Instead of cutting all our cabbage plants, we shall leave a few in the ground until the end of the summer. Soon the heart of each plant will open, and long stems will grow up from its centre. Small yellow flowers then appear on these stems. Each flower has four little yellow leaves or petals, which grow in the form of a cross.

我们不应该把所有的卷心菜都割下来，而是应该留几株在土里，一直留到夏末。很快，每一株卷心菜的菜心就会打开，从中心长出一些长长的茎，茎上会生出小黄花。每一朵花，都有四片小小的黄色花瓣，长成十字形。

For this reason, the cabbage and many other plants, such as the turnip, the mustard, and the wallflower, which have flowers of the same shape, get the name of "cross-bearers. " It is well to know that none of the plants in this class are poisonous.

因为这个原因，卷心菜，还有其他很多植物，比如郁金香、芥菜、紫罗兰，这些植物的花都是这个形状，因此叫“十字花科”。而且幸运的是，这一类植物都没有毒。

There are several other useful plants that grow in our gardens which are really cabbages, although we call them by other names. One of these is the cauliflower, and another is the broccoli. A great mass of white flower-buds grows in the middle of each of these plants; and when this mass of buds is boiled, it is good to eat.

我们的菜园里还有几种其他有用的植物，也属于卷心菜一类，但名字是不一样的。其中之一是“白菜花”，另一种是“西兰花”。这些植物中间长着大量的白色花蕾，煮着吃是很好吃的。

Another kind of cabbage sends up a tall stem, on the sides of which little bundles of green leaves grow in balls: these are called brussels sprouts.

另外一种卷心菜长着高高的茎，茎的侧面有球形的绿叶，长成一小丛一小丛的，这种植物名叫“球芽甘蓝” 。

Then we have the cabbage called kale, which has long curly leaves; and the savoy cabbage, with short wrinkledleaves. A kind of cabbage grows in Jersey which has a stem taller than a man. Walking-sticks are sometimes made from its stems.

还有一种卷心菜叫“羽衣甘蓝”，长着长长的卷叶;还有“抱子甘蓝”，叶子很短，还皱皱巴巴的。有一种卷心菜长在英国的泽西岛，茎居然比一个人还高，有时候用它的茎来做手杖。

It is a good thing that there are so many kinds of cabbages; for some are ready for eating at one time, and some at another, so that we can have cabbages for dinner all the year round.

有这么多种卷心菜是一件好事，因为一年当中，有些时间，这种植物成熟，有些时间，那种植物成熟，所以我们一年到头都吃得上卷心菜。

英语美文