动物鼻子之趣闻
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Where would we be without our noses? Our sense of smell keeps us from eating that refrigerated week-old dish with the unusually strong odor. The city gas department adds a rotten egg smell to natural gas so we can tell if there is a leak. Members of the animal world depend on their noses not only for the ability to detect smells but also for many other things. Let's examine a few fun facts about some unusual noses in the animal kingdom.
如果没有鼻子，我们将身处何种境地？我们的嗅觉让我们不吃那些在冰箱里放了一周而有了异味的饭菜。城市供气部门给天然气加了臭鸡蛋味，让我们能知道是否有燃气泄漏。动物世界里许多动物都靠它们的鼻子来辨别气味和做许多别的事情。让我们来看看动物王国里一些不同寻常的鼻子趣闻吧。
Elephant's Trunk1)
Consider the elephant. An elephant's trunk is not only its nose but also an extension of its upper lip. An elephant can use its "nose" for more than smelling. The thousands of muscles in an elephant's trunk enable the animal to employ it as a strong arm to pick up heavy objects. Some people may have rather large noses but none can do what the elephant does, and that's a fact. The elephant drinks by sucking water partway up his "nose" and pointing the end of it into his mouth. When he raises his head, the water gushes2) in. Just try to drink with your nose!
Giant Anteater's3) Snout4)
One of the most unusual noses in the animal world is that of the giant anteater. Its long nose is rigid, not fleshy. Housed in this elongated5) snout is the almost two foot long sticky tongue, used for scooping6) ants and white ants from their hiding places. You would think that the anteater would snuff a lot of dirt up its nose, but the fact is this animal can seal off its nose when in pursuit of underground delicacies7). An additional fact about the anteater is that there are no teeth in this animal's combined nose and mouth.
Bactrian Camel's8) Nose
Another animal which shares the anteater's ability to seal off its nostrils from sandstorm debris is the Bactrian camel. The Gobi Desert9) is home to this two-humped camel. The camel's lungs and nose can also work together to trap any moisture which may be in the desert air, a fact which explains the animal's ability to live in an inhospitable environment.
Rhino's10) Nose
Some animals have rather poor eyesight or hearing. To compensate, the animal's sense of smell is usually highly developed. A rhino has poor eyesight but excellent senses of hearing and smell. When a rhino hears or smells a frightening or strange noise or odor, it may charge11). The animal uses its sense of smell to locate its target and its nose-mounted12) horn to chase the enemy away.
Toothed Whale's13) Blowhole14)
It's a fact that toothed whales use the blowhole, a flattened nose, as a breathing tube. When the whale dives, it can close its blowhole to prevent water from entering. Researchers have found that these types of whales have no olfactory nerves15) in the brain to indicate that they can smell anything.
Dog's Nose
Have you found that your dog strains at the leash16) until he can sniff17) each telephone pole, fire hydrant, or fence post in his path during your morning walk? Don't worry. He is just "reading" the morning newspaper, getting the facts about what went on during the evening hours. His nose is so sensitive to smells that he can detect a single drop of blood in a five-quart container of water. What is your dog saying when he spends time sniffing a fire hydrant and then marking it with his urine? He is not "talking" to you. He has discovered a strange dog's smell in his territory and is letting the stranger know he is in the area. Should the other dog pass that way again, he will quickly discover via his nose he is not the only animal in the neighborhood.
Comparing these facts about noses in the animal kingdom to what we know about the human nose, our own nose is rather limited in its abilities, don't you think?
大象的鼻子
来看一下大象。大象的鼻子不仅是它的鼻子，还是它上颚的延伸。大象的“鼻子”可不只是用来闻气味的。象鼻中成千上万的肌肉可以让它的鼻子像健壮的手臂一样举起重物。可能有些人的鼻子也很大，但是没有人的鼻子拥有大象鼻子那样的本领，这是不争的事实。大象把水吸到“鼻子”的中部，再把鼻子的末端伸进嘴里，然后昂起头，水便流进了嘴里。试着用你的鼻子喝水看看！
大食蚁兽的鼻子
大食蚁兽的鼻子算得上动物界最不寻常的鼻子之一。它的长鼻子非常坚硬，没有多少肉。而在这细长的鼻子中还长着约两英尺长的黏乎乎的舌头，大食蚁兽就是用这舌头把蚂蚁和白蚁从它们的藏身之地粘取出来。你可能认为大食蚁兽的鼻子会因此吸入很多的尘土，但事实上它在寻找藏在地下的美味佳肴时，可以把自己的鼻孔闭起来。另一个事实是大食蚁兽的鼻子和嘴是一体的，而且里面没有牙齿。
双峰驼的鼻子
另外一种和食蚁兽有同样本领、可以把鼻孔闭上的动物便是双峰驼，它们借此来避免吸入风沙尘土。戈壁沙漠正是这种双峰驼的家园。双峰驼的肺和鼻子可以一起捕捉沙漠空气中可能存在的任何一点儿水汽。这一事实也说明了它们具备在恶劣环境中生存的本领。
犀牛的鼻子
有些动物的视力很差或是听觉不灵。为了弥补这些缺陷，它们的嗅觉通常很发达。犀牛的视力很差，但它的听觉和嗅觉却很发达。当犀牛听到恐怖的声音或是闻到奇怪的气味时，它可能就会发起攻击。犀牛用它的嗅觉来锁定目标，用长在鼻子上的牛角来赶走敌人。
齿鲸的鼻孔
齿鲸用喷水孔也就是它那扁平的鼻子作为呼吸管道。当齿鲸潜水时，它可以关闭喷水孔来阻止水的进入。研究人员已发现在这类鲸鱼的大脑中根本没有可以表明它们能闻到东西的嗅觉神经。
狗的鼻子
早上遛狗时，你有没有发现你的狗总想挣脱狗链，直到它能嗅到路边一个个电话杆、消防栓或者栅栏柱？别担心。它只是在“读”早报，看看昨天晚上发生了些什么事而已。狗的嗅觉足够灵敏，甚至能闻出滴入一个装有五夸脱水的容器里的一滴血。当你的狗在那专心地嗅消防栓并撒泡尿做记号时，它想表达什么呢？它可不是在和你“交流”，而是在它的地盘上发现了另一条陌生狗的气味，并告诉这个陌生者这儿是它的地盘。如果再有一条狗从这条路经过，它就可以闻到这股味，迅速地发现它并不是这附近唯一的动物。
把动物王国的鼻子趣闻与我们对人类鼻子所知的相比，我们的鼻子还是能力有限啊，你不觉得吗？
1. trunk [trʌŋk] n. 象鼻
2. gush [ʌʃ] vi. 喷，涌
3. giant anteater: 【动】大食蚁兽
4. snout [snaʊt] n. (动物的)口鼻部
5. elongated [ˈiːlɒŋeɪtɪd] adj. 瘦长的，细长的
6. scoop [skuːp] vt. 挖出；舀取
7. delicacy [ˈdelɪkəsi] n. 美味，佳肴
8. Bactrian camel: 【动】(产于中亚一带的)双峰驼
9. Gobi Desert: 戈壁，戈壁沙漠
10. rhino [ˈraɪnəʊ] n. ( = rhinoceros)犀牛
11. charge [tʃːdʒ] vi. 冲锋，向前冲
12. mount [maʊnt] vt. 安放，安装
13. toothed whale: 【动】齿鲸
14. blowhole [ˈbləʊhəʊl] n. (鲸等的)鼻孔
15. olfactory nerve: 【解】嗅神经
16. strain at the leash: (猎犬等)牵扯链索，(猎犬等)想挣脱皮带急欲摆脱束缚以获自由
17. sniff [snɪf] vt. 嗅，闻