高中英语选修9-10课文翻译（人教版）

PLANT EXPLORATION IN THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES18世纪和19世纪的植物探索 The plants in our gardens look so familiar that often we do not realize that many of them actually come from countries far away. 我们花园里的植物看上去是那么熟悉，以致我们常常意识不到在这些植物中实际上有许多来自遥远的国度。Collecting \called, dates back to the earliest times. 收集所谓的―异国‖植物要追溯到很久以前。Many ancient civilisations saw the value of bringing back plants from distant lands. 许多古老文化都懂得从遥远的地方把植物带回来的价值。The first plant collecting expedition recorded in history was around 1500 BC when the Queen of Egypt sent ships away to gather plants, animals and other goods. 历史上有记载的第一个收集植物的探险是公元前1500年，埃及女王派出船只去收集植物、动物以及其他货物。

However, it was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that the exploration of the botanical world began on a large scale. 然而，直到18世纪和19世纪人们对植物世界大规模的探索才开始。 Europe had become interested in scientific discovery and the European middle classes took great interest in collecting new plants. 那时欧洲对科学发现已经倍感兴趣，而欧洲的中产阶级则特别热衷于收集新的植物。This attraction to exotic plants grew as European nations, like the Netherlands, Britain and Spain, moved into other parts of the world like Asia and Australia. 随着欧洲人，如荷兰和西班牙向世界其他地区如亚洲和澳洲的迁徙，这些异域植物的吸引力也在增长。 Brave young men took the opportunity of going on botanical expeditions, often facing many dangers including disease near-starvation, severe environments and conflicts with the local people. 勇敢的年轻人借机进行植物探索活动，他们常常面临许多危险，如疾病、饥饿、严酷的环境以及同当地居民的冲突。

An important group of collectors were Frencn Catholic missionaries who, by the middle of the 18th century, were beginning to set themselves up in China. 有一群重要的收集者是法国天主教教士，18世纪中叶，他们开始进入中国。One such missionary, Father d'Incarville, was sent to Beijing in the 1740s. 其中有一位叫汤执中的传教士于18世纪40年代被派赴北京。He collected seeds of trees and bushes including those of the Tree of Heaven. 他收集了树种、灌木种，其中包括天堂树的种子。Just before he died, he sent some Tree of Heaven seeds to England. 就在他去世之前，他还把一些天堂树的种子送到了英国。 They arrived in 1751 and plants from these seeds were grown throughout Europe and later, in 1784, the species was introduced in North America. 1751年它们抵达英国，有这些树种长成的树遍布了全欧洲。后来在1784年，这个物

种又被引进到了北美。

Sir Joseph Banks was a very famous British plant collector, who accompanied James Cook on his first voyage from England to Oceania. 约瑟夫·班克斯爵士是一位著名的英国植物收集家，他曾经陪同詹姆斯·库克进行了从英国到大洋洲的首航。 The purpose of the trip for Banks was to record the plant and animal life they came across. 班克斯这次出行的目的就是把他们所见到的植物和动物的情况记录下来。He and his team collected examples whenever they went onto dry land. 他和他们的队员们每次进入干燥的土地时都要收集样品。 In 1769, Banks collected vast quantities of plants in the land now known as Australia. None of these plants had been recorded by Europeans before. 1769年，班克斯在我们如今所知道的名叫澳大利亚的这块土地上收集到大量的植物，而在欧洲还没有有关这些植物的记载。Cook called the bay where the Endeavour had anchored Botany Bay. 库克还把―奋进号‖抛锚停靠的地方称为植物湾。 Keeping plants alive during long land or sea voyages was an enormous challenge. 要使植物在陆地上或海上远距离航行时存活下来，是一个巨大的挑战。Large numbers of seeds failed to grow after long sea voyages or trips across land between Asia and Europe. 在亚欧之间经过海上或陆上远程旅行之后，大量的种子都不能生长。 One plant explorer lost several years' work when his plants were mined with seawater. 曾有一位植物探险家由于他的植物被海水侵蚀腐烂而使他好几年的成果毁于一旦。

The world of plant exploration was completely changed with Dr Nathaniel Ward's invention of a tightly sealed portable glass container. 纳撒尼尔·沃德医生所发明的便携式密封玻璃容器彻底改变了植物探索的世界。 This invention, called the Wardian case, allowed plants to be transported on long journeys. 这项发明被称为沃德箱，可以用来进行远距离的植物运输。 In 1833, Ward shipped two cases of British plants to Sydney, Australia. 1833年，沃德把两箱英国植物运到了澳大利亚的悉尼。All the plants survived the six-month journey. 所有这些植物经过六个月的航行都存活下来了。 In 1835, the cases made a return trip with some Australian species that had never been successfully transported before. 1835年这些箱子又带着一些过去从没有被成功运输过的澳洲物种作了回程之旅。After eight months at sea, they arrived safely in London. 在海上历经八个月的航行之后，它们安全抵达了伦敦。

A British man called Robert Fortune was one of the earliest plant collectors to use Wardian cases. 有一位名叫罗伯特·福琼的英国人，是使用沃德箱的最早期的植物收集家之一。He made several trips to China between 1843 and 1859. 在1843——1859年之间，他曾多次

来到中国。At that time, there were restrictions on the movement of Europeans and so, in order to travel unnoticed, he developed his fluency in Chinese and dressed as a Chinese man, even shaving his head in the Chinese style. 那时候，欧洲人在中国的活动受到种种限制，因此，为了在旅行中不引起别人的注意，他努力使自己的汉语讲得很流利，并且穿着中国人的服装，甚至像中国人一样削发（留辫）。 He experienced many adventures including huge thunderstorms in the Yellow Sea and pirates on the Yangtze River. 他经历过多次险情，包括在黄海碰到过巨大的风暴，以及在长江遭遇海盗的袭击。 Not only did Fortune introduce over 120 species of plants to Western gardens but he also shipped 20,000 tea plants from Shanghai to India, where a successful tea industry was established. 福琼不仅把120余种植物引入西方园林，而且还把两万株茶树用船从海上运到印度，印度的制茶工业就成功地发展起来了。

The second half of the nineteenth century was a very important period of plant exploration. 19世纪下半期市植物探索的一个非常重要的时期。During this time many Catholic missionaries were sent to China from France. 在这期间，许多法国天主教的传教士被派到中国。 They valued the study of the natural sciences and many of the missionaries knew a lot about plants and animals. 他们很看重自然科学的研究，而且许多传教士对动植物都很了解。 Their expeditions resulted in huge plant collections, which were sent back to France.他们远征的结果是收集了大量的植物，并把它们运回法国。 One of the collectors was Father Farges, who collected 37 seeds from a tree that had appealed to him. 其中一位叫做法尔热的神父，从他所喜爱的一棵树上收集了37粒种子。This tree was later called the Dove Tree. 这种树后来被称作鸽子树。 He sent the seeds back to France in 1897 but only one seed grew. 他于1897年把这些种子送回法国，但是只有一粒种子得以生长。

Although the missionaries collected large numbers of specimens, there was not enough material for growing particular species in Western gardens. 虽然传教士收集了大量的物种，但是在西方人的花园里种植特殊物种的材料仍然很缺乏。However, European botanists were very excited with the knowledge that China had a vast variety of plants, so many plant collectors were sent on collecting trips to China. 然而欧洲植物学家知道中国有着品种繁多的植物，并为此感到兴奋不已。因此，许多植物收集人员被派去中国进行采集工作， One of these collectors was E H Wilson who, in 1899, was able to collect a large quantity of seeds of the Dove Tree that Father Farges had discovered. 其中有一位叫做E·H·威尔逊的，他在1899年收集到大量的法尔热神父所发现的鸽子树种子。Wilson and other plant collectors introduced many new plants to

Western gardens. 威尔逊及其提前植物收集者为西方人的花园引进了许多新的物种。

8.选修九Unit4 THEIR ANIMAIL POLLINATORS花朵及其动物传媒

Over time, many flowering plants and their animal pollinators have evolved together. 许多开花的植物长期以来是和它们的动物传媒一起发展的。The plant needs the animal to pollinate it and the animal is rewarded with food called nectar when it visits the flowers. 植物需要动物帮它授粉，动物从中得到回报——当其接触花时，能够得到被称作花粉的食物。 Pollen becomes attached to the animal during its visit to a flower and is then passed on to another plant's blossom on its next visit. 动物接触一朵花时，花粉就附着在它的身上，动物接触下一朵时，就把这些花粉传到另外的那朵花上。So pollination takes place, therefore increasing the chances of the survival of the plant species. 这样通过授粉就增加了植物物种生存的机会。 Through evolution, most flowers have adapted to attract specific types of pollinators. 通过进化，大部分花朵变得适于吸引某种花粉传播者。Bees, moths and butterflies are the most important pollinators. Flies, wasps, beetles and other animals such as birds and bats are less common. 蜜蜂、飞蛾和蝴蝶是最重要的传媒。而苍蝇、黄蜂、甲虫和其他诸如小鸟、蝙蝠之类的动物则是较为少见的传媒。

The type of pollinator depends on the characteristics of the flower such as its colour, shape, size and smell. 花粉传播者的类型取决于花朵的特性，如花朵的颜色、形状、大小和气味。For example, yellow flowers attract bees, while red flowers attract butterflies. 举例来说，黄色的花吸引蜜蜂，而红色的花则吸引蝴蝶。The nectar in some flowers can only be reached by a bird with a long bill or a long-tongued moth or butterfly. 有些花的花粉只有长嘴鸟、长舌蛾或者蝴蝶才可以够得着。The chart below describes some features of flowers that attract certain kinds of pollinators. 下面这张图表记述了吸引某种花粉传播者的花朵特性： Pollinator 虫媒Typical flower characteristics花朵的典型特性

Bees蜜蜂Colour: bright yellow, blue; the flower often has a special pattern to guide the bees to the nectar inside. 颜色：嫩黄色、蓝色；这种花常有一种特殊的花纹，吸引蜜蜂找到里面的花蜜。

Shape: the petals are wide enough for bees to land on; usually the nectar is at the end of a small, narrow tube whose length is the same as the tongue of a particular species.

Smell: delicate, fragrant. 形状：花瓣宽大，足够蜜蜂落在上面，花粉通常在狭小的花管子的