英语听力文摘 English Digest 125、环球旅行的热带水果

　　Plants were world travelers, long before tourists like you and me, were able to fly off to vacation around the world. When Columbus sailed west, he was seeking precious spices of the Indies. He missed his original destination, but because he and other navigators ended up in the Americas, corn, sweet potatoes, and many other plants found their way abroad. It was Vasco da Gama who succeeded in bringing the treasured spices to Europe and most of the ancient mariners¹ took seeds to plant on distant shores.
Many seeds were actually stowaways² in the ballast of ships, and grew wherever the ballast was unloaded. When we vacation in the tropics, to escape cold winters, we are warmed by the sight of bright flowers basking³ in the sun. Bougainvillea, native to parts of South America and named after the 18th century French navigator, Louis Bougainville, seems to be everywhere. I saw it recently on a trip to my native state of Queensland, in Australia and despite severe drought it was blooming with its characteristic exuberance⁴. Originally from Madagascar, the Poinciana trees were also aflame with orange-scarlet blooms, also hibiscus.
Versatile⁵ hibiscus shrubs⁶, have migrated from parts of South East Asia to become the world’s signature tropical flower. The globalization of so many flowering plants is awe-inspiring and they now act as if they are natives in their adopted lands.
Trot--小跑
Tropical--热带
Columbus--哥伦布
navigator--导航
Vasco da Gama--达伽马
stowaway--偷渡者
ballast--镇流器
Bougainvillea--叶子
Queensland--昆士兰州
exuberance--繁荣
Madagascar--马达加斯加
Poinciana--双翼
hibiscus--芙蓉
Versatile--多功能

1 mariners   

海员，水手（mariner的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Mariners were also able to fix their latitude by using an instrument called astrolabe. 海员们还可使用星盘这种仪器确定纬度。
• The ancient mariners traversed the sea. 古代的海员漂洋过海。

2 stowaways   

n.偷乘船[飞机]者( stowaway的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Smuggling guns, ammunition and drugs or assisting stowaways. 七私运枪械、弹药、品或协助偷渡人口者。 来自互联网
• Officious immigration and customs officers scrutinised documents and searched cabins for stowaways or illicit goods. 一本正经的边境和海关官员仔细检查文件，在车厢里搜索偷渡者和走私货物。 来自互联网

3 basking   

v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽

参考例句：

• We sat basking in the warm sunshine. 我们坐着享受温暖的阳光。
• A colony of seals lay basking in the sun. 一群海豹躺着晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 exuberance   

n.丰富；繁荣

参考例句：

• Her burst of exuberance and her brightness overwhelmed me.她勃发的热情和阳光的性格征服了我。
• The sheer exuberance of the sculpture was exhilarating.那尊雕塑表现出的勃勃生机让人振奋。

5 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。

6 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。