托福听力

🎧 听力原文

Listen to part of a lecture in a biology class. The professor is discussing animal communication. 'Today we're going to talk about a fascinating example of animal communication: the waggle dance of honeybees. When a worker bee finds a rich source of nectar, she returns to the hive and performs a series of movements that communicate the location of the food to other bees. The dance consists of a straight run, followed by a loop back to the starting point. The angle of the straight run relative to the vertical indicates the direction of the food source in relation to the sun. For example, if the bee runs straight up the honeycomb, that means the food is directly toward the sun. If she runs at a 45-degree angle to the left, the food is 45 degrees to the left of the sun. The duration of the dance, particularly the number of waggles during the straight run, indicates the distance. More waggles mean a longer distance. Interestingly, this communication is remarkably precise, allowing other bees to locate the food source with impressive accuracy. However, recent research suggests that the dance may not be purely instinctive; young bees seem to improve their dancing accuracy through experience.'