2021年4月15日 星期四

奇妙的含羞草


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2021/04/16 第561期  |  訂閱/退訂  |  看歷史報份  |  寂天閱讀網
 
【編輯小語】 有趣的文字遊戲Part 2:回文法
【英語學習Plus】 奇妙的含羞草
【本月發燒書】 彩圖中級英文文法Let's See!【四版】(菊8K+解答別冊)
【好康情報局】 ★FUN學暢銷套書★讓你像在美國上課一樣!
 

有趣的文字遊戲Part 2:回文法

回文(palindrome)就是指不管順著唸或倒著唸,唸起來都一樣的字、片語或句子。從西元前三世紀就有人開始創造回文了。

palindrome 來自於希臘文的palin(從後面;再)和dramein(跑),這兩個字合起來就是希臘文的palindromos,意思是「(從後面)再跑回去一次」。

仔細看下面的例子,到著唸回去,是不是都一樣呢?

■ A man, a plan, a canal: Panama
(是人名,是計畫名,也是運河名:巴拿馬)
■ Able was I ere I saw Elba.
(在我看到厄爾巴島前,我是有才能的。)
■ Madam, I’m Adam.
(女士,我是亞當。)
■ Enid and Edna dine.
(伊妮德和愛德娜在用餐。)
■ Ma is a nun, as I am.
(媽是個修女,就跟我一樣。)
■ Draw, O Caesar, erase a coward.
(拔劍吧,噢,凱撒,除掉一個懦夫。)
■ He lived as a devil, eh?
(他活得像個魔鬼,嗯?)
■ Niagara, O roar again!
(尼加拉瓜瀑布,噢,再咆哮一次吧!)
■ Dennis Krats and Edna Stark sinned.
(丹尼斯.克拉茲和愛德娜.史塔克犯了罪。)

────── 節錄寂天講堂「有趣的文字遊戲Part 2:回文法」
 

奇妙的含羞草 Mimosa Pudica!

We've all heard of shy people before, but what about a shy plant? As crazy as it may sound, one actually exists. It's called the Mimosa pudica, from the Latin word meaning "sensitive plant." It's also known as the touch-me-not.

The Mimosa pudica is native to South and Central America. It is a creeping annual or perennial herb, which means that it slowly expands across any surface it is attached to. However, the Mimosa pudica's real claim to fame is its strange reaction to being touched. If someone touches the leaves of the Mimosa pudica, the leaves immediately fold up. This gives people the impression that the Mimosa pudica is more of an animal than a plant.

The Mimosa pudica's reaction is the result of a chemical that is released whenever the plant is touched. The chemical makes water within the plant move toward the stem, and the plant's leaves fold inward as a result. Some scientists believe that this strange reaction is actually meant to be a form of defense against plant-eating animals.

It's not movement that makes the Mimosa pudica the most incredible plant in the world. Its leaves can also be ground up and used to treat several diseases. In Indian
traditional medicine, the Mimosa pudica is used to treat swollen glands, and it is used to ease body pain and kidney disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In fact, wherever the Mimosa pudica is found growing, there is usually a native culture that uses the plant to cure some kind of disease.

If you're fascinated by the idea of a moving plant, you don't need to worry; the Mimosa pudica is not a threatened species. In fact, it's the total opposite. The Mimosa pudica is listed in the global database of invasive species. An invasive species is one that has been moved to a new habitat and is destroying the local species. Even though the Mimosa pudica originated in the Americas, it has spread to Africa, South Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Australia. In many of these countries, it is viewed as a big problem.


我們都聽過害羞的人,但是有聽過害羞的植物嗎?聽起來可能很誇張,但誇張的是真的有這樣的植物!它就叫做「含羞草」,是從拉丁文「敏感的植物」衍生而來, 英文又稱之為「touchme- not」(勿碰我)。

含羞草原產於中南美洲,是一年生或多年生的攀緣草本植物,也就是說,含羞草會沿著它所攀附的物體表面往外生長。不過,真正讓含羞草成名的原因,在於它被碰觸之後的奇特反應。如果有人碰一下含羞草的葉子,這些葉子就會立刻闔起來,所以才會讓人感覺含羞草比較像動物而不像植物。

含羞草的反應來自於被碰觸當下所釋放的一種化學物質,這種化學物質會將植物內部的水分導向莖部,造成葉子往中間收合。部分科學家認為,這種特殊的反應其實是為了抵禦草食性動物。

含羞草之所以是世界上最奇妙的植物,原因不只是它的反應,它的葉子可以磨碎治療多種疾病。印度傳統醫學用含羞草來治療腺體腫脹;在剛果則用它來舒緩疼痛和腎疾。事實上,有含羞草生長的地方,通常都有用含羞草治病的文化。

如果你覺得會動的植物很有意思,你倒也不用替含羞草擔心,因為它可不是好惹的品種,事實上恰好相反。含羞草名列全球的入侵種之一,所謂入侵種,是被移至新棲地之後會消滅在地品種的物種。雖然含羞草原產於美洲,但是現在已經擴散到非洲、南亞、太平洋島群和澳洲,讓其中許多國家非常頭痛。

──選自《英語閱讀技巧完全攻略2【二版】(16K+1MP3)》
 

彩圖中級英文文法Let's See!【四版】(菊8K+解答別冊)

 

In Focus 英語閱讀 1:活用五大關鍵技巧 (16K彩圖+寂天雲隨身聽APP)

彩圖實境旅遊英語【彩圖三版】(32K+MP3)

看插畫20天背熟新制多益600核心單字 (32K+寂天雲隨身聽APP)

 
 
 
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