英国学生科学读本 第32期:一块软木(2)

 　　The bark of the cork¹-tree is first stripped off its trunk when the tree is about thirty years old. This bark is very rough and full of cracks. It is called virgin² cork, and it is used to decorate green-houses and flowerboxes.

　　木栓栎树长到30年的时候, 就可以第一次剥树皮了。这一次剥下来的树皮非常粗糙, 满是裂纹, 叫做“头道皮”, 也叫“初生栓皮”, 用来装饰温室和花盆。

　　The bark soon grows again on the tree; and after ten years it is stripped off again. This time it is of a rather better quality. After this, the bark is taken off every eight or ten years. The best cork is got from trees that are about fifty years old.

　　不久, 树上就又长出树皮来。10年以后, 这些树皮就又剥下来了。这一次的质量就好多了。这以后, 每过8–10年就剥一次树皮。最好的树皮, 是大概50年的树出产的。

　　The cork is taken from the tree in large sheets, or planks⁴, as they are called. These are scraped well, and are slightly burnt in order to close the pores or tiny holes, and to kill any insects that may be in them.

　　树皮是大片大片地从树上剥下来的, 这种大片的树皮片叫做plank³, 人们把树皮打磨好, 拿火烤一下, 让树皮上的细孔或者小洞闭合, 也是为了杀死里面的一切昆虫。

　　The planks are then flattened⁵ out under heavy stones, after which they are boiled, and dried in the sun. In this state the sheets of cork are sent to our country; and here they are cut up with sharp knives into any shapethat may be wanted.

　　然后, 把树皮片用沉重的石头压平, 再用热水煮一遍, 在太阳底下晒干。这样处理过的软木板, 运到英国, 用锋利的刀子切成我们想要的任何形状。

　　Other trees would be killed if we were to strip off their bark, but the cork oak-tree seems to grow all the better for it. If its bark is not taken off, the tree dies when it is about sixty years of age; but trees that have been regularly stripped live to the age of about one hundred and fifty years.

　　别的树, 如果剥了树皮, 就活不下去了。但是栓皮栎树一旦剥了皮, 似乎反而长得更好。不剥皮的树, 大概60年就会死去, 但是, 每隔一段时间剥一次皮的树, 却能活大约150年。

1 cork   

n.软木，软木塞

参考例句：

• We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
• Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。

2 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

3 plank   

n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目

参考例句：

• The plank was set against the wall.木板靠着墙壁。
• They intend to win the next election on the plank of developing trade.他们想以发展贸易的纲领来赢得下次选举。

4 planks   

（厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点

参考例句：

• The house was built solidly of rough wooden planks. 这房子是用粗木板牢固地建造的。
• We sawed the log into planks. 我们把木头锯成了木板。

5 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。