本集內容

The cicada invasion 周期蟬蟄伏17年后破土而出

學習要點

有關 “insects（昆蟲）” 的詞匯

邊看邊答

How long will the female cicada live after emerging from the ground?

文字稿

It’s a sight and sound that will make your skin crawl. Billions of periodical cicadas emerging out of the earth and overtaking the eastern United States. The rare spectacle has Americans in awe.

此景此聲會讓你毛骨悚然。數十億只周期蟬破土而出，席卷美國東部。這番罕見的景象讓美國人目瞪口呆。

Rosemarie Grant, Witness
And it was deafening, really deafening.

羅斯瑪麗·格蘭特       蟬群目擊者
“蟬鳴聲震耳欲聾，真的是震耳欲聾?！?

The Grants have lived here for decades, and like clockwork, the Brood X cicadas have arrived at the same time every seventeen years to mate. It can get so loud that some of their friends have mistaken the male insects’ droning song for a police siren.

格蘭特夫婦在這里生活了幾十年，每17年，周期蟬10號群就會為了交配而同一時間如約而至。蟬鳴聲十分響亮，以至于他們的一些朋友將雄蟬嗡嗡作響的歌聲誤認成了警笛聲。

Peter Grant, Witness
Because of my hearing disadvantages, I don’t put my hearing aids [in] when I come out in the garden, otherwise I get the whole sound magnified.

彼得·格蘭特       蟬群目擊者
“因為我有聽力障礙，所以走到花園里的時候我不戴助聽器，不然整個蟬鳴聲會被放大。”

The mass emergence and its timing is all part of a clever survival strategy to evade predators. Then the metamorphosis from nymph to adult happens relatively quickly.

蟬的大批出現和破土時機都是它們躲避捕食者的一種精明的生存策略。破土后，從若蟲到成蟲的蛻變發生得相對較快。

Nada Tawfik, BBC Correspondent
So here we have a fully grown female that’s now ready to mate and lay her eggs. She’ll only live four to six weeks, though, after being underground for 17 years.

納達·陶菲克       BBC通訊員
“這是一只完全成熟的雌蟬，現已準備好交配和產卵。盡管之前在地下蟄伏了17年，它只能活四到六周?！?

Because this is when they are most vulnerable – right here, because their body is so soft…

因為這是它們最脆弱的時候。就在這里，因為它們的身體非常軟。

It’s a magical time for entomologist Dr Jessica Weir, whose 16-year-old daughter wasn’t even alive the last time she saw these insects. The world was a very different place back then. George Bush was president, and Facebook was just launched.

對昆蟲學家杰西卡·威爾博士來說，這是一個奇妙的時刻，在她上次看到這些昆蟲時，她現年16歲的女兒甚至還沒出生。那時的世界非常不同。喬治·沃克·布什是美國總統，臉書（Facebook）才剛剛問世。

Dr. Jessica Weir, Entomologist, American Natural History Museum
You know, a lot of people for centuries have been calling these things locusts, but they are the opposite of locusts, because they’re not actually a plague -– they’re not destroying crops. They’re actually living their life completely in exclusion of humans and they are great nutrition.

杰西卡·威爾博士       美國自然歷史博物館昆蟲學家
“幾個世紀以來，很多人都把這種昆蟲叫作蝗蟲，但它們與蝗蟲正相反，因為它們其實不會造成災害，也不會摧毀莊稼。事實上，它們的生活是完全與人類隔絕的，而且它們很有營養?！?

Yes, you heard that right. These critters are a culinary delicacy.

是的，你沒聽錯。這些小動物是美味佳肴。

Joseph Yoon, Chef, Brooklyn Bugs
The cicadas are a flavour bomb. They have so much flavour and add a sense of umami to the dish.

約瑟夫·尹       Brooklyn Bugs 廚師
“蟬是一種 ‘風味炸彈’。它們味道豐富，能為菜肴提鮮。”

Chef Joseph has been cooking with the star ingredient to encourage Americans to re-imagine bugs as a protein-rich sustainable food source.

大廚約瑟夫一直在用這種特色食材烹飪，以鼓勵美國人把蟲子重新想象為富含蛋白質的可持續食物來源。

“I think I am ready – may I?”

“我準備好開吃了，可以嗎？”

“Yes, please.”

“好的，請便?！?

“OK, I am going to go with this one here. Bug appetite! A burst of springtime in your mouth.”

“好，我就拿這一塊吧?！s’ 死我啦！仿佛嘴里涌入了春天的氣息?！?

For others, the noisy critters are just downright disruptive. It’s safe to say Shakespeare is not in love with the cicada. This theatre company has had to cut its outdoor season short.

對其他人來說，這些吵鬧的小動物只會引起混亂。可以肯定地說，莎士比亞并不喜歡這些蟬。這家莎士比亞劇團不得不縮短戶外演出季。

Bonnie Monte, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
The last time I directed a show out here, I sat over there with two huge badminton rackets and just screamed as they came at me and swatted them away.

邦妮·蒙特       新澤西莎士比亞劇院
“上次我在這里執導一場演出時，我坐在那里，手里拿著兩個巨大的羽毛球拍，當它們向我飛過來的時候，我尖叫了起來，把它們打跑了。”

The takeover may be dramatic, but it is temporary. Soon the larvae of the new generation will burrow their way into the ground resetting the 17-year cycle.

雖然蟬鋪天蓋地出現的場面充滿戲劇性，但這只是暫時的。很快，新一代的幼蟲將鉆入地下，開始新一輪的17年周期。

詞匯

droning 嗡嗡作響的

nymph 若蟲

entomologist 昆蟲學家

critters 小動物

burrow 鉆入

問題答案

The female cicada will only live four to six weeks after emerging.