英国学生科学读本 第65期:洋葱(2)

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　　我们可以轻而易举地将洋葱剥开, 分成很多片, 因为它的球茎由许多厚厚的多汁叶片构成, 彼此之间紧密相连。

　　The onion plant has no stem¹ or trunk that you can see at first; but when you pull one to pieces, or split² it up with a knife, you notice a thin white plate at the bottom of the bulb, from which the white, thread-like roots grow downward. This is really the stem of the onion.

　　乍一看, 洋葱似乎没有茎或干；不过, 当你掰开洋葱或者用刀子切碎就会发现, 球茎底部有一个白色的薄片, 线状的根须从那里向下生长。这实际上就是洋葱的茎。

　　You will be sure to notice the strong smell of the onion, which will cling³ to your fingers for a time, even after you have washed them. If you eat some of the onion raw, you will find that it has a strong and rather burning taste. When it is cooked, its flavour is much improved.

　　毫无疑问, 你一定会注意到洋葱那浓烈的味道, 即便洗过手之后, 你的手上还是会留有这种味道, 需要一段时间才能散去。如果你生吃洋葱, 那么就能够立刻体验到那种强烈的辛辣味道。烹饪之后, 洋葱的味道会可口很多。

　　Very large onions, of a mild flavour, are sent to us from Spain, and are therefore called Spanish onions. These onions have been left to grow for a very long time, and so we need not be surprised that they are so large.

　　味道温和的巨型洋葱从西班牙传入英国, 所以它们被称之为西班牙洋葱。这些洋葱的生长时间很长, 因此, 长得这么大也就不足为奇了。

　　In Spain the onion seed is sown in August, and the bulbs are not gathered until the following August. As a rule, we do not usually follow this plan in our country, for the frosts of our cold winters are apt⁴ to kill the young onion plants.

　　在西班牙, 人们在八月的时候播下洋葱的种子, 直到第二年的八月才会采摘果实。不过, 这种做法在英国通常并不适用, 因为这里寒冷的冬季很可能会让洋葱幼苗夭折。

　　Do you know any plants which are of the same family as the onion? If you carefully examine the parts of the flower, and the leaves with their straight veins⁵ , you will find that the onion has a family likeness⁶ to the leek⁷, the tulip, and the lily.

　　你知道还有哪些植物与洋葱同属一类呢? 如果你仔细观察, 那么就会发现, 芹菜、郁金香、百合它们的花朵和直直的叶脉都与洋葱非常相似。

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