Falling Leaves.doc

Falling Leaves 落叶 Every autumn, citizens of the North American Midwest and Northeast enjoy a spectacularly colorful display as leaves turn various shades of red, orange, yellow, purple, and brown. But autumn also entails the backbreaking work of raking all those beautiful leaves once they fall. Why can’t leaves change colors, stay on their trees, and change back to green again when spring comes? 每年秋天，北美中西部以及东北部的居民会看到惊异的落叶美景，红的，黄的，紫的，橘色的，以及棕色的，各种颜色的树叶叶飘然落地。景色很美，在树叶落下的时候，正是秋季，搜集落叶这项繁重的任务也就是她所要承担的了。为什么树叶不能只是改变颜色，继续在树上生长，而春天到来的时候再变回绿色？ Unfortunately, the chemical processes responsible for changing leaf color also make leaves fall. Trees prepare for their dormant winter period by undergoing senescence. Senescence involves recycling nutrients from leaves into the plant body for use in the Spring. As trees enter dormancy, they cut back on chlorophyll production. Because chlorophyll is the chemical responsible for making leaves green, its absence allows chemicals such as carotinoids, xanthophylls, and others to give leaves their orange, yellow, and various other colors. 遗憾的是，正是让树叶变色的化学反应让树叶落地。树木依靠这种衰退的方式来为冬季的休眠做准备。衰老的过程包括从树干至树叶的营养的循环，以备春季所需。当树木进入冬季休眠期的时候，生产叶绿素的量就会下降。因为叶绿素是维持树叶绿色的化学原料。若没有足够的叶绿素，类胡萝卜素，叶黄素以及其他的元素就会让树叶呈现出橘色，黄色以及其他各种颜色。 As trees stop producing chlorophyll, they start producing sugars and amino acids that act as a sort of antifreeze to protect plants from the winter cold. Meanwhile, nutrients drain from the leaves, through the stems, and eventually into the roots, where they remain for the winter. When the nutrients have left the leaves, all that remain are cell walls and nutrient-depleted protoplasm. 当树木停止生产叶绿素的时候，就开始生产糖分以及氨基酸，这些物质可充当防冻剂抵御冬天的寒冷。与此同时，树叶通过茎流失的养分也最终返回到根部，储存为冬季所用。 树叶落下之后，遗留下来的是些细胞壁和营养耗尽的原生质。 Since all that now holds leaves to a tree are brittle, dry, and easily broken veins, a gust of wind is enough to tear leaves from the tree and send them fluttering to the ground. When dead leaves break away, they leave behind waxy cells that form a small bud cal