《新概念英语》青少版第四册第41课:Television Day:The baobab tree

Television Day:The baobab tree
电视日:猴面包树
Today our programme is about the baobab tree,
今天我们的节目是关于猴面包树,
which grows in West Africa and Australia.
这种树生长在西非和澳大利亚.
As you can see,it is a very strange-looking tree.
你们都看到了它的外形奇特.
Its enormous trunk sometimes as much as ten metres in diameter.
巨大的树干其直径有时可达10米.
It is thicker at the bottom than at the top.
底部比顶部粗.
The branches nearest the ground are very long;
最靠近地面的树枝很长.
those near the top are very short.
而靠近顶部的树枝很短.
It may be a strange-looking tree,
虽然它外形看上去奇特,
but it is extremely useful.
但它的用途极其广泛.
Its leaves are good to eat.
树叶味道很好,
Its white flowers turn into cool,juicy fruit which tastes rather like cucumber.
树开出的白色的花能出一种清凉多汁的水果其味似黄瓜.
There are such strong fibres in the bark,
树皮中的纤维牢度大
that people can make rope and cloth from them.
可用来做绳子和布.
When a baobab gets old its trunk becomes hollow.
到猴面包树老了,树干就空了,
An old tree has such a huge,hollow trunk,that it can hold many people.
巨大的树洞可以容纳好多人.
The local people often build their houses inside these trunks.
当地人常在树干里造房子.
When it rains,water collects in the hollow
下雨时,水就积在树洞内.
The tree has such a lot of leaves and branches,
这种树的树叶和树枝茂盛
that the water remains cool and fresh.
因此积下的水可保持清凉、新鲜.
It is such a useful tree,
猴面包树实用价值高,
some people could hardly live without it.
有些人离了它就不行.