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Enchanting Orchids 魅惑之兰

 

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The world continues to be captivated by this flower’s beauty and mystery  兰花的美丽与神秘感持续令世人为之着迷

 

Six years ago, Julie Mackenzie wandered into a greenhouse, looking for a Christmas gift. She emerged lovestruck – by orchids.

六年前，茱莉．麦肯锡随意走进一家温室花圃找寻圣诞礼物，出来后就此爱上兰花。

 

“It was yucky wintertime and the orchids were so colorful, so beautiful and cheerful, I was captivated.”

「当时正值讨厌的冬天，兰花却绚烂美丽，令人心旷神怡，我就这样无法自拔。」

 

Since then, MacKenzie says, she and her husband, Geoff, have studied up on this strange and storied plant and filled their home with up to 100 of them. “Orchids are really stunning.”

麦肯锡表示，从那时起，她和丈夫杰夫一直在研究这种众所周知的奇特植物，家中兰花高达一百株。「兰花真的很震撼人心。」

 

A flower’s history  兰花的历史

 

And old. Exactly how old is a question that has fascinated evolutionary biologists since Darwin’s time. Frustrated, too, because orchids, which grow on every continent but Antarctic and are the largest plant family on Earth, seemed to have left no definitive fossil trace.

而且兰花的年代久远（译注：此为作者接续麦肯锡说兰花震撼人心的形容，表示除此之外还有另一个特点）。从达尔文的时代开始，演化生物学家就很想知道兰花究竟有多久的历史，但是他们很受挫，因为兰花虽然遍及南极以外的各大洲，而兰科也是地球上最大的植物科别，但却似乎没有任何完整可靠的化石证据。

 

Then, two years ago, researchers in the Dominican Republic discovered a fossilized bee stuck in amber, still clutching a tiny ball of pollen, which they identified as having come from an orchid.

直到两年前，多米尼加共和国的研究人员在琥珀内找到一只受困蜜蜂的化石，蜜蜂还抓着一小球花粉，研究人员分析这是兰花的花粉。

 

“That means orchids were present when dinosaurs walked the Earth,” says Ron McHatton of the American Orchid Society.

美国兰花协会的荣恩．麦哈顿指出，「那表示兰花早在地球上还有恐龙走动的时代就已经存在了。」

 

It’s all part of the allure of a plant that stoked a frenzy in England and the United States in the mid-1800s and early 1900s. Crazed Victorians dubbed the affliction “orchidelirium.”

兰花的吸引力不仅如此而已，在十八世纪中叶和十九世纪初，兰花在英国和美国掀起一股风潮，英国维多利亚时期的狂热人士戏称这股热潮为「狂兰症」。

 

“People oohed and aahed whenever they saw one,” says Tom Purviance, co-owner of Parkside Orchid Nursery, which grows about 10,000 plants for hobbyists and collectors.

「只要看到兰花，大家就会赞叹不已，」汤姆．普凡斯表示。普凡斯是帕克赛兰园的老板之一，园内有十万株兰花可供业余爱好者和收藏家选择。

 

Today, more than $123-million worth of potted orchids are sold annually, most between October and Mother’s Day. Their popularity is second only to poinsettias and is way ahead of chrysanthemums, roses, and other favorites, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

如今盆栽兰花的年营业额超过一亿两千三百万美元，热卖期主要是十月至母亲节，美国农业部指出，兰花受欢迎程度仅次于圣诞红，远远超过菊花、玫瑰、以及其他受人喜爱的花卉。

 

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enchanting [ɪnˋtʃæntɪŋ] adj. 迷人的，使人着魔的

captivate [ˋkæptə͵vet] v. 使着迷；蛊惑

emerge [ɪˋmɝdʒ] v. 浮现；出现

lovestruck [ˋlʌv͵strʌk] adj. 痴情的；热恋着的

yucky [ˋjʌkɪ] adj.【口】讨人厌的；恶心的；不愉快的

study up (+on someone or something)  <口>认真研究，调查，考查 to learn all one can about someone or something

evolutionary biologist 演化生物学家 a scientists concerned with the origin, multiplication and characteristics or developments of an organism over time

amber [ˋæmbɚ] n. 琥珀

clutch [klʌtʃ] v. 攫取

allure [əˋlɪʊr] n. 诱惑力，魅力

frenzy [ˋfrɛnzɪ] n.（暂时的）疯狂；狂热

affliction [əˋflɪkʃən] n. 苦事；苦恼的事由

ooh and aah 发出“噢”和“啊”的赞美声(或惊叹声等) to express admiration

nursery [ˋnɝsərɪ] n. 苗圃；养鱼场；动物繁殖场

hobbyist [ˋhɑbɪɪst] n. 业余爱好者; 嗜某种爱好成癖的人；沉溺于某嗜好之人

potted [ˋpɑtɪd] adj. 盆栽的

poinsettia [pɔɪnˋsɛtɪə] n.【植】猩猩木；圣诞红

chrysanthemum [krɪˋsænθəməm] n.【植】菊

 

 

 

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Becoming all too common  飞入寻常百姓家

 

Orchids come in every shape, size and color but black, including opportunistic orange for fall and red for winter. Some have a delectable vanilla or chocolate fragrance; others stink like rotten meat. And because of advances in tissue-culture propagation, super-cheap clones are everywhere.

兰花有各种形状、大小不一，除了黑色以外什么颜色都有，包括秋天时应景的橘色与冬天的红色。有些兰花散发出宜人的香草味或是巧克力味，有些则臭如腐肉。而组织培养繁殖法的进步，也让超级便宜的复制品处处可见。

 

These mass-produced orchids come from so-called cloning houses run by Chinese and Thai business owners who set their sights on the U.S. market. Such facilities are churning out millions of attractive plants that mature quickly, bloom for a long time, fit in a box, and tolerate shipping.

这些量产兰花来自所谓的复制花房，由着眼美国市场的中国与泰国业者经营。这些花房制造出以百万计的诱人植物，不仅可迅速成熟、花期持久，而且宜于装箱，又能经得起运送的过程。

 

Orchids, then, have become a disposable commodity. When they stop blooming, a lot of folks just toss them, which troubles many true orchidists.

兰花因此成为可抛式商品，兰花期一过，许多人就会把它丢掉，让爱兰人士心痛不已。

 

But wait. “Do you cringe when you throw away a poinsettia or Easter lily?” Purviance asks pointedly. “Orchids are moving into that kind of profile.”

不过话又说回来，「把圣诞红或铁炮百合丢掉时你会畏缩吗？」普凡斯尖锐地问道。「兰花正逐渐变成那种状况。」

 

Orchids for beginners  兰花新手看过来

 

Some neophytes do try repotting, only to watch their prize rot and die. That’s because most orchids, called epiphytes, don’t grow in soil, like traditional houseplants.

有些入门新手试着帮兰花移盆，结果眼睁睁看着他们的宝贝腐烂枯死，那是因为大多数兰花是附生植物，不像传统室内盆栽生长在泥土中。

 

In the wild, their roots are attached to a tree, rock, or branch, way up in a tropical forest canopy, an environment that Purviance mimics in his greenhouse. There, orchids grow on cork slabs or in wooden-slat baskets filled with fir-bark chips.

兰花在野外是附着在树木、石头或树枝，高高在热带森林树冠层上，而普凡斯在他的温室中模拟的正是这种环境，温室中的兰花长在软木板或是装满杉木屑的木条盆。

 

A heavenly beauty  超凡之美

 

One of Julie MacKenzie’s moth orchids has been in bloom for more than six months.

茱莉．麦肯锡的一盆蝴蝶兰已经开花超过六个月了。

 

“The flowers were burgundy-spotted at first, now pale pink. I buy things I like to look at,” says MacKenzie, who has more than 50 orchids.

「花朵刚开始有酒红色斑点，现在变成浅粉红色，我都买些我喜欢观赏的东西，」麦肯锡现在有五十多株兰花。

 

In summer, they hang from trees or decorate the deck. In winter, they thrive on windowsills or under lights, creating a heavenly, tropical feel in an otherwise traditional suburban setting.

夏天时，兰花会从树上垂下来，或妆点着阳台。到了冬天，它们在窗台或是灯光下欣欣向荣，为原本传统平凡的郊区景致，增添超凡脱俗的热带风情。

 

What could be better?

于此夫复何求？

 

−by Ginny Smith

 

单词发音

 

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vanilla [vəˋnɪlə] n.【植】香子兰；香草

tissue-culture propagation 组织培养繁殖 a method in which fragments of plant tissue are transferred to a sterile, controlled environment in order to produce new plants

propagation [͵prɑpəˋgeʃən] n. 繁殖；增殖

clone [klon] n. 翻版，复制品

set one’s sights on  眼睛紧盯着…, 有…抱负, 企图获得… to have (a specified goal) in mind; aim for

disposable [dɪˋspozəb!] adj. 用完即丢弃的

orchidist [ˋɔrkɪdɪst] n. 兰栽培者  a person with a strong interest in and great knowledge of orchids

cringe [krɪndʒ] v. 畏缩；蜷缩

Easter lily 复活节百合花

pointedly [ˋpɔɪntɪdlɪ] adv. 尖锐地; 刻意地

profile [ˋprofaɪl] n. 概况 salience

repot [riˋpɑt] v. 换盆; 移植

epiphyte [ˋɛpɪ͵faɪt] n.【植】附生植物

houseplant [ˋhaʊs͵plænt] n. 室内植物；室内盆栽植物

canopy [ˋkænəpɪ] n. 苍穹; 华盖状的东西(如树冠)

mimic [ˋmɪmɪk] v. 模仿，学……的样子

cork [kɔrk] n. 软木; 软木塞

slab [slæb] n. 厚板; 平板; 厚片

slat [slæt] v. 用板条做; 给……装板条（或横木）；

fir [fɝ] n. 冷杉木; 枞木

chip [tʃɪp] n. 屑片; 碎片

moth [mɔθ] n. 蛾

burgundy [ˋbɝgəndɪ] n. 紫红色 a dark purplish-red to blackish-red color

deck [dɛk] n.（房屋的）露天平台

windowsill [ˋwɪndo͵sɪl] n. 窗台

heavenly [ˋhɛvənlɪ] adj. 无比美好的; 极令人愉快的

 

 

 

 

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Vocabulary Focus

storied [ˋstorɪd] adj. 传说上有名的 often spoken of or written about; famous

definitive [dɪˋfɪnətɪv] adj. 明确的; 最具权威的 final or complete

stoke [stok] v. 激起; 煽起 to stir something up and cause others to feel enthusiasm for something

opportunistic [͵ɑpɚtjuˋnɪstɪk] adj. 机会主义的; 临时起意的; 趁虚而入的 taking advantage of situations

delectable [dɪˋlɛktəb!] adj. 令人愉快的，使人高兴的 giving great pleasure

neophyte [ˋniə͵faɪt] n. 生手; 新手 someone who has recently become involved in an activity and is still learning about it

thrive [θraɪv] v. 茁壮成长；茂盛生长 to grow, develop, or be successful