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a swarm of locusts
swarm 指“一大群（飞行昆虫）”，后接复数名词 locusts。
A swarm of locusts can strip a field of crops in minutes.
一群蝗虫能在几分钟内把田里的庄稼吃光。
蝗虫
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
蝗虫
a migratory grasshopper of warm regions having short antennae
A swarm of locusts can strip a field of crops in minutes.
一群蝗虫能在几分钟内把田里的庄稼吃光。
Any of the grasshoppers, often polyphenic and usually swarming, in the family Acrididae that are very destructive to crops and other vegetation, especially migratory locusts (Locusta migratoria).
温暖地区的迁徙蝗虫,短触角
migratory grasshoppers of warm regions having short antennae
Any of various often leguminous trees and shrubs, especially of the genera Robinia and Gleditsia; locust tree.
各种洋槐树的硬木
hardwood from any of various locust trees
A swarm of locusts destroyed the farmer's crops.
一群蝗虫毁坏了农民的庄稼。
The locust landed on a leaf and ate it in minutes.
一只蝗虫落在叶子上，几分钟就把它吃光了。
Scientists are studying how locusts communicate to prevent outbreaks.
科学家正在研究蝗虫如何交流，以防爆发蝗灾。
swarm 指“一大群（飞行昆虫）”，后接复数名词 locusts。
A swarm of locusts can strip a field of crops in minutes.
一群蝗虫能在几分钟内把田里的庄稼吃光。
plague of locusts 是固定搭配，强调蝗灾的严重性和破坏性。
The country is battling the worst plague of locusts in living memory.
该国正在与人们记忆中最严重的蝗灾作斗争。
descend on 表示“突然大批到达”，常用来描述蝗虫等生物的入侵。
Millions of locusts descended on farms across the province.
数百万只蝗虫突然降临该省各地的农田。
Not this
A swarm of locust has eaten all the crops.
Use this
A swarm of locusts has eaten all the crops.
locust 是可数名词，a swarm of（一群）后面要接复数名词，所以必须写 locusts。中文里“蝗虫”没有复数形式，容易漏加 -s；在英语中，量词短语后的可数名词用复数，而主语是 a swarm，谓语仍用单数 has。
Not this
The locusts is destroying the rice.
Use this
The locusts are destroying the rice.
主语 locusts 是复数，英语的 be 动词要与主语在数上一致，因此用 are，不能用 is。中文动词没有单复数变化，所以学习者要记住复数主语搭配复数谓语。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
一群蝗虫
A swarm of locusts destroyed the crops.
一群蝗虫毁掉了庄稼。
沙漠蝗虫
The desert locust is a major agricultural pest.
沙漠蝗虫是一种主要的农业害虫。
蝗灾
The plague of locusts devastated the region.
蝗灾摧毁了该地区。
像蝗虫一样（大批地）
Tourists descended on the village like locusts.
游客们像蝗虫一样涌进村庄。
像蝗虫一般（成群结队地涌来并大肆消耗）
The tourists arrived like locusts, stripping the village shops bare.
游客像蝗虫一样蜂拥而至，把村里的商店扫荡一空。
蝗灾；喻指蜂拥而至的破坏性群体
Reporters descended on the town like a plague of locusts after the news broke.
消息传出后，记者们像蝗灾一样蜂拥涌入这座小城。
（经济艰难或物资匮乏的）困顿年代
The country is determined not to return to the locust years of the last recession.
这个国家决意不再回到上次衰退时那种困顿年代。
我必补还你们，就是蝗虫、蝻子、蚂蚱、剪虫那些年所吃的；那是我打发到你们中间的大军。
After losing his business, he often quoted the promise that the locust years would be restored.
生意失败后，他常引用那句应许：蝗虫吃掉的岁月必被补还。
蝗虫上来，布满埃及遍地，极其厉害；以前没有这样的，以后也必没有。
The plague of locusts in the movie was so vast that it felt like a scene straight out of Exodus.
电影中的蝗灾规模如此浩大，仿佛《出埃及记》里的场景。
Use locust naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
谐音联想：locust 像 low cost（低成本），但蝗虫过境绝非低成本——记住这场‘天价’蝗灾。
语域：neutral 常见场景：新闻报道（蝗灾）、科普/自然讨论、文学比喻 locust 是中性常用词，通常用于书面和口语；多出现在新闻报道或科普文章中，指成群迁飞的蝗虫。本身没有明显的口语或书面语限制，正式程度随语境变化。
与 /ˈloʊkəst/ 押韵的词有 focused、unfocused（均含 /foʊkəst/）。locus 拼写相近但读 /ˈloʊkəs/，结尾没有 /t/；custody、custom 的 -cust- 读 /kʌ-/；bust 虽与 locust 一样以 -ust 结尾，却读 /bʌst/。这些词都容易与 locust 混淆，请注意区分。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.