美国语文第五册 第255期:种子的传播与种植(4)

 　　and they begin to pluck them long before they are ripe, so that when the crop of white-pine cones¹ is a small one, as it commonly is,  那时松果成熟还早，果实还小，松鼠们便早早开始动手了。

　　they cut off thus almost everyone of these before it fairly ripens². 一般来说，它们几乎不会错过秋天里每一粒珍贵收获。

　　I think, moreover, that their design, if I may so speak, in cutting them off green,  此外，依据松鼠设想，我是否可以这么猜测，松树果实尚青嫩生涩，

　　is partly to prevent their opening and losing their seeds, for these are the ones for which they dig through the snow,  松鼠们便迫不及待地开始采摘，一方面在于它们唯恐裂落地，失却到嘴的美食；或许直到冬天来临，松鼠才能从积雪里挖出，

　　and the only white-pine cones which contain anything then.  至于那些落地的白松松籽，那可是漫长冬季里唯一贮有种子的活命粮。

　　I have counted in one heap the cores of two hundred and thirty-nine pitch-pine cones which had been cut off and stripped by the red squirrel the previous winter.  我曾发现一堆松果，那是上一个冬季红松鼠啮咬撕扯后藏匿下的，我数了数，竟有二百三十九颗松果。

　　The nuts thus left on the surface, or buried just beneath it,  坚果被丢弃地面或浅埋土壤，

　　are placed in the most favorable circumstances for germinating³.  给种子提供了极易萌发的环境，

　　I have sometimes wondered how those which merely fell on the surface of the earth got planted;  但我有时还是无法明白，那些落到地表的种子如何就能发芽？

　　but, by the end of December, I find the chestnut⁴ of the same year partially⁵ mixed with the mold, as it were,  12月末，我通过观察后发现，当年生栗子落地后，部分外壳已霉变，

　　under the decaying and moldy⁶ leaves, where there is all the moisture and manure⁷ they want, for the nuts fall fast.  残枝颓叶混杂覆盖地层，落地栗子从而获得必需的湿濡与营养。

　　In a plentiful⁸ year a large proportion of the nuts are thus covered loosely an inch deep,  挂果多的年头，大多落地坚果上覆盖着腐泥颓叶，深达一英寸，

　　and are, of course, somewhat concealed⁹ from squirrels. 藏匿在稀疏软泥下的果实，起码可躲过松鼠一劫。

1 cones   

n.（人眼）圆锥细胞；圆锥体( cone的名词复数 )；球果；圆锥形东西；（盛冰淇淋的）锥形蛋卷筒

参考例句：

• In the pines squirrels commonly chew off and drop entire cones. 松树上的松鼠通常咬掉和弄落整个球果。 来自辞典例句
• Many children would rather eat ice cream from cones than from dishes. 许多小孩喜欢吃蛋卷冰淇淋胜过盘装冰淇淋。 来自辞典例句

2 ripens   

v.成熟，使熟( ripen的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The sun ripens the crops. 太阳使庄稼成熟。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then their seed ripens, and soon they turn brown and shrivel up. 随后，它们的种子熟了，不久就变枯萎。 来自辞典例句

3 germinating   

n.& adj.发芽（的）v.（使）发芽( germinate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Glyoxysomes are particularly well known in germinating fatly seeds. 人们已经知道，萌发的含油种子中有乙醛酸循环体。 来自辞典例句
• Modern, industrial society, slowly germinating in the shadow of medievalism, burst the bonds of feudalism. 现代工业社会缓慢地在中世纪精神的阴影下孕育成长着，终于挣脱了封建制度的枷锁。 来自辞典例句

4 chestnut   

n.栗树，栗子

参考例句：

• We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我们的花园尽头有一棵栗树。
• In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我们在室外栗树下喝茶。

5 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

6 moldy   

adj.发霉的

参考例句：

• She chucked the moldy potatoes in the dustbin.她把发霉的土豆扔进垃圾箱。
• Oranges can be kept for a long time without going moldy.橙子可以存放很长时间而不腐烂。

7 manure   

n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥

参考例句：

• The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
• The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。

8 plentiful   

adj.富裕的，丰富的

参考例句：

• Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
• Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。

9 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。