奇速英语时文阅读：新西兰科学家拟利用无人机和雷达研究濒危昆虫

作者：未知　时间：2021-06-28 阅读：( )

人类已知的昆虫有100余万种，它们虽然分布广泛，生活中随处可见，却很少引起人们的注意。最近，新西兰科学家正在研制无人机和小型雷达跟踪昆虫，试图研究并保护濒危的物种。

【本文章内容摘选奇速英语时文阅读原创部分内容（未经授权，不能转载）】

Scientists in New Zealand are developing drones(无人机) and small radars to follow insects to try to protect threatened species. The new technology involves attaching radars to the insects to follow their movements. The devices connect electronically to drones that will track the insects in real-time. The scientists are with the University of Canterbury on New Zealand’s South Island. The team says it hopes the technology will lead to a deeper understanding of the country’s troubled insect populations.

The research builds on years of experience in the area of bird conservation, in which radio tracking methods have helped to protect many threatened species. But that technology had to be made much smaller for use on insects. The researchers have now made about 20 small “harmonic” devices that can be attached to insects. The insects can then be tracked over wide areas by drones.

Steve Pawson, from the university’s College of Engineering, said that bird-tracking technology is what made the researchers start looking for a similar solution to follow insects. The information from tagged birds, Pawson said, “really informs conservation management.”

The same system can help scientists learn more about many different insect behaviors, he added, like how far they move, where they look for food, and even, how long they live. “If we have that knowledge, then we can incorporate it into our decision making and our planning for conservation management operations,” Pawson added.

难句解析

attach/ əˈtætʃ / v. 把……固定，把……附(在……上)
例句：I attach a copy of my notes for your information. 我附上笔记一份供你参考。
conservation/ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃn / n. 保护
例句：The district is under consideration for designation as a conservation area. 正在考虑将这个地区指定为保护区。
incorporate / ɪnˈkɔːpəreɪt / v. 包含；吸收
例句：We need time to incorporate that feedback from customers. 我们需要时间来吸收顾客的反馈信息。
biosecurity / ˌbaɪəʊsɪ'kjʊərətɪ / n. 生物安全
例句：The whole world all paid much attention to biosecurity nowadays. 当今世界各国都十分重视生物安全问题。
The research builds on years of experience in the area of bird conservation, in which radio tracking methods have helped to protect many threatened species.
这项研究建立在鸟类保护领域多年经验的基础上，在这方面，无线电跟踪方法有助于保护许多受威胁的物种。in which引导非限制性定语从句，修饰 the area of bird conservation。
Steve Pawson, from the university’s College of Engineering, said that bird-tracking technology is what made the researchers start looking for a similar solution to follow insects.
大学工程学院的史蒂夫·帕森（Steve Pawson）表示，鸟类追踪技术让研究者开始寻找一种类似的方法来追踪昆虫。that引导宾语从句； what引导表语从句。
Several species of Wētā are under threat from animals that eat them and destruction of the places where they live.
几种沙螽（Wētā）面临着吃它们的动物的威胁以及它们的栖息地遭到破坏。that eat them是定语从句，修饰先行词animals; where引导定语从句，修饰先行词the places。