时差N小时 如何挑选好吃的番茄?(上)

Most of us have had the same experience. We see a big, red tomato in the grocery store, take it home for our salad, and find out that it tastes like cardboard.

大多数人都有过这样的经历，从商店里挑选出又大又红的番茄回去做沙拉，然后一尝，味同嚼蜡。

You might think that the tomato is sub-par because it’s been picked before it ripened², or shipped across the country.

你可能认为买回的番茄味道不好是因为它没有成熟就被摘下，或者是运输过久的原因。

Those things can be true, but scientists have found another reason why modern tomatoes have little or no taste. It’s in their genes³.

这的确是一部分原因，然而科学家们发现现今的番茄不好吃还有其它原因，那就是它们的基因问题。

The problem began with old-fashioned or heirloom tomatoes didn’t ripen¹ consistently.

这个问题要追溯到从前的天然番茄，它们并不总能完全长熟，

Some areas would be red, while other areas, usually near the stem, would be white or green.

番茄的有些部分是红的，而其它地方，尤其是靠近茎蒂的地方，往往是白色或绿色的。

About seventy years ago, tomato breeders accidentally discovered a variety that turned red uniformly.

大约70年以前，番茄种植者们偶然间发现一种全红的番茄品种，

Consumers liked the way the tomatoes looked. The trouble was, red did not equal tasty.

消费者们喜欢这种模样的番茄。然而问题是，红色并不代表番茄的口感好。

1 ripen   

vt.使成熟；vi.成熟

参考例句：

• I'm waiting for the apples to ripen.我正在等待苹果成熟。
• You can ripen the tomatoes on a sunny windowsill.把西红柿放在有阳光的窗台上可以让它们成熟。

2 ripened   

v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They're collecting the ripened reddish berries. 他们正采集熟了的淡红草莓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The branches bent low with ripened fruits. 成熟的果实压弯了树枝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪