up the stranger.
他打量着陌生人。
to size up the situation 对形势做出判断
【近义词】assess/evaluate/judge v. 评估；判断
reassure v. 使安心；使放心
【例】to reassure the public about the food safety
让公众对食品安全放心
【近义词】be rest assured that... 对……放心
【拓展】assure v. 保证
课后练习
What did the author realize after hearing a loud droning?
A. The bees were coming to sting them.
B. A large number of bees invaded the house.
C. The bees filled the room next to the bedroom.
D. The house was about to be cracked by the drone.
What should people do when their houses are infested with bees?
A. Swat the bees with household items.
B. Spray pesticides onto the bees to kill them.
C. Call for beekeepers or professionals for help.
D. Leave the house and seek temporary accommodation.
What unique characteristic do honey bees share with humans?
A. The division of labor within the group.
B. The ability to build homes in tight spaces.
C. The tendency to live in one place indefinitely.
D. The capability to communicate directions using signs.
Why did the beekeepers ask the author to call them back?
A. Because the bees had found a new home.
B. Because the bees had not yet settled down.
C. Because they couldn’t find the bees in the house.
D. Because they didn’t know how to deal with indoor bees.