英文书摘精选 1500年前,丝绸生产是中国的国家机密
时间：2018-12-28 作者：英语课 分类：初学者听力文摘精选
Fifteen hundred years ago in China, silk production was a state secret.
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 monks 1 smuggled 2 silkworm eggs to Constantinople, and silk production spread worldwide. Now that the secret's out, we can safely talk about how silkworms and humans make luxurious 3 silk cloth.
A silkworm actually isn't a worm at all. It's a type of caterpillar 4 that once existed in the wild, but now only survives in domesticated 5 form. Silkworms are fussy 6 eaters, dining only on mulberry leaves. When a silkworm has had its fill, it spins a cocoon 7 from a single strand 8 of silk, two to three thousand feet long!
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, cocoons 9 are first steamed to kill the pupae inside. That's because the silkworm would break the silk if it began to emerge as a moth 10. Next the cocoon is dunked in hot water--rather than tea--to dissolve the sticky coating that binds 11 the silk. Then a machine unwinds the single strand that makes up each cocoon. Twisted together, these strands 12 make the fine thread used to weave silk cloth.
Next time we'll talk about how humans have bred silkworms to behave quite unlike their caterpillar cousins in the wild.
- 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》
- The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网
- 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。
- 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。
- 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》
- 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。
- 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。
- 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。
- 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
- 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。