美国学生世界地理教材 第44期:青春泉(2)

 The chief fruits from Florida are oranges and grape-fruit, which will grow only where there is no frost.  佛罗里达州的主要水果是橙子和葡萄柚，这两种水果只生长在没有霜冻的地区。

Grape-fruit grows in bunches like big, yellow grapes—that’s why it is called “grape”-fruit.  葡萄柚是簇生的，果实像成串的黄色大葡萄——这就是为什么它叫做“葡萄”柚的原因了。
Grape-fruit was at first thought not fit to eat—too bitter and not sweet like an orange; but people have learned to like it.  最初人们认为葡萄柚并不适宜吃——太苦了，不像橙子那样甜；但是人们逐渐喜欢了它的味道。
More grape-fruit grows in Florida than in any other place.  佛罗里达州葡萄柚的产量比全世界任何地方都要多。
Once there was no Florida at all—the United States had no “paw” sticking out into the sea.  以前并没有佛罗里达——美国本来没有伸到海里的“爪子”。
It grew a paw and this is the way it grew it.  “爪子”是长出来的。它是这样长出的：
The sea was warm and shallow and in the sea there lived millions, billions, trillions of little animals,  那里的海水很温暖，也很浅，海里生长着数百万、数十亿、数万亿的小动物，
each like a tiny drop of jelly 1 with a tiny stony 2 speck 3 in the center,  每一个都像一小滴果酱，中间有个小小的硬点，
or a tiny stony shell on the outside, and millions and billions and trillions of these little sea animals died.  或者是外面有个小小的硬硬的壳，当这些数百万、数十亿、数万亿的海洋小动物死掉后，
As they died, millions, billions, trillions of these stony specks 4 and shells fell to the bottom of the sea like a snowfall of chalk dust,  数百万、数十亿、数万亿的小硬点和小贝壳纷纷掉落到海底，就像粉笔灰飘落下来一样，
and this piled up until the water was filled up. This stony, bony, chalky pile is lorida.  它们堆积在一起，直到海水被填满。这样一堆既像石头、又像骨头、又像粉笔的东西形成了现在的佛罗里达州。
On this kind of ground of which Florida is made plants grow very well indeed.  在佛罗里达州的这种土地上植物长得特别好。
In fact, this soft, chalky ground is so good for growing things that people dig it up and send it to other States to be put on the ground  事实上，这种松软、像粉笔灰样的土壤非常适宜种植各种作物，于是还有人把土壤挖出来运到其他州，施在地里，
to make vegetables grow better. 让蔬菜长得更好。
Long, long years ago, before there were any people on the World, our whole country was at the bottom of the sea,  很多很多年以前，在世界上还没有任何人之前，美国整个国家都在海底，
and a great deal of our country was made under the sea just as Florida was made, from bones and shells of sea animals.  我们国家的大部分地区都是在海底形成的，就像佛罗里达州那样，由海洋动物的骨头和贝壳慢慢堆积而成。
This kind of bone and shell rock—for it is rock—is called limestone 6, because if you burn it it makes lime 5.  这种骨头和贝壳形成的岩石——因为它就是岩石——叫做石灰岩，因为如果你把它烧着的话，它就变成石灰了。
Limestone is really bone-stone; stone made of the bones of sea animals.  石灰岩真的就是骨头岩石，是由海洋动物的骨头形成的。
Then the earth wrinkled 7 and crinkled and rose out of the water and formed our country.  后来地球起皱、弯曲，升出水面，形成了美国。
We know it was once under the sea because in many places now, high above the sea, even on mountain tops,  我们知道美国以前在海底，因为现在在很多高出海平面的地方，甚至在山顶上，
we find this limestone with shells and bones of fish and other sea animals still showing in it.  我们都能发现这种石灰岩，在岩石里还能看到贝壳、鱼和其他海洋动物的骨头。
Marble, the most beautiful of all stone, is a kind of limestone, for it also is made of bone.  大理石是所有石头中最美丽的，也是一种石灰岩，因为它也是由骨头形成的。
People build houses and palaces of it and make statues and tombstones of marble or limestone. 人们建造大理石的房子和宫殿，也用大理石或石灰岩来制作雕像和墓碑。