时差N小时 蜂蜜为什么变硬?

If a little honey drizzled¹ on a piece of homemade toast or into a cup of tea is how you like to start the day, you're not alone. One drawback to honey, though, is that after sitting too long on the shelf, it crystallizes and that soft, amber² liquid turns to a hard, gooey mass.

如果这是你一天生活的开始：将一点蜂蜜细腻地涂在自制的烤面包上，或融入一杯咖啡中，那你并非特殊的一位。然而，蜂蜜有一个缺点，如果长期不食用就会变成晶体，那些柔软的琥珀色液体就会变成坚硬而胶粘的一团。

Actually, though, only part of the honey is crystallizing. Honey is made mostly of two kinds of sugar: glucose³ and fructose. What crystallizes is the glucose, so the more glucose there is in comparison to fructose, the more likely it is to crystallize. But before honey can crystallize, it needs what's called a “seed” for the crystals to grow on. The seed might be a grain of pollen⁴, a speck⁵ of dust, or even a scratch on the inside of the jar.

然而事实上，蜂蜜中只有一部分会结晶化。蜂蜜主要由两种糖组成：葡萄糖和果糖。葡萄糖是晶体，因此葡萄糖对果糖的比例越大，那么蜂蜜结晶化的可能性越大。但在蜂蜜变成晶体之前，需要有所谓的“种子”催化晶体生长。“种子”可能是一粒花粉粒，一粒灰尘，甚至是罐子内壁的刮痕。

But the best seed of all is a bit of honey that has already crystallized. Most of the honey in a supermarket has been heated and filtered to remove virtually all the possible seeds. That slows the crystallization, but the heating process also drives off some of the honey's distinctive⁶ flavor.

但最好的种子是少许已经晶体化的蜂蜜。超市里卖的大多数蜂蜜都已经加热过，几乎过滤掉了所有可能的种子。这样会减慢结晶化过程，且加热过后也驱散了蜂蜜某些独有的风味。

When honey does crystallize, you can soften⁷ it again in a microwave or a pan of warm water, but as it cools the crystallization will begin again-faster even than before. Honey crystallizes faster the second time because heat alone can't remove all the seeds. Dust, crumbs⁸, and other tiny particles that have accumulated since you first opened the jar will remain as seeds to start the process all over again.

蜂蜜晶体化了，你可以用微波炉或者一锅温水将它软化，但当温度冷却时，蜂蜜会以更快的速度再次晶体化。蜂蜜之所以第二次结晶速度更快，是因为即使加热也无法清除所有的种子。自第一次打开罐子时，灰尘，碎屑或者其他微小颗粒会在罐内积累，它们作为种子会重新开启这一过程。

1 drizzled   

下蒙蒙细雨，下毛毛雨( drizzle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The dew on the branches drizzled our hair and shoulders. 枝头上的露珠润湿了我们的头发和双肩。
• It drizzled throughout the night. 毛毛雨下了一夜。

2 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

3 glucose   

n.葡萄糖

参考例句：

• I gave him an extra dose of glucose to pep him up.我给他多注射了一剂葡萄糖以增强他的活力。
• The doctor injected glucose into his patient's veins.医生将葡萄糖注入病人的静脉。

4 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

5 speck   

n.微粒，小污点，小斑点

参考例句：

• I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
• The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗，一星星云彩也没有。

6 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

7 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

8 crumbs   

int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式

参考例句：

• She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
• Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊，天哪！都这会儿啦？