Bats
（1）In the distant past,many people thought bats had magical powers,but times have changed.Today, many people believe that bats are rodents,that they cannot see,and that they are more likely than other animals to carry rabies.All of this beliefs are mistaken.Bats are not rodents,are not blind,and are more likely than dogs and cats to transmit rabies.Bats,in fact,are among the least understood and least appreciated of animals.
在遥远的过去，许多人认为蝙蝠有神奇的力量，但时代已经改变了。 今天，许多人相信蝙蝠是啮齿动物，它们看不见，而且它们比其他动物更有可能携带狂犬病。 所有这些信念都是错误的。 蝙蝠不是啮齿动物，也不是盲人，比起猫狗更容易传播狂犬病。 事实上，蝙蝠是动物中最不被了解和最不被欣赏的一种。
（2）Bats are not rodents with wings,contrary to popular belief.Like all rodents,bats are mammals,but they have a skeleton similar to the human skeleton.The bones in but wings are much like those in arms and the human hand,with a thumb and four fingers.In bats,the bones of the arms and the four fingers of hands are very long.This bone structure helps support the web of skin that stretches from the body to the ends of the fingers to form wings.
与人们普遍认为的相反，蝙蝠没有翅膀。 和所有的啮齿动物一样，蝙蝠也是哺乳动物，但它们的骨骼与人类骨骼相似。翅膀中的骨骼很像手臂和人类的手，有拇指和四指。蝙蝠的手臂和四个手指的骨骼非常长。 这种骨骼结构有助于支撑从身体延伸到手指末端形成翅膀的皮肤网。
（3）Although bats cannot see colors,they have good vision in both dim and bright light.Since most bats stay in darkness during the day and do their feeding at night,they do not use their vision to maneuver in the dark but use a process called echolocation.This process enables bats to emit sounds from their mouths that bounce off objects and allow them to avoid the objects when flying.They use this system to locate flying insects to feed on as well.Typically,insect-eating bats emerge at dusk and fly to streams or ponds where they feed.
蝙蝠虽然看不见颜色，但在昏暗和明亮的光线下，它们的视力都很好。 由于大多数蝙蝠白天呆在黑暗中，晚上进食，它们不用视觉在黑暗中移动，而是使用一种叫做回声定位的过程。 这个过程使得蝙蝠能够从嘴里发出声音，从而弹开物体，使得它们在飞行时能够避开物体。 他们也利用这个系统来定位飞行的昆虫，以此为食。 通常，以昆虫为食的蝙蝠在黄昏时分出现，飞向它们觅食的溪流或池塘。
（4）They catch the insects on their wingtip or tail membrane and fling them into their mouths while flying.There are about 1,000 species of bats,ranging in size from the bumblebee bat,which is about an inch long,to the flying fox,which is sixteen inches long and has a wingspan of five feet.Each type of bat has a specialized diet.For seventy percent of bats,the diet is insects.Other types of bats feed on flowers,pollen,nectar,and fruit or an small animals such as birds,mice,lizards,and frogs.
它们用翅尖或尾部的薄膜捕捉昆虫，并在飞行时把它们扔进嘴里。 蝙蝠大约有1000种，从大约一英寸长的大黄蜂蝙蝠到十六英寸长、翼展5英尺的飞狐。 每种蝙蝠都有特定的食谱。 百分之七十的蝙蝠以昆虫为食。 其他种类的蝙蝠以花朵、花粉、花蜜和水果或小动物如鸟类、老鼠、蜥蜴和青蛙为食。
（5）One species of bat feeds on the blood of large mammals.This is the common vampire bat,which lives only in Latin America and is probably best known for feeding on the blood of cattle.Unfortunately,in an attempt to control vampire bat populations,farmers have unintentionally killed thousands of beneficial fruit-and insect-eating bats as well.
有一种蝙蝠以大型哺乳动物的血为食。 这是一种普通的吸血蝙蝠，它只生活在拉丁美洲，最出名的可能是以牛的血为食。 不幸的是，为了控制吸血蝙蝠的数量，农民们无意中也杀死了数千只以水果和昆虫为食的蝙蝠。
（6）Bats, in fact,perform a number of valuable functions.Their greatest economic value is in eliminating insect pests.Insect-eating bats can catch six hundred mosquitoes in an hour and eat half their body weight in insects every night.In many tropical rain forests,fruit-eating bats are the main means of spreading the seeds of tropical fruits.Nectar-feeding bats pollinate a number of tropical plants.If it were not for bats,we might not have peaches,bananas,mangoes,guavas,figs,or dates.
实际上，蝙蝠执行许多有价值的功能。它们的最大经济价值在于消除害虫。以昆虫为食的蝙蝠可以在一个小时内捕获六百只蚊子，每晚可将昆虫的体重吃掉一半。在许多热带雨林中 ，吃水果的蝙蝠是传播热带水果种子的主要手段。以花蜜喂养的蝙蝠为许多热带植物授粉。如果不是蝙蝠，我们可能没有桃子，香蕉，芒果，番石榴，无花果或 海枣。
（7）Today the survival of many bat species is uncertain.Sixty percent of bats do not survive past infancy.Some are killed by predators such as owls,hawks,snakes and other meat-eating creatures,but most are victims of pesticides and other human intrusions.In Carlsbad Caverns,New Mexico,where there were once eight million bats,there are now a quarter millon.
如今，许多蝙蝠的生存方式还不确定。百分之六十的蝙蝠在婴儿期后都无法生存。一些蝙蝠被猫头鹰，鹰，蛇和其他食肉动物等食肉动物杀死，但大多数是农药和其他人类入侵的受害者。 在新墨西哥州的卡尔斯巴德卡文斯（Carlsbad Caverns），曾经有800万只蝙蝠，现在只有四分之一。
（8）At Eagle Creek,Arizona,the bat population dropped from thirty million to thiry thousand in six years.Bats often have been burdened with a bad reputation,perhaps beacause they are not the warm,cuddly sort of animal we love to love.However,their unusual physical features should not lead us to overstimate their harm or to underestimate their value.
在亚利桑那州的伊格尔克里克（Eagle Creek），蝙蝠的数量在六年内从三千万减少到三万。蝙蝠经常背负着不良的声誉，也许是因为它们不是我们喜欢爱的温暖可爱的动物。 不寻常的物理特征不应导致我们夸大其害或低估其价值。
第一段：Contrary to popular belief,bats are not blind rodents that usually have rabies.
第二段：Bats are mammals ,but they have similar bone structure and skeleton to that of huamns,so that thay are not winged rodents.
第三段：Bats are color blind,they use echolocation to maneuver and locate flying insects in darkness.
第四段：Species of bats total about a thousand.The species come in a variety of sizes and have unique diets.Most eat insects,but some eat plant products and small animals.
第五段：Vampire bats drink blood,which can be harmful to livestock.Farmers have accidentally killed many innocent bats while trying ro rid themselves of vampire bats.
第六段：Bats can actually be helpful to humans.They can destroy many unwanted bugs and spread fruit seeds and pollinate plants.
第七段：The survival of bats is not known because many are killed by human disruptions and predators.
第八段：The bat population has dropped steadily and many continue to drop.Hopefully,we will realize thay although bats look different than our favorite animals,we can learn to accept and admire their value and uniqueness.