Lesson 71 The Cherry-tree And Its Fruit
第71课 樱桃树及其果实
The cherry-tree is a small tree which grows to a height of about twenty feet. Its stem is covered with a smooth brown bark, and its green leaves have saw-like edges, somewhat like the leaves of a rose-bush.
樱桃树是一种可以生长到20英尺左右高的小树。其茎干被一层光滑的棕色树皮包裹, 绿色的叶子则长有锯齿状边缘, 其外形与蔷薇的叶子相似。
A cherry-orchard in spring, say in the month of May, is a beautiful sight. The trees are then covered with white blossoms, which make the branches look as if a shower of snow had fallen on them. Soon the grass below is also white with the falling blossoms. The perfume of the cherry-blossom is very delightful, and it attracts many insects looking for honey.
春季——比如五月——的樱桃园美不胜收。那时, 樱花怒放, 树枝上银装素裹。很快, 飘落的樱花掉在树下的草地上, 好像一层美丽的白雪。樱花的香味沁人心脾, 能吸引许多昆虫飞来收集花蜜。
Let us pluck one of the pretty white flowers with which each cherry-tree is covered. Once this flower was only a bud, and then it looked like a little green ball. Now that the bud has opened, we see its green covering or cup turned back, and we notice that this cup is made of five small green leaves which have partly grown together.
让我们从樱桃树上摘下一株美丽的樱花。曾几何时, 这株樱花还只是一个绿色小球般的花蕾。现在, 花蕾绽开了。我们能够看到, 绿色的包裹物或者说杯形结构已经向后弯曲。此时, 我们会注意到, 这种杯形结构实际上由五片部分连接的绿色萼片组成。
What we call the "flower" of the cherry-tree consists of five white leaves or petals. Inside these petals are fifteen or twenty little dust-spikes or stamens, with yellow heads which are full of tiny yellow grains of pollen. In the centre of the cherry-flower is the seed-vessel, which looks like a little green bag, with a long point called the style rising from it.
樱桃树的“花朵”有五个白色的花瓣。花瓣之中则长有15或20个小的粉穗或雄蕊, 顶部为黄色, 包含很多细小的黄色花粉颗粒。樱花的中部就是种皮, 外形像一个绿色小囊, 花柱从这里向外生长。
If you look at the flowers of the wild rose, of the strawberry, and of the apple, you will find that they are all very much like the flower of the cherry.
观察一下野生玫瑰、草莓以及苹果的花朵, 就会发现, 它们的结构与樱花非常相似。