听力文摘：蚕丝生产的秘密

Secrets Of Silk Production

蚕丝生产的秘密

Fifteen hundred years ago in China, silk production was a state secret.

在1500年前的中国，蚕丝的生产方法是国家机密。

The silk trade was so valuable that anyone who tried to take silkworm eggs or mulberry seeds out of China was put to death. Then in 552 AD, two monks¹ smuggledsilkworm eggs to Constantinople, and silk production spread worldwide. Now that the secret’s out, we can safely talk about how silkworms and humans make luxurious² silk cloth.

当时，丝绸贸易的利润是如此丰厚，不论谁试图从中国向外走私蚕卵或桑籽都将会被处死。直到公元552年，两个和尚偷偷把蚕卵携带到了君士坦丁堡，丝绸生产被传播到了全球。既然秘密已经被公开了，我们就可以安全地谈论蚕和人类如何制造丝绸了。

A silkworm actually isn't a worm at all. It's a type of caterpillar³ that once existed in the wild, but now only survives in domesticated⁴ form. Silkworms are fussy⁵ eaters, dining only on mulberry leaves. When a silkworm has had its fill, it spins a cocoon⁶ from a single strand⁷ of silk, two to three thousand feet long!

蚕事实上根本就不是蠕虫。它其实是一种鳞翅目幼虫，曾经生存于野外，但现在存活的只有人类家养的。蚕对事物很挑剔，它只吃桑树的叶子。当它吃够了，就会吐丝结茧，它的茧是由一根长达两三千英尺的丝结成的。

According to legend, a Chinese empress discovered how to harvest silk when a cocoon fell into her tea. She plucked it from the teacup by the loose end of the silk, then unraveled the whole cocoon. To harvest silk commercially, cocoons⁸ are first steamed to kill the pupae inside. This is because the silkworm would break the silk if it began to emerge as a moth⁹. Next the cocoon is dunked in hot water, rather than tea, to dissolve the sticky coating that binds¹⁰ the silk. Then a machine unwinds the single strand that makes up each cocoon. Twisted together, these strands¹¹ make the fine thread used to weave silk cloth.

据传说记载，有个蚕茧掉到了中国一位皇后的茶水中，这位皇后从而发现了获得蚕丝的方法。她拿着蚕丝散开的一头把蚕茧从茶杯中拿了出来，接着解开了整个蚕 茧。商业上获取蚕丝时，首先会把蚕茧蒸一下以杀死里面的蛹。这是因为当蚕蛹蜕化为蛾子破茧而出时会咬断蚕丝。接着，将蚕茧浸入热水中，而不是泡在茶水中， 以溶解把蚕丝互相粘在一起的粘性覆盖物。然后会有种机器把构成每个蚕茧的那根丝抽出来，这些丝缠在一起就制成了用于纺织丝绸的细丝线。

1 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

3 caterpillar   

n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫

参考例句：

• A butterfly is produced by metamorphosis from a caterpillar.蝴蝶是由毛虫脱胎变成的。
• A caterpillar must pass through the cocoon stage to become a butterfly.毛毛虫必须经过茧的阶段才能变成蝴蝶。

4 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 fussy   

adj.为琐事担忧的，过分装饰的，爱挑剔的

参考例句：

• He is fussy about the way his food's cooked.他过分计较食物的烹调。
• The little girl dislikes her fussy parents.小女孩讨厌她那过分操心的父母。

6 cocoon   

n.茧

参考例句：

• A cocoon is a kind of silk covering made by an insect.蚕茧是由昆虫制造的一种由丝组成的外包层。
• The beautiful butterfly emerged from the cocoon.美丽的蝴蝶自茧中出现。

7 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

8 cocoons   

n.茧，蚕茧( cocoon的名词复数 )v.茧，蚕茧( cocoon的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The silkworms have gone into the bushes to spin their cocoons. 蚕上山了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In two more days the " little darlings" would spin their cocoons. 再得两天，“宝宝”可以上山。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕

9 moth   

n.蛾，蛀虫

参考例句：

• A moth was fluttering round the lamp.有一只蛾子扑打着翅膀绕着灯飞。
• The sweater is moth-eaten.毛衣让蛀虫咬坏了。

10 binds   

v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 )；装订；捆绑；（用长布条）缠绕

参考例句：

• Frost binds the soil. 霜使土壤凝结。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Stones and cement binds strongly. 石头和水泥凝固得很牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》