19 The Wonderful World of Plants-High

The Wonderful World of Plants Written by Ron Fridell

《植物的奇妙世界》作者:罗恩·弗里德尔

Introduction Imagine a family is going out for dinner. The kids put on clean clothes and get ready to leave. At the restaurant, Mom parks the car under a large shade tree. The family walks across a grassy lawn to the entrance. Everyone sits down at a wooden table. They read from a paper menu. Their chicken dinners come with mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. They share apple pie for dessert. Dad takes their leftovers home in a cardboard box. Think about the clothes, tree, lawn, table, chairs, menu, foods, and boxes. What do they all have in common? They are all examples of— or products that come from— plants! Even the chicken relies on plants. In your life, you see plants almost everywhere and use plants in countless ways.

设想一家人外出吃饭。 孩子们穿上干净的衣服，准备离开。 在餐厅，妈妈把车停在一棵大树荫下。 这家人穿过一片长满青草的草坪来到门口。 每个人都坐在一张木桌前。 他们读纸质菜单。 他们的鸡肉晚餐配有土豆泥和新鲜蔬菜。 他们分享苹果派作为甜点。 爸爸把他们剩下的东西装在纸板箱里带回家。 想想衣服、树、草坪、桌子、椅子、菜单、食物和盒子。 他们有什么共同之处? 它们都是植物的例子，或者来自植物的产品!即使是鸡也要依靠植物。 在你的生活中，你几乎无处不在地看到植物，并以无数种方式使用植物。

In this book, you will learn what plants need in order to survive, how they make their own food, and how they make more plants. You'll also learn about how animals and plants depend on each other. Plants are very important living things. In fact, you could not survive without plants!

在这本书中，你将了解植物生存需要什么，它们如何制造自己的食物，以及它们如何制造更多的植物。 你还将了解动物和植物是如何相互依存的。 植物是非常重要的生物。 事实上，没有植物你就无法生存!

The Parts of a Plant You have probably learned that most plants have the same basic parts. Each of these parts helps the plant get the things it needs to survive: water, air, minerals, and light. The roots of a plant have several important jobs. In most plants, roots act as an anchor to hold the plant in place and help keep it upright. Roots also absorb water and minerals, which plants need in order to live and grow. Finally, roots store some of the food that plants make. Roots usually grow downward into the soil. In the soil, roots absorb water and minerals. Plants cannot survive without water. Minerals are the nutrients that help plants grow and stay healthy. Wowser! Some roots must grow very deep to reach water. Mesquite shrubs in the desert can send roots as far down as 50 meters (164 ft.).

你可能已经了解到大多数植物都有相同的基本部位。 每一个部分都帮助植物获得生存所需的东西:水、空气、矿物质和光。 植物的根有几个重要的功能。 在大多数植物中，根起到锚的作用，将植物固定在适当的位置，并帮助它保持直立。 根还能吸收植物生存和生长所需的水和矿物质。 最后，根会储存一些植物制造的食物。 根通常向下生长到土壤中。 在土壤中，根系吸收水分和矿物质。 植物没有水就不能生存。 矿物质是帮助植物生长和保持健康的营养物质。 老古板!有些根必须长得很深才能接触到水。 沙漠中的牧豆树灌木可以将根长到50米(164英尺)以下。

The stems are important for a few reasons. In most plants, stems that support the leaves grow toward the Sun and help the plant absorb the sunlight it needs to survive. The stem also transports water and minerals from the roots to other parts of the plant. Finally, like roots, stems can store food and water for the plant. Do You Know? The stems of some plants are long, like the trunk and branches of a tree. Some plants have stems that creep along the ground, such as the vines of a strawberry, cucumber, melon, or pumpkin plant. The stems of some plants, such as white potatoes and tulip bulbs, are underground.

茎之所以重要，有几个原因。 在大多数植物中，支撑叶子的茎朝着太阳生长，帮助植物吸收生存所需的阳光。 茎还将水和矿物质从根部输送到植物的其他部位。 最后，像根一样，茎可以为植物储存食物和水。 你知道吗?有些植物的茎很长，就像树干和树枝一样。 有些植物的茎沿着地面爬行，比如草莓、黄瓜、甜瓜或南瓜的藤蔓。 一些植物的茎，如白土豆和郁金香球茎，在地下。

Leaves are another important plant part. Leaves are where plants make most of their food. Leaves also get rid of the waste products made during the food-making process. Leaves grow above the ground because that's where the light is that plants need to make food. Leaves are usually flat, which helps them catch as much sunlight as possible. Try This Botanists (plant scientists) describe leaves in many ways. Are the edges smooth, wavy, or toothed like a saw? Is the tip pointy, rounded, or dented? Is the surface smooth, rough, bumpy, hairy, sticky, or waxy? Does light pass through the leaf? Gather some leaves and compare their many features.

叶子是植物的另一个重要部分。 叶子是植物获取大部分食物的地方。 树叶还能清除食物制造过程中产生的废物。 叶子长在地面上，因为那里是植物需要制造食物的光线所在。 树叶通常是平的，这有助于它们尽可能多地吸收阳光。 植物学家(植物科学家)用很多方法来描述叶子。 边缘是光滑的，波浪状的，还是锯齿状的? 尖端是尖的、圆的还是凹的? 表面是光滑的，粗糙的，凹凸不平的，多毛的，粘稠的，还是蜡状的? 光能穿过树叶吗? 收集一些树叶，比较它们的许多特征。