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Lesson 75 Only A Weed
第75課 蒲公英
When the dandelion flowers have all received their supply of pollen, and their seeds are "set" or fully formed,
當(dāng)蒲公英的花朵全部獲得它們所需的花粉、種子也“做好準(zhǔn)備”或者說完全成型之后,
the yellow flower-heads close up inside their circle of green leaves, and bend down to the ground for a few days while the seeds ripen.
黃色的頭狀花序?qū)Ⅱ榭s在綠葉的懷抱之中, 在種子成熟的這幾天時(shí)間里低頭向地面彎曲。
When the heads open and rise up again, a great change is seen to have taken place.
當(dāng)頭狀花序再次打開, 向上伸展時(shí), 它們已經(jīng)發(fā)生了巨大的變化。
Each dandelion is no longer a golden yellow flower, but a round white ball of down!
每一支蒲公英都已經(jīng)不再是金黃色的花朵了, 變成了毛茸茸的白色圓球！
What can have changed it so?
如此劇烈的變化是怎么回事呢?
Let us get one of those white downy balls and see whether we can find out the cause of this change.
我們摘下一朵這樣的白色絨球, 看看能不能解開這種變化背后的成因。
Pulling off one of the white plumes , and you will find a little round seed-vessel at the end of it.
摘下一根白色絨毛, 就會發(fā)現(xiàn), 末端有一個(gè)細(xì)小的球形種皮。
This long white plume has grown from the white hairy calyx which we found outside each tiny yellow flower.
這些長長的白色絨毛就是從黃色小花外面的白色毛狀花萼中生長而出。
The yellow parts have all fallen off, for the seed-vessel had no more need of them.
其中黃色的結(jié)構(gòu)已經(jīng)全部掉落, 因?yàn)榉N皮完全不需要它們了。
The first puff of wind that comes breaks off the ripe seed-vessels and their white plumes, and away they go sailing over the fields and the hedges.
微風(fēng)吹來, 白色的絨毛從成熟的種皮上脫落下來并隨風(fēng)飄揚(yáng), 飛越田間與樹叢。
Did you ever help the dandelion to spread its seeds, by blowing on the ripe head "to see what o'clock it is"?
你是否曾經(jīng)拿起過一朵蒲公英, 朝著絨球吹上一口氣, “看看它是幾點(diǎn)鐘”?這其實(shí)就是在幫助它們傳播種子。
Children sometimes call these white dandelion heads "clocks, " and try how many puffs of their breath it takes to blow off all the down.
有時(shí)候, 孩子們將這些白色的蒲公英花團(tuán)稱作“時(shí)鐘”, 然后試著看用幾口氣才能把所有的絨毛吹下來。
If it takes four puffs, they say it is "four o'clock.
如果吹了四下, 那么這團(tuán)蒲公英就是“四點(diǎn)鐘”。
It is a great advantage to the dandelion flowers to have seeds that are easily blown about by the wind; for if all the seeds fell on the ground close to the parent plant,
只需一陣微風(fēng), 蒲公英花朵上的種子便會隨風(fēng)飄揚(yáng), 這可是一種巨大的優(yōu)勢；因?yàn)? 如果所有的種子都掉落在親本株周圍的地面上,
