英國(guó)學(xué)生科學(xué)讀本 Lesson 61 雪花蓮(2)
用一把小刀將這個(gè)種皮切開，就能看到里面尚未成熟的綠色小種。
Within the flower of the snow-drop you can see some green stripes on the white leaves; and as you are looking closely at it, you may perhaps notice that the flower has a sweet smell. Both the smell and the green marks attractflying insects to the flower, and guide them down into its honey-cup. These insects, as you know, carry the pollendust from flower to flower, and so help the snow-drops to form their seeds.
你可以看到，雪花蓮花朵里面的白色花瓣上有一些綠色條紋;湊近觀察，你還會(huì)聞到甜美的花香。這種香味與綠色條紋都能夠吸引飛蟲并引導(dǎo)它們來到自己的蜜腺之中。大家知道，這些昆蟲可以攜帶花粉并且在花朵之間進(jìn)行傳播。如此一來，雪花蓮便能夠結(jié)出果實(shí)。
Why do the flowers of the snow-drop hang down their heads? If they did not do so, the heavy rains of early spring would soon wash all the honey out of their cups, and all the pollen dust from their dust-spikes. In February the insects go to sleep in the afternoon, and then, too, the snow-drop shuts up its blossoms; they do not open till the next morning, when the insects are again on the wing.
雪花蓮為什么總是低著頭呢?如果它們不是保持這種姿態(tài)，那么早春的大雨一定會(huì)將蜜腺中的花蜜與雄蕊中的花粉全部沖洗一空。到了二月，昆蟲們?cè)谖绾髸r(shí)分都會(huì)沉沉睡去，而雪花蓮也會(huì)閉合自己的花朵。到了第二天清晨，昆蟲們又開始揮舞翅膀，采集花粉;而雪花蓮則再次綻放。
Do you know any other plant which is very much like the snow-drop? After the snow-drop has gone, the pretty yellow daffodil appears in the woods during March and April. If you pull a daffodil flower to pieces, you will find that in the number of its parts, and in the way in which they are arranged, it is very like the snow-drop. The daffodil—or "Lent-lily" as it is also called—grows very well in a garden, or in a flower-pot. You must plant the bulbs in the autumn, and they will flower in the next spring.
你還知道其他與雪花蓮相似的植物嗎?到了三四月份，雪花蓮凋謝之后，漂亮的黃色水仙花就出現(xiàn)在了樹林之中。如果你分解開一朵水仙花，就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，它的花朵結(jié)構(gòu)與花瓣數(shù)量都與雪花蓮非常相似。無論是在花園還是在花盆中，水仙花(又名“百合花”)都能夠順利生長(zhǎng)。記住，水仙花的鱗莖必須在秋天種下，這樣它們就能夠在來年春天開出美麗的花朵。
英語美文
