The raw sugar is first dissolved in water, and is then carefully strained to make it clear. It is next boiled in large pans until the water has nearly all passed away as steam.

首先把粗糖溶解在水里, 进行严格的过滤, 把糖水滤清。然后再把糖水放在大型的平底锅里煮, 直到差不多所有的水都变成蒸汽消失。

Then the thick sugar-syrup is poured into cone- shaped moulds, where it cools. By the time that it is quite cool, the sugar has turned into tiny white solid pieces, called crystals. It is turned out of the moulds in the form of tall cones, which are called sugarloaves. The grocer breaks up these big loaves into small pieces, which he sells as lump-sugar.

然后把粘稠的糖浆, 倒进圆锥形的模具里冷却。完全冷却以后, 糖就变成了细小的白色固体, 叫做“晶体”, 把糖从模具里倒出来, 糖的形状就变成了高高的圆锥形。食品商把这些大糖块切成小块儿, 当做“方糖”来出售。

Sugar is made from the sweet juice of the beet-root in almost exactly the same way as from the sugar-cane. But the beet-roots are not crushed between rollers like the stems of the sugarcane. They are first cut up into slices, and then soaked in water to extract or draw out the juice.

用甜菜根的汁液制糖, 跟用甘蔗制糖, 方式差不多完全一样。不过, 甘蔗茎是要在滚筒之间碾碎的, 甜菜根并不用滚筒碾碎, 而是切成薄片, 浸在水里, 把汁液弄出来, 或者叫“提取”出来。

You know that sugar is used for making jam, and cakes, and pastry, and all kinds of sweets, as well as for sweetening our tea and coffee.

小朋友知道, 糖可以用来做果酱、蛋糕、油酥糕点, 做所有种类的甜食, 还可以用来给茶和咖啡加上甜味。

It is only of late years that sugar has become so cheap that every one can afford to use plenty of it. Until about one hundred years ago, sugar was hardly ever used in this country. Before that time people used honey to sweeten things.

只是在最近, 糖的价钱才变得便宜起来, 人人都可以买到足够的糖了。大约在100年以前, 英国人还不怎么吃糖, 而是用蜂蜜来给食物加甜味。

 

英语美文