时差N小时 玫瑰的刺其实不是刺!(下)

Those nasty points on the stem of the rose are not true thorns: they are what scientists call “prickles.”

玫瑰茎上那些令人讨厌的刺并不是真正的刺，科学家们称其为“皮刺”。

Prickles are smaller than thorns: they are sharp outgrowths of the plant's outer layers, the skin-like epidermis¹, and the sub-epidermal layer just beneath it.

皮刺比刺小很多：它们是这些植物外层的尖锐分支，类似于皮肤的表皮以及其下的亚表皮层。

Unlike a thorn, a prickle can be easily broken off the plant because it is really a feature of the outer layers rather than part of the wood, like a thorn.

皮刺无法像刺一样轻易地从植物茎上脱落，它只是植物外层的一种特征，不像刺属于茎的一部分。

Both prickles and thorns protect the plant from predators², and, maybe, from lovers looking for a free bouquet³.

不管是皮刺还是刺，它们都可以保护植物免受天敌的侵害，同样，也许也能保护自己不被那些想采花的情人折断。

But perhaps we call the rose prickles “thorns” because saying “every rose has its prickle” doesn't seem to do justice to the pain of unrequited love.

但是，或许，我们应该称“皮刺”为“刺”，因为“每朵玫瑰都有刺”的说法似乎对单相思者的痛苦来说不太公平。

1 epidermis   

n.表皮

参考例句：

• The external layer of skin is called the epidermis.皮的外层叫表皮。
• There is a neoplasm originating in his leg's epidermis.他的腿上有个生长在表皮上的肿瘤。

2 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 bouquet   

n.花束，酒香

参考例句：

• This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。