我们如何帮助野生蜜蜂？

贝丝，你知道吗，有些学习者从未听过《六分钟英语》？

Beth, did you know some learners haven't ever listened to six Minute English?

太不可思议了。

That's wild.

他们难道不知道这是提升英语水平同时了解世界的最佳方式吗？

Don't they know it's the best way to improve your English and learn more about our world at the same time?

我不知道。

I don't know.

也许他们没意识到，我们用简单英语讲述BBC节目中最精彩的故事，并在六分钟内教授有趣的词汇。

Maybe they don't realise we tell the best stories from BBC programmes in simple English and teach interesting vocabulary all in six minutes.

当然了，全部都在六分钟内完成。

Well, of course, all in six minutes.

我觉得这部分应该很清楚。

I think that part is probably clear.

在播客应用中搜索《六分钟英语》，或访问bbclearningenglish.com加入我们庞大的英语学习者社区。

Search for six Minute English in your podcast app or visit bbclearningenglish.com to join our huge community of English learners.

《六分钟英语》。

Six Minute English.

来自bbclearningenglish.com。

From bbclearningenglish.com.

你好。

Hello.

这里是BBC英语学习的《六分钟英语》。

This is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

我是菲尔。

I'm Phil.

我是贝丝。

And I'm Beth.

菲尔，你喜欢蜂蜜吗？

Do you like honey, Phil?

我经常用它来烹饪。

I use it a lot in cooking.

所以是的。

So yes.

人类、蜂蜜与酿蜜的蜜蜂之间的关系可以追溯到数千年前。

Well, the relationship between humans, honey, and the bees which make it goes back thousands of years.

因其口感和药用价值备受珍视，在古代，蜂蜜被称为液体黄金。

Prized for its taste and medicinal properties, in ancient times, honey was known as liquid gold.

但现在，由于现代农业方法，包括蜜蜂在内的许多昆虫数量正在减少。

But now, thanks to modern farming methods, population of many insects, including bees, are in decline.

伦敦一位忧心忡忡的听众Saoirse就这个问题致电BBC国际服务节目《大众科学》。

Saoirse, a worried listener from London, called BBC World Service programme CrowdScience about the problem.

我是来自英国的Saoirse，我的问题是：蜂蜜能帮助拯救蜜蜂吗？

I'm Saoirse from The UK, and my question is, can honey help save bees?

我吃素已有九年，自己不吃蜂蜜，但我对此仍有疑问，因为我知道蜜蜂数量正在减少。

I've been vegan for about nine years, and I don't eat honey myself, but I still have a question mark around it because I know that our bee populations are declining.

Saoirse是素食主义者，不吃任何来自动物的东西，不仅是肉类，还包括牛奶、鸡蛋和蜂蜜等。

Saoirse is a vegan, someone who doesn't eat anything which comes from animals, not just meat, but things like milk, eggs, and honey too.

虽然Saoirse自己不吃蜂蜜，但她表示对食用蜂蜜存在疑问。

Although Saoirse doesn't eat honey herself, she says there's a question mark around eating honey.

‘对某事存有疑问’这个短语意味着对某事有怀疑或不确定。

The phrase a question mark around something means there's doubt or uncertainty about something.

而Saoirse不确定的是，食用蜂蜜是否真的能拯救蜜蜂。

And what Saoirse is uncertain about is whether eating honey might actually save bees.

那么如果更多人食用蜂蜜，对数量减少的蜜蜂种群会更好吗？

So would it be better for declining bee populations if more people ate honey?

这就是我们将要讨论的内容，会用到一些有用的新单词和短语。

That's what we'll be discussing using some useful new words and phrases.

此外，你可以在我们的网站bbclearningenglish.com上找到本集的所有词汇。

Plus, you'll find all the vocabulary from this episode on our website bbclearningenglish.com.

但在那之前，我有个问题要问你，菲尔。

But before that, I have a question for you, Phil.

蜜蜂著名的嗡嗡声是通过它们以极快的速度拍打四片翅膀产生的。

The buzzing sound bees are famous for is made by flapping their four wings incredibly fast.

但有多快呢？

But how fast?

蜜蜂拍打翅膀的频率是：a.每秒90次，b.每秒190次，还是c.每秒290次？

Do honeybees flap their wings a, 90 times per second, b, a 190 times per second, or c, 290 times per second?

呃，我完全没概念，所以我猜是每秒190次吧。

Well, I have absolutely no idea, so I'm gonna guess a 190 times per second.

好的。

Okay.

我们稍后会在节目中揭晓答案。

Well, we'll find out the answer later in the program.

我们一直在讨论蜜蜂，但它们只是全球2万种蜂类中的一种。

We've been talking about honeybees, but these are just one of the 20,000 species of bee which exist around the world.

事实上，蜜蜂是地球上分布最广的昆虫之一，根本不属于濒危物种。

In fact, honeybees are one of the most widespread insects on the planet and not endangered at all.

但野生蜜蜂的处境就不那么乐观了，包括大黄蜂在内，正如萨塞克斯大学的生物学家戴夫·古尔森向BBC国际频道节目《大众科学》解释的那样。

But the picture isn't so good for wild bees, including the bumblebee, as biologist Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex explained to BBC World Service programme CrowdScience.

在英国，我们曾有26种大黄蜂，但已有3种灭绝。

In The UK, we have 26 bumblebee species, but three have gone extinct.

其他许多种类现在只能依附在零星分散的优质栖息地中苟延残喘。

Many of the others are now clinging on in little isolated pockets of good habitat.

蜜蜂有养蜂人照料，但野蜂却无人看顾。

Honeybees have beekeepers to look after them, but nobody's looking out for the wild bees.

英国26种大黄蜂中已有3种灭绝，戴夫表示其他物种正在苦苦支撑，意味着它们正艰难求生。

Three of the 26 species of British bumblebee have gone extinct, and Dave says other species are clinging on, meaning barely continuing to survive with great effort.

这种情况发生在孤立的生态圈中，即某些特定昆虫或动物能够生存的小片栖息地。

This happens in isolated pockets, small areas of habitat in which a particular insect or animal can survive.

因此虽然蜜蜂可能没有濒危，但许多其他蜂类正面临威胁。

So while honeybees may not be endangered, lots of other bee species are.

这是个坏消息，因为我们依赖昆虫为作物授粉并维持生态系统运转。

And this is bad news because we rely on insects to pollinate crops and to keep ecosystems functioning.

你说得对，贝丝。

That's right, Beth.

87%的植物物种需要昆虫授粉。

87% of all plant species need insects for pollination.

没有它们，地球上大多数植物都会消失，这显然会是场灾难。

So without them, most plants on earth would disappear, which would obviously be catastrophic.

但据戴夫·古尔森向BBC国际频道《大众科学》栏目解释，授粉只是蜜蜂为我们做的众多事情之一。

But according to Dave Goulson, pollination is just one of the many things bees do for us, as he explained to BBC World Services crowd science.

这还不是昆虫的全部作用，它们还从事着更不起眼、鲜为人知的工作，比如分解牛粪、保持土壤健康、控制农作物害虫等等。

That isn't the only thing that insects are doing, and and there are much less glamorous, less well known things like recycling cow poo and helping to keep the soil healthy and helping to control crop pests and so on.

所有这些也都非常重要。

All of which are also really important.

而我们却对此习以为常，甚至根本没意识到这些过程的存在。

And we we kind of take them for granted or are just oblivious that they're even happening.

分解牛粪和保持土壤健康是蜜蜂两项重要却被我们视为理所当然的工作。

Recycling cow poo and keeping the soil healthy are two important jobs bees do which we take for granted.

所谓视为理所当然，就是指你未能重视或感激那些使你受益的事物。

If you take something for granted, you fail to value or appreciate something which benefits you.

我们人类往往浑然不觉，意识不到蜜蜂为维系地球生命所做的诸多贡献。

We humans are oblivious, meaning unaware or unmindful of the many things bees do to support life on Earth.

虽然多吃蜂蜜可能对拯救野生蜜蜂帮助不大，但你可以做些其他事情，比如种植薰衣草等春季开花的蜜蜂友好型植物。

So while eating more honey probably won't do much to save wild bees, there are things you can do such as growing bee friendly plants which flower in spring like lavender.

好的，菲尔。

Okay, Phil.

我想是时候揭晓我问题的答案了。

I think it's time to reveal the answer to my question.

我问你蜜蜂每秒扇动翅膀多少次。

I asked you how many times bees flap their wings per second.

你说是190次，这是正确答案。

You said a 190, which was the correct answer.

干得好。

Well done.

哦。

Oh.

好的。

Okay.

让我们回顾下学过的词汇，从vegan（纯素食者）开始。

Let's recap the vocabulary we've learnt starting with vegan.

指不食用任何动物制品的人。

Someone who doesn't consume any animal products.

如果说某件事存在问号，意思是对它存有疑虑或不确定性。

If you say there's a question mark around something, you mean there's some doubt or uncertainty about it.

如果说某个动物物种在clinging on（苦苦支撑），意思是它正在艰难地维持生存。

If an animal species is clinging on, it's holding on to existence with great effort.

isolated pockets（孤立栖息地）指的是某种昆虫或动物得以存活的零星小片栖息地。

Isolated pockets refer to small areas of habitat in which a particular insect or animal can survive.

将某事视为理所当然意味着对帮助你的东西不心存感激或表达谢意。

To take something for granted means to not appreciate or show gratitude for something which helps you.

最后，形容词'oblivious'的意思是'未察觉的'。

And finally, the adjective oblivious means unaware.

又一次，我们的六分钟时间到了。

Once again, our six minutes are up.

但如果你渴望了解更多，请访问我们的网站bbclearningenglish.com下载工作表并尝试本集的小测验。

But if you're keen for more, then head over to our website bbclearningenglish.com and download the worksheet and try the quiz on this episode.

暂时先到这里，再见。

Goodbye for now.

再见。

Goodbye.

六分钟英语。

Six Minute English.

来自bbclearningenglish.com。

From bbclearningenglish.com.