【英语时差8,16】如何防御霜冻你的花园：抗冻植物

How To Defend Your Gardens From Frostbite: Antifreeze For Plants 

 

D:Why is the glum¹ face,Yeal? 

 

Y:I spend a small fortune on plants for my garden this year,but an early frost destroied half of them. 

 

D:You are not the only person who is lost plants to an unexpect frost.Did you know that Americans spend nearly forty billion dollars each year on their lawns and gardens? So when a sudden freeze or heavy frost comes along, it can mean serious financial costs. 

 

Y:Not to mention the other costs. I put a lot of love and time into my garden. It was heartbreaking to lose my tomato plant. 

 

D:Well,good news. You might soon have a new tool to fight freeze damage. A team of botanists² working in Alabama and Ohio have developed a spray that can make plants more tolerant of the cold!Sprayed plants can survive at temperatures down to nearly ten degrees colder than what they normally can endure. 

 

Y:Wow,how does this anti-freeze spray work? 

 

D:The spray uses a combination of ingredients that help lower the freezing point of the plant.Just how affect this spray is depends on the species. The formula works with a plant’s genetic³ pre adaptation for cold protection and improves it. The solution enters the plant through the leaves, and stimulates⁴ the plants’ own cold weather defense⁵ mechanisms⁶.The spray helps the plant increase the natural antifreeze compounds made inside its cells. It also helps protect cells from damage caused by freezing. Then if some of the cells freeze anyway, the damage to the plant is reduced. A single spray can last from four to six weeks. It’s expected to be available for purchase by spring of 2010. 

 

Y:I can't wait to try it.

1 glum   

adj.闷闷不乐的，阴郁的

参考例句：

• He was a charming mixture of glum and glee.他是一个很有魅力的人，时而忧伤时而欢笑。
• She laughed at his glum face.她嘲笑他闷闷不乐的脸。

2 botanists   

n.植物学家，研究植物的人( botanist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Botanists had some difficulty categorizing the newly found plant. 植物学家们不大容易确定这种新发现的植物的种类。 来自辞典例句
• Botanists refer this flower to the rose family. 植物学家将这花归入蔷薇科。 来自辞典例句

3 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

4 stimulates   

v.刺激( stimulate的第三人称单数 )；激励；使兴奋；起兴奋作用，起刺激作用，起促进作用

参考例句：

• Exercise stimulates the body. 运动促进身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Alcohol stimulates the action of the heart. 酒刺激心脏的活动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》