BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

BBC學習英語。我是尼爾。

And I'm Sam. How are you, Neil?

我是山姆你好嗎，尼爾？

I've been as busy as a bee

我一直忙得像只蜜蜂一樣

this week, Sam.

這周，山姆。

Oh, don't you sound like the bee's knees!

哦，你的聲音聽起來是不是像蜜蜂的膝蓋！

All right, Sam, there's no need

好吧，山姆，沒有必要。

to get a bee in your bonnet!

讓你的腦袋裡有隻蜜蜂!

As you can hear, English is full

正如你所聽到的，英語是滿

of idioms involving bees.

的成語。

But the sad truth is that bee numbers are

但可悲的事實是，蜜蜂的數量是

declining at an alarming rate and in some

以驚人的速度下降，在某些情況下

places disappearing altogether.

地方完全消失。

And this has serious consequences

這就造成了嚴重的後果

for humans.

對人類來說。

Today, one third of the food we eat

今天，我們吃的三分之一的食物

depends on insects to pollinate crops,

依靠昆蟲為農作物授粉。

fruit and vegetables.

水果和蔬菜；

But bees are in trouble. In some European

但蜜蜂卻遇到了麻煩。在一些歐洲

countries up to half of all bee species are

所有蜜蜂物種中，有一半的蜜蜂物種都是在美國。

facing extinction, placing our

瀕臨滅絕，將我們的

food supply chain at risk.

食品供應鏈受到威脅；

Bees are vital in pollinating hundreds

蜜蜂在授粉方面是至關重要的。

of crops, from apples and

農作物，從蘋果和

blackberries to cucumbers.

黑莓到黃瓜。

In fact, almost all plants need insects to

事實上，幾乎所有的植物都需要昆蟲的幫助

reproduce - which is my quiz question - of

重現--這是我的問答題--的。

the world's top 50 crops, how many

世界前50名的農作物，有多少種？

rely on insect pollination? Is it:

依靠昆蟲授粉？是它。

a) 35 out of 50?, b) 40 out of 50?

a)50分之35，b)50分之40?

or c) 45 out of 50?

或c)50人中有45人？

I reckon those busy bees pollinate

我估計那些忙碌的蜜蜂在傳授花粉呢

b) 40 out of 50 of the most

(b) 在50個最不發達國家中，有40個國家

common crops.

普通農作物。

OK, Sam, we'll find out the answer later.

好吧，山姆，我們以後會找到答案的。

Now, if you think back

現在，如果你回想一下

to your school biology

到你的學校生物

lessons, you may remember

經驗教訓，你可能還記得

that plants and flowers contain

花草含有

both male and female reproductive

雌雄同體

parts inside.

裡面的零件。

But what exactly is going on when bees

但是，當蜜蜂的時候，到底發生了什麼？

pollinate a plant? Here's Claire Bates

給植物授粉？這裡是克萊爾-貝茨

from BBC World

來自英國廣播公司世界部

Service programme People

服務方案人員

Fixing the World to remind us:

修正世界來提醒我們。

What is pollination? All flowering plants

什麼是授粉？所有開花植物

need it to reproduce.

需要它來繁殖。

Pollen is moved from

花粉從

the male part of a flower

雌花

to the female part of a flower, then

雌花

fertilisation can happen

受孕可能

causing fruit to grow. Some staple crops

導致果實生長。一些主要農作物

such as wheat, rice and

如小麥、大米和

corn are pollinated by

玉米是由

the wind however many plants

漫天飛舞

don't release their pollen easily

不易開花

and this is where insects,

而這是昆蟲的地方。

and especially bees, come in.

尤其是蜜蜂，進來。

As they collect nectar to eat,

當它們收集花蜜吃的時候。

pollen sticks to them and they

花粉粘在他們身上，他們

carry it from flower to flower.

把它從一朵花帶到另一朵花。

Pollination is the process in which pollen

授粉是花粉的過程

is taken from one plant to another so that

從一株植物到另一株植物，這樣

it can reproduce. This is the important

它可以繁殖。這是重要的

work done by bees and insects.

蜜蜂和昆蟲所做的工作。

Only after pollination can the next

只有在授粉後才能進行下一次的

process occur - fertilisation - when

孕育--當

the pollen carried

所帶花粉

from another plant fertilises

肥水不流外人田

a female ovule to make new seeds.

雌性胚珠來製造新的種子。

Fertilisation occurs in all flowering plants,

所有開花植物都會發生受精。

some of which like wheat,

其中一些喜歡小麥。

potatoes and rice

薯飯

are staple crops - food that is eaten

屬於主糧作物----吃的食物；

in large amounts as part

大批量

of a community's daily diet

飲食習慣

and provides a large fraction of their

併為其提供了很大一部分。

energy and nutrient needs.

能量和營養需求。

Fewer bees reduces pollination levels,

較少的蜜蜂會降低授粉水準。

meaning fewer new seeds

籽

are created and fewer crops

產量和作物數量減少

grown.

增長。

But it isn't just the decline in bee numbers

但這不僅僅是蜜蜂數量的減少。

causing a problem. Like us,

造成問題。像我們這樣的。

bees need to rest

蜜蜂要休息

and this has led some to come up

而這也導致了一些人提出

with creative new ways

以創新的方式

of supplementing bee pollination.

的補充蜜蜂授粉。

One such innovator is Keren Mimran,

克倫-米姆蘭就是這樣一位創新者。

co-founder of agro-tech company,

農業科技公司的聯合創始人。

Edete. Here she is,

Edete。她來了

explaining how dropping pollen from

解釋瞭如何將花粉從

drones can pollinate crops,

無人機可以為農作物授粉。

giving a helping hand

鼎力相助

to hard-working bees.

給勤勞的蜜蜂。

How come our food security is so much

我們的食品安全怎麼會有這麼多

dependent on an insect that

依靠昆蟲

we cannot really control?

我們無法真正控制？

We can bring the bees to the orchard

我們可以把蜜蜂帶到果園裡。

or to a field but we cannot

或領域，但我們不能

control their behaviour.

控制他們的行為；

They do not come out of the hive when

他們不出來的蜂巢，當

it's raining or when there's

下雨時或有

heavy wind, they work

風大，他們的工作

only during daytime. There must be

只在白天。必須有

a possibility of developing

有可能發展

a mechanical solution to the

機械式解決

pollination challenge.

授粉挑戰。

Keren Mimran there, speaking on the BBC

克倫-米姆蘭在那裡，在英國廣播公司（BBC）上發言。

World Service programme People Fixing

世界服務方案 "人民修復 "方案

The World. Bees' behaviour

世界。蜜蜂的行為

can't be controlled - when it rains they

無法控制 - 下雨時，他們

won't leave their hive - the structure

不會離開他們的蜂巢--這個結構

where bees

蜜蜂

live, either built by people or

住，不是人建，就是

made by the bees themselves.

由蜜蜂自己製造。

So Keren's company has developed

所以克倫的公司開發了

drones to drop pollen on

無人機投放花粉

her orchard - an area of land

她的果園--一片土地

on which fruit trees are grown.

在其上種植果樹。

The need for these high-tech solutions

對這些高科技解決方案的需求

reflects the seriousness

反映出

of the pollination problem

授粉的問題

for food security - everyone getting

糧食安全----每個人都能得到

enough affordable and nutritious food

足夠的、負擔得起的、有營養的食物

to meet their

以滿足其

daily dietary needs.

日常飲食需求。

I had no idea bees were so important,

我不知道蜜蜂是如此重要。

Neil. Maybe I underestimated

尼爾也許我低估了

how hard they work.

他們有多辛苦。

Ah, you mean today's quiz question.

啊，你是說今天的測驗題。

I asked you how many of the top

我問你有多少頂級的

50 world crops rely

世界上有50種農作物依賴

on insect pollination.

關於昆蟲授粉。

And I said b) 40 out of 50

我說b) 50箇中的40個

of the top crops.

的頂級作物。

And you are right! They certainly are the

你是對的！他們當然是

bee's knees when it comes

牽一髮而動全身

to pollinating plants!

給植物授粉!

So in today's programme we've

所以在今天的節目中，我們已經

been hearing about the important role

一直以來，我們都聽說過

bees play in pollination

蜜蜂傳粉

- transferring pollen from plant to plant,

- 將花粉從植物轉移到植物之間。

necessary for the

所需

next stage of fertilisation

下一階段的受精

- producing new seeds and

- 生產新的種子和

fruit inside a plant.

植物內的果實。

Bees and insects play a vital

蜜蜂和昆蟲發揮了重要的作用。

role in growing the world's

增長的作用。

staple crops - food which, eaten

主食作物 -- -- 食用的食物；

in large amounts, makes up the majority

大量，佔了大部分

of a community's daily diet

飲食習慣

and meets their nutrient needs.

並滿足其營養需求。

So bee numbers are directly linked to the

所以蜜蜂數量直接與

issue of food security - everyone getting

糧食安全問題----人人有份

enough affordable,

夠實惠。

nutritious food to meet

營養餐

their dietary needs.

他們的飲食需求。

Which explains why, when bees

這就解釋了為什麼，當蜜蜂

won't leave their home - or hive - some

不願離開他們的家或蜂巢，有些人

people have started

人們已經開始

using drones to pollinate their orchards -

使用無人機給果園授粉------。

land growing fruit trees.

地種植果樹。

And that's it for this edition of

這就是本期的

6 Minute English. Bye for now!

6分鐘英語。再見！

Goodbye!

再見！