AlmostanyonewhohasreadatravelbrochureaboutAfricahasheardofelephantsgettingdrunkfromthefruitofthemarulatree.Itissaidthatelephantscangetdrunkbyeatingthefermented(发酵)fruitrottingontheground.Bookshaveevenbeenwrittentoprovethetruthofthephenomenon.
Butastudypublished in thejournalPhysiologicalandBiochemicalZoologytellsaverydifferentstory.
SteveMorrisabiologistattheUniversityofBristolinEnglandandanauthorofthestudysaysthereisnothinginthebiologyofeithertheAfricanelephantorthemarulafruittosupportthestories.Morrissays“Peoplejustwanttobelieveindrunkenelephants.”
Themarulatreeamemberofthesamefamilyasthemango,growswidelyinAfrica.Itssweetyellowfruitisusedformakingjamwineandbeer.“Thefirstmistakeofthedrunkenelephanttheoryisthatit'sunlikelythatanelephantwouldeatthefruitifitwererotten,”Morrissays.“Elephantseatthefruitrightoffthetree,notwhenit'srottenontheground,”heexplains.
Otherexpertsaddthatifanelephantweretoeatthefruitonthegrounditwouldn'twaitforthefruittoferment.MichelleGaddanAfricanwildlifespecialistsaysthatelephantsandmanyotheranimalsincludingbirdsandmonkeysaretoofondofmarulafruittoletitrot.
Ifthefermentedfruitonthegroundisoutofthequestionsoisthenotionthatthefruitcouldfermentinthestomachofelephants,accordingtothestudyauthors.Foodtakesbetween12and46hourstopassthroughanelephant'sdigestivesystemtheauthorspointout,whichisnotenoughforthefruittoferment.
Supposingthatthishappenedit'sstillhighlyimprobablethatthefoodwouldproduceenoughalcoholtomakeanelephantdrunk.Throughcalculationsofbodyweightelephantdigestionratesandotherfactorstheauthorsconcludethatitwouldtakeabout1.9litresofethanol(乙醇)tomakeanelephantdrunk.
56.Wecanlearnfromthepassagethat________.
A.itisnoteasytofindthemarulafruitinthewild inAfrica
B.Africanelephantsdon'tliketoeatthemarulafruit atall
C.themarulafruitcanbemadeintofoodordrink consumedbypeople
D.birdsandmonkeysinAfricaliketoeattherotten marulafruit