It is common to see many different kinds of insects while spending time outside in the summer.
当我们夏天到户外时总能到许多不同的昆虫。
Some of these tiny creatures do not bother people
一些小虫子不会招惹人类
and can even 【add beauty to】 the natural environment.
为……增添美感
Eg: A warm smile could add beauty to our daily life.
他们甚至还为自然环境增添了美感。
Examples of these are insects like ladybugs,butterflies and fireflies.
这些昆虫有飘虫、蝴蝶和萤火虫等。
Other insects can harm the environment or humans.
其他的昆虫可能会破坏环境或伤害人类。
Many are known to bite or sting.
我们知道许多昆虫会咬人或叮人。
Some carry dangerous diseases.
有些昆虫会携带危险疾病。
This group includes insect like mosquitoes,ticks and cockroaches.
这类昆虫包括蚊子、扁虱和蟑螂。
The population of these insects seems to stay large and healthy.
这些昆虫的数量似乎一直都很庞大,且处在正常值上。
But scientists say this does not appear to be true
但科学家们说
for some flying insects that 【serve an important purpose】.
对……有用/有帮助 serve a purpose
对于一些起重要作用的昆虫而言，情况并非如此。
【There is growing evidence that】 these insects are decreasing across the world.
越来越多的证据表明……
越来越多的证据表明,这些昆虫正从世界上消失。
Many of these insects are very important to plant growth and development.
这些昆虫中有很多对植物的生长和发育很重要。
They also serve as a necessary link in the food chain
它们也是食物链中必不可少的一环。
and can help 【break down】 life when animals die.
分解;消除;出故障
Eg: Communications will help break down the barriers between people. 沟通有助于打破人与人之间的隔阂
它们能分解动物的尸体。
One researcher 【looking into】 the current insect population is Doug Tallamy,
调查；研究
Eg: The police are looking into the disappearance of two children.
一位名叫DougTallamy的研究员调查了现在的昆虫数量，
a professor at the University of Delaware.
这位研究员是特拉华大学的教授。
He worries that a continual drop in the number of helpful insects
他担心益虫数的持续下降
could lead to disastrous results.
会引发灾难性的后果。
If the insects disappeared,
如果这些昆虫消失的话，
Earth's important life forms would begin to go away too,
地球上重要的生命体也将开始消亡，
Tallamy told the Associated Press.
Tallamy对美联社说道。
This could 【result in】 a total breakdown of the ecosystem.
导致 lead to /bring about
Eg: The heavy snow has resulted in serious traffic jam.
这可能会导致生态系统的全面崩溃。
"How much worse can it get than that?" he asked.
“还有比这更糟的吗?”他问。
Tallamy noted a statement by one of America's best-known biologists,
Tallamy提到了美国最知名的一位生物学家说过的一句话，
E.O. Wilson of Harvard University,
这位生物学家是哈第大学的E.O.Wilson。
Wilson once called insects "the little things that run the world."
Wilson曾把昆虫叫做"使地球运转的小东西”。
Wilson is now 89 years old.
Wilson现今89岁了。
He told the AP that he remembers walking through Washington, D.C. in the past
他告诉美联社,他还记得以前在走在华盛顿特区时，
when it was "alive with insects, especially butterflies."
“到处都是昆虫,尤其是蝴蝶"。
Now, he said, "the flying insects are virtually gone."
"现在,他说“飞虫们几乎消失了”。
Scientists say there are likely many reasons for the drop in flying insects.
科学家们说,有很多原因可能导致飞虫减少。
Most are related to the destruction of insect habitat
大多数都和昆虫栖息地破坏有关，
caused by things like insecticides, other animals,
由比如杀虫剂、其他动物、
pollution and climate change.
污染和气候变化等因素造成。
There have not been many studies done on th insect populations covering large areas.
目前对大面积昆虫种群的研究还不多见。
However, some international research suggests a downward turn.
不过，一些国际调查表示这些昆虫数呈下降趋势。
