时差N小时:怎样靠蟋蟀的鸣叫来推测时间?
设想一下，你在夏夜的树林深处露营。太阳落到地平线以下，温度开始下降，你不禁打了一个寒颤。于是你在肩上披上夹克，你想知道到底有多冷。有一个聪明的办法能帮你找到答案，你只需要三样东西：1. 手表;2.耳朵;3. 耐心。
Start by listening for a chirping cricket. Male crickets around the world make thischaracteristic sound by rubbing their wings together. The edge of a male cricket's right wingis covered with little ridges, like a file or a washboard. As he rubs his left wing cover across theuneven right wing, he produces an insect love song that female crickets find irresistible.
首先，倾听鸣叫的蟋蟀。世界各地的雄性蟋蟀摩擦翅膀时都会发出一种独特的声音。雄性蟋蟀的右翼边缘上布满了小小的突起，就像文件和搓衣板一样。当它摩擦翅膀，左右翼交叉碰撞时就唱出了一种让雌性蟋蟀很难以抵抗的悦耳的情歌。
Female crickets use this amorous chirping to find their perfect mate, listening with a pair ofspecial ears located below the knees. Now you can use these same serenades to calculate thetemperature.
雌性蟋蟀凭这种多情的鸣叫来寻找完美的伴侣，它们可以用位于膝盖以下的特殊耳朵来聆听。现在你也能利用这些情歌来计算出温度。
Most insects tend to be more active when it's hot, and more sluggish in cooler weather.Crickets are no exception to this rule.
天热时，大多数昆虫往往很活跃，天冷时则行动迟缓。蟋蟀也不例外。
In cold weather, a cricket will do everything more slowly, and as the temperature drops, sodoes the tempo of his love song. By measuring how quickly he chirps, you can find outapproximately how cold it is.
天冷时，蟋蟀做所有的事情都更慢一点，因为温度下降，它们的情歌节奏也随之变慢。通过测量鸣叫的速度，你就能知道大概有多冷。
It's easy to do: Simply count the number of chirps a single cricket makes in a fifteen secondperiod, then add thirty seven. Although individual species might be a little faster or slower,this should give a fair approximation of the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
方法很简单：只要数一只蟋蟀每15秒钟鸣叫的次数，然后加上37就行了。尽管有时候会因个体差异而忽快忽慢，但计算结果仍然很接近华氏摄氏度的温度。
Remember: fifteen seconds worth of chirps, plus thirty seven. Even if the chirping keeps youawake all night, at least you'll know the temperature.
记住：15秒内鸣叫的次数，加上37。尽管这种鸣叫会让你一夜难眠，但至少你能靠它计算出温度。
