『新东方在线托福听力』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 64 Lec3听力练习：Why does the professor mention chemical compounds in Gila monster venom?原文题目答案解析，TPO/Official 64 Lec3听力原文范文音频翻译。

托福TPO/Official 64 Lec3听力原文Why does the professor mention chemical compounds in Gila monster venom?【新东方在线】

NARRATOR: Listen to part of a lecture in a zoology class.

男教授：教授，我们之前讨论了分类原则，某些类型的动物如何与其他动物相关，以及不同种类动物之间的相似性。

MALE PROFESSOR: Professor, we were talking about the principles of classification, how some types of animals are related to other animals, and similarities between different kinds of animals.

但昨晚我读教科书时，它提到有很多动物彼此相关，尽管它们之间存在一些重大差异。您能稍微谈谈这一点吗？

But I was reading the textbook last night and it mention that there are lots of animals that are related to each other, even though they have some major dissimilarities. Could you talk about that a little bit?

女教授：当然可以。我很高兴你提出了这个问题。但首先，出于好奇，你们中有没有人来自美国西南部？没有吗？

FEMALE PROFESSOR: Sure. And I'm glad you brought that up. But first, out of curiosity, are any of you from the southwestern part of the United States? No?

那我可能要向大多数人解释一些新内容了，因为当你问这个问题时，我首先想到的是一种蜥蜴——吉拉毒蜥。

well, then I'm probably explaining something a little new to most of you, because when you ask about that, the example that jumps to my mind is one type of lizard, the Gila monster.

女教授：吉拉毒蜥几乎都生活在美国西南部和墨西哥北部的沙漠地区

FEMALE PROFESSOR: Gila monster is pretty much all live in the desert areas of the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico, parts of northern Mexico.

吉拉毒蜥在外观和行为上与其他蜥蜴非常相似，但在一个关键方面，它似乎有所不同。

The Gila monster looks and acts a lot like other lizards, but in one key way, it seems different.

我的意思是，吉拉毒蜥会被归类为蜥蜴，因为吉拉毒蜥和所有蜥蜴都共享某些特征，比如头骨、下颌和其他部分骨骼的特征。

I mean, Gila monsters would be classified as lizards because the Gila monster and all lizards share certain characteristics, some of the features of the skull, the jaw, and other parts of the skeleton.

所有这些蜥蜴都从共同祖先那里继承了这些特征。这就是它们被归类为蜥蜴的原因。

All these lizards inherit these features from a common ancestor. That's why they are classified as lizards.

大多数蜥蜴还有四条腿、长尾巴、覆盖鳞片的皮肤，嗯，还有三角形的头部……是的，米歇尔？

And most lizards also have things like four legs, a long tail skin covered in scales, let's see, a triangular head and…Yes, Michelle?

女学生：我们的讲义第12页上有一张插图。

FEMALE STUDENT: You know, there's actually an illustration of one on, let's see, page 12 of our handouts.

女教授：谢谢，米歇尔。让我们都来看看。基本上，它是一种相当大型的生物，大约两英尺长。你可以看到它全身都有斑点或斑块。迈克？

FEMALE PROFESSOR: Thanks, Michelle. Let's all take a look. Basically, it's a fairly large creature. I guess about two feet long. You can see those spots or blotches all along its body. Mike?

男学生：您说吉拉毒蜥与大多数其他蜥蜴不同。但根据您刚才的描述和图片，它看起来和其他蜥蜴很像。

MALE STUDENT: You said that Gila monsters are different from most other lizards. But what you just described and the picture, it's like lots of other lizards.

女教授：对。正如我所说，吉拉毒蜥与其他蜥蜴相似，但它们有一个显著的不同。与几乎所有其他蜥蜴不同，吉拉毒蜥是有毒的。

FEMALE PROFESSOR: Right,yes. As I said, Gila monsters are like other lizards, but they have one significant difference. In contrast to nearly all other lizards, Gila monsters are venomous.

男学生：有毒？您是说像蛇一样有毒吗？

MALE STUDENT: Venomous? You mean poisonous, like snakes?

女教授：是的。事实上，吉拉毒蜥在这方面与某些蛇非常相似，但蛇并不具备我之前提到的所有其他特征。

FEMALE PROFESSOR: Well,yes. In fact, Gila monsters are a lot like some snakes in that way, but snakes don't have all those other characteristics I mentioned before.

但许多蛇，许多种类的蛇都是有毒的。那么，吉拉毒蜥是与蛇更接近，还是与蜥蜴更接近呢？

But many snakes, many kinds of snakes are venomous. So are Gila monsters more closely related to snakes or to lizards?

女教授：不，是蜥蜴。确实，吉拉毒蜥和蛇确实有一个主要共同特征。而且蛇和吉拉毒蜥都是爬行动物。但什么帮助我们决定吉拉毒蜥属于哪一类呢？

FEMALE PROFESSOR: No, lizards. It's true that Gila monsters and snakes do have that one major characteristic in common. And of course snakes and Gila monsters are both reptiles. But what helps us decide where the Gila monster belongs?

这是我想在这里强调的重点。不同物种中的相似特征可能是因为它们从共同祖先那里继承而来。

Well,and this is the point I wanna stress here. Similar features in different species may occur because they were inherited from a common ancestor.

那么这些特征表明物种是相关的，但它们也可能独立进化。甚至它们可能出于完全不同的原因、不同的目的而进化。这就是这里发生的情况。

Then those features are a sign that the species are related, but they may also evolve independently. And they may even evolve for completely different reasons, different purposes. And that's what's happening here.

不仅蛇和吉拉毒蜥的毒液系统独立进化，而且它们的功能也大不相同。

Not only did the venom system of snakes and Gila monsters evolve independently, but they also function quite differently from each other.

蛇使用它们的毒液来捕猎和制服猎物以获取食物，但吉拉毒蜥基本上只用它来自卫。

The snakes use their venom to hunt and subdue prey for food, but Gila monsters just… they basically use it for self-defense.

女教授：你只会看到吉拉毒蜥在受到攻击或感到某种威胁时使用它的毒液。

FEMALE PROFESSOR: You'll only see a Gila monster use its venom if it's attacked, or if it feels threatened in some way.

你看，吉拉毒蜥在感觉到危险时，首先会尝试隐藏，融入环境中。

You see, Gila monsters, when they sense danger, they first try to hide, to mix in with the environment.

它们皮肤的颜色和斑点与周围环境的颜色很好地融合在一起。

The colors of their skin with all its spots and blotches blend well with the colors of their surroundings.

但有时它们的伪装可能会失败。于是为了防御，它们使用毒液。

But sometimes their camouflage can fail. So then for defense, they use their venom.

所以回到重点，仅仅因为蛇和吉拉毒蜥都有毒就将它们归为同一类别是错误的。

So getting back to the point, it would be a mistake to classify snakes and Gila monsters in the same category, just because they're both venomous.

女教授：关于吉拉毒蜥和它们的毒液还有一件有趣的事情。

FEMALE PROFESSOR: There's another interesting thing about Gila monsters and their venom.

它们的毒液中有一种化学物质正被用于一种新药，以帮助对抗2型糖尿病。

There's a chemical in their venom that's being used in a new drug to help fight type 2 diabetes.

这种新药的实验可能代表一个重要的医学突破。

And the experiments with this new drug, this could really represent an important medical breakthrough.

值得注意的是，这种化学物质仅在吉拉毒蜥的毒液中发现。它不存在于蛇中，也不存在于任何其他蜥蜴中。

It's worth noting that this chemical is only found in the venom of Gila monsters. It doesn't occur in snakes, and it doesn't occur in any other lizard.

Why does the professor discuss Gila monsters?

What reason does the professor give for classifying Gila monsters as lizards?

According to the professor, when do Gila monsters use their venom?

Why does the professor mention chemical compounds in Gila monster venom?

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