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Why do leaves change color in fall? 谁把树叶都染红

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Gretta and Sam are walking in Ou-wan-ta Forest:  葛瑞塔和萨玛芮在奥万大森林公园散步。

G: Now you know why fall is my favorite time of year: cool weather, low humidity, and gorgeous colors!

这会儿你明白为什么秋天是我一年最喜欢的时节了吧：天气凉爽，湿度不高，还五彩缤纷哩！

S: They’re particularly vibrant this fall, don’t you think?

你不觉得今年秋天的色彩格外鲜明吗？

G: It’s the weather; if conditions are right, the colors are more intense.

一切端看天气如何：条件如果都符合了，色彩就会比较强烈。

S: A cold, sunny day usually does the trick. But do you know why the leaves change color?

通常是冷冽的艳阳天会奏效。但你知道树叶为什么会变色吗？

G: I did sleep through most of grade-ten biology, but I remember something about the cold weather and shorter days compelling deciduous trees to begin their winter preparation.

虽然我上高一的生物课时的确大都在打瞌睡，但我记得寒冷的天气和变短的白昼会迫使落叶木开始准备过冬。

S: Right. The leaves’ photosynthetic processes slow down, and so they stop producing chlorophyll.

没错，树叶的光合作用减缓了，因此便不再制造出叶绿素。

G: That’s the green pigment leaves use to capture the sun’s energy, right? So, after it disappears from the leaves, do the other colors become visible?

正是这种绿色色素有捕捉阳光能量的功用，对吧？所以，当它自树叶中消失后，我们就看得到别种颜色了吗？

S: Right again. Chlorophyll degradation makes it possible to see the other colors.

又对了。叶绿素的退化让我们得以看见别种颜色。

G: Which were right under our noses all along!

而这些颜色原来从开始便近在眼前！

S: Sort of: orange and yellow pigments are present in some tree leaves all through the summer, but red and purple pigments are usually produced in the fall.

差不多啦：有些树叶里头的橙色和黄色色素在夏天期间就会出现，而红色和紫色的色素则通常在秋天生成。

G: I can’t believe I’m actually enjoying a science! I’ve turned over a new leaf!

真不敢相信我真的正浸淫在一堂自然课中！我改头换面了！

S: I’m impressed; you’ve finally shown your true colors!

了不起；你终于现出原形了！

－by Stacy Howe

Vocabulary

单词发音

humidity [hjuˋmɪdətɪ] n. 湿气，湿度

gorgeous [ˋgɔrdʒəs] adj. 灿烂的，华丽的

do the trick 【口】起作用; 奏效 to do exactly what is needed

compel [kəmˋpɛl] v. 强迫，使不得不

deciduous [dɪˋsɪdʒʊəs] adj. 脱落性的；落叶性的

photosynthetic [͵fotəsɪnˋθɛtɪk] adj. 光合的，促进光合作用的

chlorophyll [`klɔrəˏfɪl] n. 叶绿素

pigment [ˋpɪgmənt] n.【生】色素

degradation [͵dɛgrəˋdeʃən] n. 下降，降低

under someone’s noses  在眼前; 一目了然 right in front of someone

sort of  有点; 有那么点儿

turn over a new leaf  翻开新的一页, 重新做人, 重获新生  to begin again, fresh; to reform and begin again.

show one’s true colors  露出真面目  to show one's true nature

Sentence of the Day

He can’t see the wood for the trees.

他见树不见林。

can’t see the wood for the trees: if someone can't see the wood for the trees, they are unable to understand what is important in a situation because they are giving too much attention to details