墨尔本PTE素材库——Bearcats Naturally Pass the Popcorn

墨尔本PTE素材库——Bearcats Naturally Pass the Popcorn

中文批注

这篇文章的内容，是解析为何Bearcats的尿液，气味会和爆米花相似。其实bearcat就是binturong的意思，只是不同的称呼而已。熊狸平时都是独自生活，所以为了与伙伴，或者说对手交流，他们都用遗留一些气味信息。在研究了他们的Urine之后，研究者发现其中含有一种叫做2-acetyl-1-pyrroline的物质。正是这些物质，让binturong有一种与popcorn，或者说米/面包非常相似的气味。

这是一篇专业性较强的文章，其中会有不少的生词。可能大家刚开始会连binturong和bearcats都不太清楚是什么动物。不过不用担心，如果在听完整段视频之后，发现自己有不少无法理解的句子，或者说没有听懂的内容，完全可以借助full transcript来重温一遍，来学习一些生词哦！

澳大利亚语言学院的整理的墨尔本PTE素材库，涵盖了大量与PTE官方所给出的Question criteria相近的内容，让大家在平时“题荒”之余，能有大量的素材进行复习、练习，从而提高自己的英语水平，PTE备考水平。例如这篇文章，虽然大量的新词生词，但是大家不用特别在意这些专业性较强的词汇，能做到阅读理解即可。但是一些native的表达，或者说常用的生词，大家就可以做一下摘抄，平日里有时间可以翻阅、背诵。这篇文章有一定难度，比较适合目标分数较高的同学拿来作为re-tell lecture的素材哦！如果想要锻炼一下自己，可以照着full transcript，选取其中几段，做一个summarize的练习。

【Key Vocabulary】

Bearcat: 熊猫，勇士

Binturong: 熊狸

Mammal: 哺乳动物

Raccoon: 浣熊

Odor: 气味

Rival: 对手，竞争者

Aromatic: 芬芳的

Evoke: 引起，唤起

Matinee: 白天举行的音乐会，午后场

Gland: 腺

Distinctive: 有特色的，与众不同的

Stank: 池塘，小水沟

Opt to: 选择做…

Sanctuary: 避难所

Kernels: 核心，要点，内核，仁

Intestine: 肠，内部的

Kibble: 磨成粗粒的食物

Mice: mouse的负数，老鼠

Full Transcript

Researchers have uncovered the chemistry that makes the urine of bearcats smell like freshly cooked popcorn.

Chances are you’ve never seen a binturong. It’s a tree-dwelling mammal about the size of a raccoon that’s native to Southeast Asia. But if you’ve ever been to the movies, you’d be familiar with their scent. That’s because binturongs smell like freshly cooked popcorn. And now, in a major advance in research connecting animal odors to human recreational venues, researchers know why.

In the wild, binturongs, also called bearcats, are thought to spend most of their time alone. So to communicate with potential mates—or rivals—they leave behind aromatic messages. Although to you and me their musk evokes a matinee, to other animals it reads pure binturong. But previous studies of the animals’ scent glands failed to find chemicals that could account for the distinctive stank. Desperate for an answer, the researchers opted to peruse some pee.

They ever-so-gently squeezed 33 sedated binturongs at a North Caroline wildlife sanctuary to produce urine for analysis. And they discovered that the samples contained a compound called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, or 2-AP—which is the very same chemical that lends its distinctive scent to popcorn, as well as to some rice and breads. The finding is served up in the journal Naturwissenschaften, or The Science of Nature. [Lydia K. Greene et al, Reproductive endocrine patterns and volatile urinary compounds of Arctictis binturong: discovering why bearcats smell like popcorn]

Popcorn gets its 2-AP from the Maillard reaction, chemistry that occurs as corn kernels heat up. But for bearcats, who don’t have access to an air popper, it’s probably the bacteria present on their fur or in their intestines that help cook up their signature scent—the researchers confirmed that the animals don’t get their 2-AP from their diet, which, in captivity, includes kibbles and mice.

When binturongs go wee, they tend to soak their tails and feet, which ensures that they leave behind a trail of odiferous information about their species, sex, and reproductive readiness. Of course, if you find yourself in binturong country, remember: that ain’t popcorn you smell. So don’t lick your fingers.

—Karen Hopkin

(source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/bearcats-naturally-pass-the-popcorn/)