11月6日午间英语新闻：“苍蝇小馆”频频上榜，美食探店你选哪个？

Do scarecrows actually work?

揭秘：稻草人真的能把鸟吓走吗？

Every Halloween, scarecrows become standard lawn decor. Trick-or-treaters might find them frightening, but what about the birds that these effigies are supposed to repel?

每年万圣节，稻草人都是草地上的标配装饰物。不给糖就捣蛋的小孩可能会被稻草人吓到，但其实稻草人的作用本来是驱赶鸟类，它们真的能把鸟吓走吗？

Apparently, some birds dislike them more than others. A series of tests conducted in 1980 found that small ponds near where a scarecrow was planted saw a 95 percent drop in visits by local ducks. On the other hand, certain species don’t seem to notice them. During the 1930s, wildlife scientist K.R. Lagler sent one scarecrow adrift on a floating buoy at a West Virginia fish hatchery. While most birds steered clear of the thing, he noted that it failed to deter kingfishers.

显然，有些鸟真的不喜欢稻草人。1980年开展的一系列测试发现，附近安插了稻草人的小池塘在当地吸引的鸭子数量减少了95%。与此同时，某些鸟类似乎注意不到稻草人。上世纪30年代，野生动物科学家K·R·拉格勒在美国西弗吉尼亚州的一个鱼苗孵化场中把稻草人放在浮标上漂流。尽管多数鸟儿都会避开稻草人，但是拉格勒发现，稻草人对翠鸟没有震慑作用。

While traditional, motionless scarecrows do work against “pest birds” (e.g. crows and blackbirds), the effect is almost always temporary. However, a few tricks can up your scarecrow’s game. Researchers have learned that those with realistic facial features and brightly colored clothes are slightly better at shooing away birds. Also, moving a scarecrow around every few days often helps.

尽管传统的一动不动的稻草人对害鸟（比如乌鸦和乌鸫）确实有作用，但是效果基本上都持续不了多久。随着时间流逝，这些鸟类习惯了一动不动的稻草人，又会故态复萌，开始毁坏庄稼。不过，只需几个小技巧就能让稻草人战斗力升级。研究人员发现，面容逼真、衣服鲜艳的稻草人对于吓走鸟儿略胜一筹。另外，每隔几天就移动一下稻草人也有帮助。

According to several studies, flailing models get the very best results. In 1989, one scientist reported that a “human-like mannequin” that occasionally lurched upwards via a double propane cannon managed to keep up to six acres of sunflowers safe from blackbirds.

多项研究显示，双臂挥舞的稻草人效果最好。1989年，一名科学家报告称，通过一个双丙烷加农炮让一个人体模型时不时突然冒出来，成功地让6英亩向日葵花田免受乌鸫的侵害。

Future farmers may have plenty of high-tech options to choose from. A robotic alternative known as the “Agrilaser” randomly deploys sweeping laser beams to keep birds away. Another contraption—the solar-powered “digital scarecrow”—detects nearby animals with an infrared eye that surveys 178,000 square feet. When a critter gets too close, it’s warded off with a harmless supersonic wave.

未来农民们可能会有很多高科技驱鸟产品供其选择。一款名为Agrilaser的驱鸟机器随机扫射激光束来驱赶鸟儿。另一种号称“数字稻草人”的太阳能装置可以用红外探测器扫描17.8平方英尺范围并检测到附近的动物。当一个动物靠得太近，这种数字稻草人就会发射无害的超声波来驱赶动物。

重点词汇：

1.scarecrow

英/ˈskeəkrəʊ/

美/ˈskerkroʊ/

n.（插在田里吓鸟的）稻草人；<非正式>衣着破烂的人，容貌古怪的人，骨瘦如柴的人

2.effigy

英/ˈefɪdʒi/

美/ˈefɪdʒi/

n.雕像，肖像

3.repel

英/rɪˈpel/

美/rɪˈpel/

v.击退，驱逐；抵御，驱除；使厌恶，使反感；抵制，不愿接受；排斥，相斥

4.kingfisher

英/ˈkɪŋfɪʃə(r)/

美/ˈkɪŋfɪʃər/

n.[鸟] 翠鸟；鱼狗

5.blackbird

英/ˈblækbɜːd/

美/ˈblækbɜːrd/

n.画眉；燕八哥；山鸟类；(欧洲的)乌鸫

6.flail

英/fleɪl/

美/fleɪl/

v.乱动；（用棍棒）猛击；（使）大幅波动；踉跄；用连枷打（谷）

n.连枷（旧时打谷物用的工具）

7.propane

英/ˈprəʊpeɪn/

美/ˈproʊpeɪn/

n.[有化] 丙烷

8.contraption

英/kənˈtræpʃn/

美/kənˈtræpʃn/

n.奇妙的装置；精巧的设计

Hole-in-the-wall restaurants have become a new trend
“苍蝇小馆”频频上榜，美食探店你选哪个？

It seems that the era of fancy, well-known restaurants has ended as people are now more interested in finding which hole-in-the-wall restaurant has the best food. Before, a table of delicately arranged desserts in a fancy hotel was worth showing off; nowadays, it’s more fulfilling to post hole-in-the-wall restaurants you have found on Xiaohongshu and be asked for the address in the comment section.

如今，人们更感兴趣的是寻找哪家不起眼的餐馆最好吃，寻找高级精致餐厅似乎已经过时了。以前，在高档餐厅里摆上一桌精致的甜点是值得炫耀的；如今，在小红书上，“苍蝇小馆探店分享”帖被关注似乎更有成就感。

According to Hubei Daily, hole-in-the-wall restaurants are small restaurants that are not highly decorated or service-focused like traditional restaurants but have many delicious local dishes. Though they have long served as the “canteen” of their surrounding neighborhoods, these hole-in-the-wall restaurants have gradually retreated from the busy streets as more high-rise structures are built. 

据《湖北日报》报道，“苍蝇小馆”不像传统餐馆那样注重装修、服务，而是更注重餐品的味道。一些住在附近的人，甚至会把这里当做后食堂。但随着商业街的扩展，一些小馆也逐渐隐退于市。

Many hole-in-the-wall restaurant lovers desire a more natural lifestyle, with some viewing their dining habits as a protest against consumerism. A native of Wuhan surnamed Tian is one of them. She appreciates that these humble diners cook food with care. In contrast, some internet-famous restaurants only use pre-made food or simply stir-fry their dishes, she complained. This results in the foods having similar tastes.

许多苍蝇小馆爱好者渴望一种更加接地气的生活方式，其中一些人将他们的就餐习惯视为对消费主义的抗议。一位武汉人表示，她很欣赏苍蝇小馆这种用心做菜的态度。相比之下，一些网红餐厅只使用预制菜，或只进行简单的翻炒，菜品毫无特色，味道都大差不差。

Still, there are risks for both owners and fans of hole-in-the-wall restaurants. To solve these problems, Zou Zhiping, a professor at Hubei University of Economics, suggested that the government provide training and more support for these restaurants.

不过，对于苍蝇小馆的老板和粉丝来说，都存在风险。湖北经济大学的邹教授表示，为了解决这些问题，建议政府为这些小餐馆提供培训和相关支持。同样，小餐馆也应该提高自身服务能力。

重点词汇：

1.hole-in-the-wall

英/ˌhəʊl ɪn ðə ˈwɔːl/

美/ˌhoʊl ɪn ðə ˈwɔːl/

adj.简陋的；狭小的

2.stir-fry

英/ˈstɜː fraɪ/

美/ˈstɜːr fraɪ/

v.翻炒，用旺火爆炒

adj.爆炒的

n.（一盘）炒菜