1.Corks are so cheap and so common，that every child who reads thislesson can get a cork to handle and to look at.Let us try with a pen-holder to keep a cork down at thebottom of a glass of water.It is veryhard to do this；for the cork is very muchlighter than its bulk①of water，and so it is always trying to rise to the top.
2.Men who go out in life-boats②wear canvas③belts filled withpieces of cork.If the boat should be upset，the cork is so light that it would help the men to float④，and save them from drowning.
3.Squeeze a cork between your fingers.You can easily compress it，or make it smaller.But when you take your fingers away，the cork springs out to its old size and shape.Things that do this are called elastic.
①Bulk，size.
②Life-boat，a boat made for the purpose of saving the lives of shipwrecked persons at sea.
③Canvas，a coarse linen cloth.
④Float，rest or move on the surface of the water.
LIFE-BOAT MEN（100年前的救生员）
4.Because cork is elastic，it makes good stoppers for bottles.The cork ought to be just a little larger than the neck of the bottle.We force the cork into the neck of the bottle，and it presses against the sides of it，and fits it exactly.
5.But what is cork？Cork is the outer bark①of a kind of oak-tree，which grows in the south of Europe.It is an evergreen oak-that is，it is always covered with green leaves.It grows to a height of thirty or forty feet.
STRIPPING THE CORK-TREE（给栓皮栎树剥皮）6.The bark of the cork-tree is first stripped off its trunk②when the tree is about thirty years old.This bark is very rough and full of cracks.It is called virgin cork，and it is used to decorate③green-houses and flowerboxes.
7.The bark soon grows again on the tree；and after ten years it is stripped off again.This time it is of a rather better quality.④After this，the bark is taken off every eight or ten years.The bestcork is got from trees that are about fifty years old.
8.The cork is taken from the tree in large sheets，or planks，as they are called.These are scraped well，and are slightly burnt in①Bark，the skin or covering of a tree.
②Trunk，stem；the thick part of a
③Decorate，make beautiful.[tree.
④Quality，kind.
order to close the pores①or tiny holes，and to kill any insects that may be in them.
9.The planks are then flattened out under heavy stones，after which they are boiled，and dried in the sun.In this state the sheets of cork are sent to our country；and here they are cut up with sharp knives into any shape that may be wanted.
10.Other trees would be killed if we were to strip off their bark，but the cork oak-tree seems to grow all the better for it.If its bark is not taken off，the tree dies when it is about sixty yearsof age；but trees that have been regularly②stripped live to the ageof about one hundred and fifty years.
SUMMARY
Cork is the outer bark of a kind of evergreen oak-tree which grows to a height of thirty or forty feet.The bark is taken off the tree in sheets or planks every eight or ten years.The planks are slightly charred，then flattened out，boiled，and dried in the sun.The sheets are then sent to this country.Cork is very light，and floats well in water，and it is therefore used for belts by men who go out in life-boats.It is also very elastic，and makes good stoppers for bottles.
【中文阅读】
1．软木很便宜，很常见。读到这一课的小朋友，人人都可以把一块软木塞拿在手上，好好看看。咱们试试，用一支笔杆子把软木塞按到一杯水底下。很难把软木塞按住，因为软木塞比它这么大体积的水轻得多，所以总是要往水面上浮。
2．救生艇上的救生员，都穿着一种帆布带子，里面盛满了软木块儿。要是船万一翻了，软木非常轻，可以让人浮起来，不让人淹死。①①Pores，very small openings.
②Regularly，at certain intervals or times.
3．用两个手指挤一下软木，可以很容易地压缩这块软木，让它变小。可是，一放开手指，软木就弹回了原来的大小和形状。有这种性质的东西叫做“弹性物体”。弹性的英语是elastic。
4．因为软木是有弹性的，所以很适合做瓶塞子。软木塞应该只比瓶颈大一点儿，我们把软木塞用力塞到瓶颈里面，软木塞就挤在了瓶颈的壁上，尺寸刚刚好。
5．但是，软木究竟是什么东西呢？软木是一种栎树的树皮，这种树长在欧洲南部，是一种常绿乔木，也就是一直长着绿叶子的树，能长到30-40英尺高。②6．木栓栎树长到30年的时候，就可以第一次剥树皮了。这一次剥下来的树皮非常粗糙，满是裂纹，叫做“头道皮”，也叫“初生栓皮”，用来装饰温室和花盆。③7．不久，树上就又长出树皮来。10年以后，这些树皮就又剥下来了。这一次的质量就好多了。这以后，每过8-10年就剥一次树皮。最好的树皮，是大概50年的树出产的。
8．树皮是大片大片地从树上剥下来的，这种大片的树皮片叫做plank，人们把树皮打磨好，拿火烤一下，让树皮上的细孔或者小洞闭合，也是为了杀死里面的一切昆虫。④9．然后，把树皮片用沉重的石头压平，再用热水煮一遍，在太阳底下晒干。这样处理过的软木板，运到英国，用锋利的刀子切成我们想要的任何形状。
10．别的树，如果剥了树皮，就活不下去了。但是栓皮栎树一旦剥了皮，似乎反而长得更好。不剥皮的树，大概60年就会死去，但是，每隔一段时间剥一次皮的树，却能活大约150年。⑤译注①软木的细胞之间充满了气体，所以很轻。这种“软木救生衣”在100年前的英国用得很多。1912年沉没的“泰坦尼克号”客轮上，使用的就是这种救生衣，缺点是太硬，容易把人碰伤。救生衣的材料，除了软木，还有木棉纤维、泡沫塑料、气囊等等。软木的用途很广，除了做软木塞和救生衣之外，还可以做高级地板、隔热板、隔音板、汽车发动机里的密封垫等等。
②这种树的学名是“栓皮栎树”也叫“软木栎树”，英语名字叫cork tree，属于“被子植物门”、“双子叶植物纲”、“壳（）斗目”、“壳斗科”，是现存最古老的树之一，已经在地球上生长6000万年了。除了南欧之外，在中国的长江、黄河、珠江流域也都有分布。
③现在的工业标准认为，20-25年的树就可以剥头道皮了。
④在现代工艺中，这个步骤之后，要把树皮片交错叠15-20层。
⑤栓皮栎树之所以不会“伤筋动骨”，是因为树皮下面有一层“韧皮”，是树皮的“形成层”，软木细胞就是这个“形成层”长出来的。只要韧皮不受伤，就能继续输送水分和营养。
THE PRETTY PIGEON
