鳥類如何長途跋涉，飛越海洋和陸地？科學(xué)家離揭開這個(gè)謎團(tuán)又近了一步。

Scientists studied the robin – a familiar garden bird that can sometimes migrate – flying alone, at night and often over great distances. They identified a magnetically sensitive molecule in the bird’s eye, known as a cryptochrome, that could form the basis of the in-built magnetic compass birds may use to navigate.

科學(xué)家們研究了知更鳥，一種經(jīng)常可以在自家花園見到的鳥類，它有時(shí)會(huì)遷徙，在夜晚獨(dú)自翱翔，而且經(jīng)常長途飛行。這些科學(xué)家在知更鳥的眼睛里發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種對(duì)磁場(chǎng)非常敏感的分子，被稱為隱花色素。鳥類可能借助體內(nèi)的磁羅盤導(dǎo)航，而這種隱花色素也許就是構(gòu)成磁羅盤的基本元素。

Professor Peter Hore at the University of Oxford says it could be that birds can ‘see’ the Earth’s magnetic field, although they don’t know that for sure.

牛津大學(xué)的彼得·霍爾教授說，這也許是因?yàn)轼B類可以 “看到” 地球的磁場(chǎng)，不過科學(xué)家們還不能完全確定這一點(diǎn)。

The researchers are planning further studies to investigate how birds, and perhaps other animals, might use this living compass in their epic migrations.

研究人員正在計(jì)劃進(jìn)一步研究鳥類甚至其它動(dòng)物是如何利用這種 “活羅盤” 來進(jìn)行壯觀的大遷徙的。

詞匯表

migrate 遷徙
magnetically 磁力地
molecule 分子，微粒
compass 羅盤，指南針
magnetic field 磁場(chǎng)
epic 壯觀的

閱讀理解：請(qǐng)?jiān)谧x完上文后，回答下列問題。

1. Where are robins often seen?

2. Where is the molecule, the ‘cryptochrome’, located?

3. What could this new molecule help robins do?

4. True or false? This cryptochrome molecule is limited only to birds.

答案  

1. Where are robins often seen?
Robins are a familiar garden bird.

2. Where is the molecule, the ‘cryptochrome’, located?
The molecule known as the ‘cryptochrome’ is located in the eye.

3. What could this molecule help robins do?
It could form the basis of the in-built magnetic compass birds may use to navigate.

4. True or false? This cryptochrome molecule is limited only to birds.
False. The researchers are planning further studies to investigate how birds and perhaps other animals might use this molecule.