chest？-nutsglueprick？-lyEt？-na
prob？-a-bly
shad？-yChrist？-mas
with？-eredcheg？-gies
Span？-ishSic？-i-ly
sprout
1.How nice it is to go for a country walk in the spring，when everything looks fresh and green，and the air is not too hot！Probably①we shall not have to go very far before we see the fine large shady tree called the horse-chestnut.
2.If we go to the horse-chestnut tree in March，we shall find all the leaves in bud.Each bud is covered over with a sticky stuff like glue②，which keeps it dry and warm.When the leavescome out，they are like large green hands，as you can see in the picture.
3.How beautiful the white flowers of the horse-chestnut look！They grow in upright spikes，and stand like candles on aChristmas③tree.After they have all witheredand fallen to the ground，we find the green prickly fruit.By August the fruit has become ripe，and then it too drops to the ground.
①Probably，likely.
②Glue，a sticky substance got by boiling the hoofs of animals.
③Christmas，the twenty-fifth of December，the day on which Christ was born.
4.When the fruit dries it splits open，and then out roll one，two，or sometimes even three smooth brown seeds-chestnuts or “cheggies，”as some children call them.These seeds or nuts.
used to be ground down and given to horses for food.That is why they are called horse-chestnuts.
5.But there is another kind of chestnut-the sweet or Spanish①chestnut-which you can buy at the shops，and which is good to eat，especially when cooked.It has not a bitter taste like the horse-chestnut.This sweet chestnut is the fruit of quite a different kind of tree.
6.The Spanish chestnut tree grows to a very great size.One of these trees，growing on the side of Mount Etna②in Sicily③，measures one hundred and ninety feet round the trunk.It wouldtake more than thirty men holding each other‘s hands to reach round it.
CHESTNUT TREES ON MOUNT ETNA（埃特纳山上的栗子树）①Spanish，belonging to Spain，a country of Europe.
②Mount Etna，a volcano.
③Sicily，an island to the south of Italy，a country of Europe.
7.Hang a horse-chestnut in a glass half full of water，with its point touching the water，and keep it in the dark for a few days.It will soon sprout①，and a little horse-chestnut tree will begin togrow out of it.
SUMMARY
The horse-chestnut tree is a large shady tree which grows in this country.Its white flowers grow in upright spikes，and produce a prickly green fruit which contains two or more smooth brown seeds or nuts.These were at one time used as food for horses.These chestnuts are not good to eat.Spanish chestnuts grow on a different kind of tree.They are sweet to the taste，and good for food，especially when cooked.
【中文阅读】
1．春天，天气还不太热的时候，去乡间散散步，看着周围的一切都是新鲜青翠的，多惬意啊！
2．走近三月的“马栗树”，就能发现，所有的叶子都刚刚萌芽。每片刚萌芽的叶子，都被一种类似胶水的粘稠的东西覆盖着，能让叶子干燥温暖。叶子长出来的时候，像一只只绿色的大手，就像图片里看到的这样。①3．欧洲七叶树的白花好美！白花长在尖尖的花穗上，花穗是直立的，像圣诞树上的蜡烛一样。叶子在枯萎落地之后，我们就能看见绿色的带刺果实了。八月，果实成熟了，也会落到地上。
4．果实干燥之后会裂开，从里面滚出一颗、两颗，有时候甚至三颗光滑的棕色种子，看上去很像栗子（chestnut），英国有些小朋友叫它cheggies。以前曾经有人把这些种子，或者“坚果”磨碎给马吃，所以在英语里叫horse-chestnut（s），直译就是“马栗”。②5．但还有另一种栗子--“甜栗子”或“西班牙栗子”，在商店里可以①Sprout，begin to shoot up.
买到，非常好吃，尤其在煮熟了之后。它的味道可不像马栗那么苦。甜栗子是一种很不一样的树结出来的果实。③6．西班牙栗子树可以长得非常高大。在意大利的西西里地区（Sicily），有一座名叫“埃特纳”（Mount Etna）的火山，山上有一棵栗子树，树干周长足有190英尺，要30多个男人手拉手，才能合抱过来呢！④7．把一颗马栗挂在玻璃杯里，盛上半杯水，让马栗的尖儿碰到水面，在暗处放上几天。马栗会很快发芽，从里面长出一棵小小的马栗树！
译注
①马栗的中文学名叫“欧洲七叶树”，属于“被子植物门”“双子叶植物纲”“无患子目”“七叶树科”，主要生长在欧洲东南部，被大量种在林荫道两边，当作“行道树”。在中国的上海和青岛也有分布。那种粘稠的东西是一种树脂，到了春天才融化。
②欧洲七叶树的果实，看起来虽然像栗子，但其实跟栗子的亲缘关系很远。有人曾经观察过，马吃了它的果实可以缓解疼痛，那是果实里麻醉剂的效果。更值得注意的是，七叶树的整棵树都是有毒的，特别是种子，人和家畜吃了都可能死亡，所以一定要小心！
③这种植物的学名叫“欧洲板栗”，果实栗子的学名是“栗坚果”，中国人最熟悉的，大概要数糖炒栗子。植物学上，它属于“双子叶植物纲”“壳斗目”“壳斗科”。从亲缘上看，确实跟欧洲七叶树很远，跟第32课的栓皮栎树倒是比较近，不过栓皮栎树的果实一般用来当饲料。再次提醒读者，千万不要自己去尝欧洲七叶树的果实！
④栗子树一般有20-40米高。那棵树叫做“百马树”或“百骑大栗树”，树干周长是1780年量得的数据，折合公制是57.9米；1972年重新量了一次，是50.9米，树干直径17.5米，也是很惊人的。树龄估计在2000-4000岁之间，是吉尼斯世界纪录认定的周长最长的树。相传古代西班牙的阿拉贡王国有一位女王，带着100名骑手来到埃特纳火山游玩，突然天降大雨。女王看见不远处有一片“小树林”，赶紧和随从们来到跟前，才发现这并不是树林，而是一棵大栗树。大树把100名骑马的随从都遮住了，从此这棵护驾有功的栗树就出了名。
ONLY A STONE
