石继忠

你也许从来没有注意到脚下的蚂蚁，因为它们是那样渺小和默默无闻。然而它们却是人类义务的清洁工。它们总是不知疲倦地辛勤工作，把我们的地面打扫得干干净净。你知道这些小生命的真实生活吗？下面让我们一探究竟吧！

There are many kinds of ants in the world， but black ants are the most common. They always live in their nests together. They are the most hard-working creatures1 and most of them make their homes underground.

世界上有各种各样的蚂蚁，但黑蚂蚁是最普通的一种。它们总是群居在自己的巢穴里。它们是最勤奋的生物，而且它们的家大部分都建在地下。

The small black ants are busy every day. They run here and there all the time. Sometimes they are in the grasses. Sometimes they are in the trees. They even come to our picnic.

这些小黑蚂蚁每天非常忙碌，整日东奔西跑。它们有时在草丛中，有时在树上，有时甚至来参加我们的野餐。

They are not trying to be harmful， but are only doing the house-keeping job. They know how to keep their house clean when they were born. They are the cleaning workers of the earth.

它们并无公害，它们只是在打理自己的家务。它们生来就知道怎样打理家务。它们还是地球的清洁工。

One of these ants， looking around in the grass， finds an injured beetle2. In a strange way， the news will be learned by other ants. Soon there are two， then a few more. Then a lot of more ants are running around the beetle. Enough ants will come to put an end to it.

一只蚂蚁在草丛中四处张望，找到了一只受伤的甲虫。它用一种奇怪的方法，很快就把这个消息传达给它的同伴。不一会儿，两只，接着，几只，最后有很多只蚂蚁都跑过来围在甲虫身边。这些蚂蚁足够可以把甲虫置于死地。

When the beetle is dead， the ants carry it away to their underground nests. An ant can carry things many times heavier than his body. Sometimes they will eat the beetle and leave nothing in the grass but the empty shell.

当甲虫死了之后，蚂蚁们就把它搬走，放到它们地下的巢穴里。一只蚂蚁能搬动数倍于自己身体重量的东西。有时，它们会杀死并吃掉一只甲虫，只在草丛中留下一个空壳。

1. creature [] n. 生物，动物

2. beetle [] n. 甲壳虫endprint