英语文章通俗读（第8俗）

各位乡亲父老，让我们继续用最通俗的方法来读懂英语文章吧！

关于语法的、关于知识的、还有你懂的~

求转发、请点赞、快涨粉，GO！

---

原文版

When a leafy plant is under attack, it doesn’t sit quietly. Back in 1983, two scientists, Jack Schultz and Ian Baldwin, reported that young maple trees getting bitten by insects send out a particular smell that neighboring plants can get. These chemicals come from the injured parts of the plant and seem to be an alarm. What the plants pump through the air is a mixture of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, VOCs for short.

Scientists have found that all kinds of plants give out VOCs when being attacked .It’s a plant’s way of crying out. But is anyone listening? Apparently. Because we can watch the neighbours react.

Some plants pump out smelly chemicals to keep insects away. But others do double duty. They pump out perfumes designed to attract different insects who are natural enemies to the attackers. Once they arrive, the tables are turned. The attacker who was lunching now becomes lunch.

In study after study, it appears that these chemical conversations help the neighbors .The damage is usually more serious on the first plant, but the neighbors, relatively speaking, stay safer because they heard the alarm and knew what to do.

Does this mean that plants talk to each other? Scientists don’t know. Maybe the first plant just made a cry of pain or was sending a message to its own branches, and so, in effect, was talking to itself. Perhaps the neighbors just happened to “overhear” the cry. So information was exchanged, but it wasn’t a true, intentional back and forth.

Charles Darwin, over 150 years ago, imagined a world far busier, noisier and more intimate than the world we can see and hear. Our senses are weak. There’s a whole lot going on.

---

分析版

When a leafy（leaf是“树叶子”的意思，这个leafy是它的形容词形式，也就是“树叶茂盛的”） plant is under attack（be under attack指的是“出于被攻击的状态”），it doesn’t sit quietly（好奇怪，这不是废话吗？植物被攻击了，当然不会安静地坐下来啊！读到这种奇奇怪怪的句子，一定要小心，估计有坑。另外，我会在结尾的地方再解释一下这个sit quietly）. Back in 1983,two scientists,Jack Schultz and Ian Baldwin,reported that young maple trees（反正是一种树，管它具体是什么，如果是在考场上遇到的话，理解为“M树”就可以了。当然，我还是要告诉你，这是“枫树”） getting bitten by insects send out a particular smell（send out在这里的意思是“散发出”，所以这句话讲的就是“如果枫树被虫子咬了，它就会散发出一种特殊的气味”。那么是不是打算用这种气味熏死虫子呢？往后看就知道了） that neighboring plants can get（这是一句定语从句，没错吧？多问一句，that指代什么？对，指代前面说的那种气味。在多问一句，这个that在从句中充当什么成分呢？估计你又对了，是的，是作为get的宾语）. These chemicals come from the injured parts of the plant and seem to be an alarm（这下知道了，那种气味不是要熏死虫子，而是一种警报，告诉旁边的树，“哥们儿，出事儿，我被咬了，现在只能假装淡定”）. What the plants pump（这个词的名词意思是“泵”，那么作为动词的时候，意思就是泵干的那个事儿，也就是“抽、吸”） through the air is a mixture of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds（这三个词里面有认识的吗？如果都没有，我知道告诉你，这里的意思是“挥发性的有机化合物”，至于什么是“挥发性的有机化合物”，不是我谦虚，我是真不知道。不过如果在考场上的话，不认识也没有关系，你只要知道植物可以从空气中吸取出一种东西就行了）, VOCs for short（看看前面的volatile organic compounds，再看看这个VOCs，基本上就可以猜到，这个for short 的意思是“简称”）.

Scientists have found that all kinds of plants give out VOCs when being attacked（注意哦，不是只有枫树会弄出VOCs来哦）.It’s a plant’s way of crying out（听，这是植物的呐喊！从此以后，路过树林，耳边仿佛满是“VOCs”的呼喊声）. But is anyone listening? Apparently.Because we can watch the neighbours react（react的意思是“反应”，也就是说一棵树在那儿呐喊，旁边的树是会有反应的）.

Some plants pump out smelly chemicals to keep insects away（keep...away的意思就是“使...不可以接近、远离”。有些树这样呐喊，目的在于把虫子镇住。树：“听我的怒吼，你怕不怕！”虫子：“大哥，我没别的意思，我就是路过的。您吼着，我换条路。”）. But others do double duty .They pump out perfumes designed to attract different insects who are natural enemies to the attackers（这个太厉害了！这些树释放出气味的目的在于“引来另一些虫子，而这些虫子是准备咬树的虫子的天敌”。natural enemy就是“天敌”。突然想打了“一支穿云箭，别的虫子来相见”）. Once they arrive, the tables are turned（这个句子可以记下来，因为很实用。表面上看，意思是“桌子转动了”，但实际上的就是“局势发生了转变”）.The attacker who was lunching now becomes lunch.

In study after study,it appears that these chemical conversations（conversation的本意是“交谈、交流”，这里的chemical conversation就是“化学信号的相互传递”） help the neighbors .The damage is usually more serious on the first plant,but the neighbors ,relatively speaking ,stay safer because they heard the alarm and knew what to do（对于首先被攻击的树的那些哥们儿来说，这叫作不打无准备之仗）.

Does this mean that plants talk to each other? Scientists don’t know. Maybe the first plant just made a cry of pain or was sending a message to its own branches（这个词的意思是“树枝、树杈”，所以也可以理解为什么东西的“分支”，或者公司、组织的各个“部门”）, and so, in effect, was talking to itself. Perhaps the neighbors just happened to “overhear”（happen to do的意思是“碰巧做了什么”。这里的意思就是，有一种可能，就是一棵树在那儿释放气味、在那儿喊，不是喊给旁边的树听的，是喊给自己的枝枝叉叉听的，只不过旁边的树恰好偷听到了） the cry. So information was exchanged, but it wasn’t a true, intentional back and forth.

Charles Darwin, over 150 years ago, imagined a world far busier, noisier and more intimate than the world we can see and hear（达尔文同志想象的这个世界还挺闹腾）. Our senses are weak. There’s a whole lot going on.（现在回头去看第一句话就明白了吧，那个sit quietly字面上是“安静地坐着”，实际上可以理解为“无动于衷”，或者“坐视不管”。整篇文章的意思就是，植物被虫子咬了之后，不是像表面上那样毫无反应的，而是会做出各种回应，只是我们看不到、听不到罢了）