美国学生世界地理教材 第74期:橡胶和咖啡之国(3)

 Men go through the Selvas and wherever they find a rubber-tree they cut notches¹ in the tree trunk and fasten a cup underneath² to catch the tree’s sap, 人们在热带雨林中穿行，无论在哪里，只要发现橡胶树，他们就在树干上刻一个凹槽，在凹槽下方挂一个杯子，接住树的汁液， 

which flows out from the notches like blood out of a cut finger. 汁液从凹槽流淌出来，就像血会从划破的手指流出来一样。 

Then they go round again and empty the cups of rubber sap into a bucket and carry it to their camp. 过一段时间他们再次经过那里，把杯子里的橡胶汁倒到桶里，带回营地。 

When they have collected enough sap they take a stick, pour some of the sap on it, and dry it over a fire.  当他们采集到了足够的橡胶汁后，他们拿一根棍子，浇上一些树汁，在火上烤干。

They do the same thing again and again until there is a big lump³ of rubber on the stick.  他们会一次又一次地反复这样做，直到棍子上有一大团烤干的橡胶。

These lumps⁴ of rubber they pile into canoes⁵ and carry down the Amazon River to larger boats that carry the rubber to the United States and to other countries. 他们把一团团的橡胶堆放到独木舟上，沿着亚马逊河向下游运送，然后由大船把橡胶运到美国和其他国家。

But there is something that grows in Brazil that begins with a “C”—that almost every family in the United States has at breakfast each morning.  但是在巴西还盛产一种东西，它的英语名字以“C”开头——几乎每个美国家庭吃早餐时都必备的东西。

Can you guess what it is? It’s coffee. Coffee doesn’t grow in Brazil wild as the rubber-tree does.  你能猜到那是什么吗？是咖啡（英语是Coffee）。在巴西，咖啡不像橡胶树那样是天然生长的。

In fact, coffee didn’t grow in Brazil at all until some men brought coffee bushes from across the ocean and planted them in Brazil. 实际上，直到有人从大洋对岸带来咖啡树苗，在巴西种植，巴西才有了咖啡。

They planted them on high ground near the shore, not in the Selvas. 他们把咖啡树种在海岸附近的高地上，而不是种在热带雨林里。 

They found that the high ground and the weather were just exactly right for growing coffee, 他们发现海边的高地和气候正适宜咖啡生长， 

and now much more coffee grows in Brazil than in the place where coffee came from first, and indeed more than in any other place  现在巴西种植的咖啡树已经比它的原产地种的还要多，甚至，比世界上任何其他地方都要多。

Coffee grows on a small tree, and the coffee berries⁶ look something like cherries. Inside of each cherry-like berry⁷ are two seeds.  咖啡长在一种小树上，咖啡果形似樱桃。在每一个樱桃般的咖啡果里都有两颗种子。

These seeds are coffee, but before coffee can be made into a drink the coffee seeds must be toasted brown and then ground to powder. 这些种子就是咖啡豆，但是咖啡豆必需烘烤成褐色后，磨成粉，才能冲泡成饮料。

One New Year’s Day a long time ago a man was sailing along the coast of Brazil when he came to what seemed to be the mouth of a river.  在很久以前某个元旦那一天，有个人正沿着巴西海岸航行，突然来到一个看起来像河口的地方。

As it was the first day of January he named the place River of January, which in his language was Rio de Janeiro. 因为那天是一月的第一天，他就把那个地方叫做“一月河”，用他自己的语言说就是“里约热内卢”。 

It turned out to be no river; but the city that grew up at that place is still called Rio de Janeiro, and it is the capital of Brazil.  后来发现那里根本就没有河流；但在那里发展起来的城市现在仍然叫做“里约热内卢”，是巴西的首都。

In the harbor⁸ of Rio, as it is called for short, there is a huge rock which is called “The Loaf of Sugar,” 在里约港（里约就是里约热内卢的简称）有一块巨大的岩石，叫做“糖块”，

and as you see Rio from a ship the mountains back of the city look like a “Sleeping Giant,” and that is what they are called. 从船上看里约市，城市后面的山脉看起来就像一个沉睡的巨人，于是人们就把这条山脉叫做“沉睡的巨人”。

More coffee is shipped from Rio than from any other place  , except another place on the coast of Brazil just south of Rio.  从里约运出的咖啡比世界上其他任何地方都要多，除了一个叫做桑托斯的地方，桑托斯在里约市的南边，也在巴西海岸边。

This other place is called Santos. The cup of coffee your father drinks in the morning probably comes from either Rio or Santos. 另一个地方叫做桑托斯，你爸爸早晨喝的咖啡也许就来自里约市或者桑托斯。

If coffee and cocoa could talk, and tin cans and asphalt streets and rubber tires, as such things do in fairy-tales,  如果咖啡和可可粉、锡罐、沥青马路和橡胶轮胎能像在童话故事里那样都会说话，

what tales they could tell of their homes and travels! 那么关于它们的家乡和长途游历它们会说出多么有趣的故事啊！

1 notches   

n.（边缘或表面上的）V型痕迹( notch的名词复数 )；刻痕；水平；等级

参考例句：

• The Indians cut notches on a stick to keep count of numbers. 印第安人在棒上刻V形凹痕用来计数。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They cut notches in the handle of their pistol for each man they shot. 他们每杀一个人就在枪托上刻下一个V形记号。 来自辞典例句

2 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

3 lump   

n.块状，瘤，很多；v.使...成块状，混在一起，忍耐

参考例句：

• I thanked him with a lump in my throat.我哽咽着向他道谢。
• If you don't like it,you may lump it.你不喜欢，也得容忍一下。

4 lumps   

n.金丝鸟病，块煤；块( lump的名词复数 )；肿块；傻大个；笨拙的人v.结成块( lump的第三人称单数 )；把…归并在一起（考虑），将人[物]同等对待[分类]

参考例句：

• This oatmeal lumps if you don't stir it well. 如果你不好好搅动，麦片粥会结块的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Break up these large lumps of dirt. 把这些大泥块弄碎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 canoes   

n.小而轻的舟，独木舟( canoe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This is the Rolls-Royce of canoes. 这是独木舟中的极品。
• Paddles are used especially to propel canoes and kayaks. 短桨特别用于划独木舟和小艇。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 berries   

n.浆果( berry的名词复数 )；（葡萄，番茄等）浆果；干果仁；干种子

参考例句：

• Birds feed on nuts and berries in the winter. 鸟类靠坚果和浆果过冬。
• We went here and there looking for berries. 我们四处寻找浆果。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 berry   

n.浆果(如草莓等)

参考例句：

• This kind of jam is made of berry.这种果酱是由浆果做的。
• Every berry and cherry carried in the ferry is very merry.渡船里载运的每一颗草莓和樱桃都很快乐。

8 harbor   

n.海港，港口；vt.庇护，藏匿；心怀(怨恨等)

参考例句：

• The harbor lies to the south of the city.港口在城市的南边。
• At that time,our ship was tied up at this harbor.当时我们的船停靠在这个港口。