美国小学英语教材3:第37课 食物工厂(1)

 The Food Factory 食物工厂

Did you know that plants make food for themselves? 你知道植物会给自己生产食物吗？

You may be surprised, when you read this story, to find out that you have eaten some of their food. 读到这则故事的时候，你可能会惊讶地发现你吃过它们的食物。

Mary Jane was watering the grass while her grandmother sat on the porch¹ and sewed². 玛丽·简正在给草地浇水，她的奶奶正坐在门廊缝衣物。

"Grandmother," called Mary Jane, "this grass has enough water. 奶奶，这块草地已经浇足水了，玛丽·简说道。

Now I will water your plants." 现在我要给你的植物浇水了。

"My plants?" smiled Grandmother. 我的植物？奶奶笑到。

"You have been watering them. 你一直在给它们浇水啊。

Every growing thing that is not an animal is a plant. 每个生长着的东西不是动物就是植物。

Flowers and grass and trees and pumpkins³ are all plants." 花草树木和南瓜都是植物。

"Oh," cried Mary Jane, "may I pull up just one grass plant and look at it?" 哦，是吗？玛丽·简叫到，那我能拔起一株小草看看它吗？

"Yes, indeed," said Grandmother. 当然可以了，奶奶说。

Mary Jane pulled up one of the little plants. 玛丽·简拔起了一株小草。

At the top were two blades⁴ of grass, and at the bottom⁵ was a thick root with tiny hairs on it. 小草的顶部是两片叶子，下面是粗壮的根茎，根茎上长着细小的须毛。

After Mary Jane had looked at the grass plant, she said, "Now, Grandmother, I will water your flower plants, 玛丽·简看完小草说，奶奶现在我要给你的花浇水了，

"The little girl was very careful to get all the water on the plants and not a drop on herself. 小姑娘非常小心，让水全部都浇到植物上，而不滴到自己身上

So, when she had finished, Grandmother gave her a beautiful peach. 于是，在她完成后，奶奶给了她一个漂亮的桃子。

"Grandmother," said Mary Jane, as she ate her peach, "you always say that I must eat good food so that I will grow and be strong. How do plants grow without eating?" 奶奶，你总是说我要好好吃饭，才能长大长高，那植物不吃饭，它们是怎么长大的呢？玛丽·简一边吃着桃子一边问。

"Oh, but they do eat," said Grandmother. 哦，不，它们是吃东西的，奶奶说。

"Where do they get their food?" asked the surprised little girl. 那它们从哪得到食物呢？小姑娘惊奇地问道。

"Plants make their food," answered Grandmother, "Each plant is like a factory. 植物自己给自己创造食物，奶奶回答道，每种植物都像是一座工厂。

Now, of course, any kind of factory must have something to work with." 当然，任何的工厂都要有东西来加工。

Mary Jane began to laugh. "Yes," she said. "You can't make something out of nothing." 玛丽·简笑了起来，没错，她说，你也不能凭空制造出东西啊。

"No, indeed," said Grandmother. "The food factory makes its food from air, water, and parts of the ground." 奶奶说，嗯，那是当然的啦。这座工厂可以利用空气、水和土壤中的成分生产食物。

1 porch   

n.门廊，入口处，走廊，游廊

参考例句：

• There are thousands of pages of advertising on our porch.有成千上万页广告堆在我们的门廊上。
• The porch is supported by six immense pillars.门廊由六根大柱子支撑着。

2 sewed   

v.缝( sew的过去式和过去分词 )；线装

参考例句：

• My mother sewed a new cotton-padded jacket for me. 妈妈给我缝制一件新棉袄。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She carefully sewed it to the cap. 她仔细地把它缝在帽子上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

4 blades   

n.刀口( blade的名词复数 )；（机器上旋转的）叶片；桨叶；（船桨的）桨叶

参考例句：

• the blades of a propeller 螺旋桨叶
• Stay well away from the helicopter when its blades start to rotate. 直升机的螺旋桨开始转动时，尽量离远点儿。

5 bottom   

n.底部;屁股，臀部；adj.底部的

参考例句：

• The bottom of the cup is broken.这杯子的底破了。
• The channel must have a flat bottom.沟道的底要平。