涨知识：关于樱花你可能不知道的10件事（双语）

　　阳春三月，最适合去公园里赏樱花。但不是每个国家的人都可以有幸看到樱花美景。关于樱花，你了解多少?

　　1. YOU'LL ONLY FIND CHERRY BLOSSOMS IN A HANDFUL OF COUNTRIES.

　　只有为数不多的几个国家有樱花

　　Called sakura in Japan, the cherry blossoms of Yoshino and Kyoto are world-famous. Tourists flock to the country each spring to try their hand at a centuries-old activity called hanami, or “flower viewing.” You don’t have to fly to Japan to see them, though. In the US, the cherry blossoms of Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston are all beautiful in their own way. The flowers can also be viewed in many European and Asian countries, as well as Brazil and Australia in the southern hemisphere.

　　樱花在日本名叫sakura，以吉野和京都的樱花最为著名。每年春天，游客都会蜂拥到日本，参加有数百年历史的赏花会。不过，看樱花不用飞到日本去。在美国的华盛顿、纽约、费城、圣路易斯、西雅图、旧金山、波士顿的樱花美景都各有特色。欧洲和亚洲的许多国家，还有南半球的巴西和澳洲，都可以看到樱花。

　　2. THE CHERRY BLOSSOM CAPITAL OF THE WORLD IS IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA.

　　“世界樱花之都”在美国乔治亚州

　　Believe it or not, the city of Macon in central Georgia is recognized as the “Cherry Blossom Capital of the World”—at least according to US Congressional records. It’s home to 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees, while Washington, D.C. has fewer than 4000 trees.

　　信不信由你，美国乔治亚州中部的梅肯市被誉为“世界樱花之都”，至少美国国会记录是这么显示的。梅肯市有35万棵吉野樱树，而华盛顿特区的樱树还不到4000棵。

　　3. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CHERRY TREE VARIETIES.

　　樱树有几百个品种

　　Japan in particular is home to hundreds of types of cherry tree—possibly more than 600, by more liberal estimates. Some types bear fruit, while others don’t. The flowers of many trees change from dark pink to light pink to white throughout the different stages of blossoming, while others progress from greenish yellow to white to pink. One variety, called Kanzan, was bred to have “double blossoms”—or up to 28 petals on each flower, compared to the Yoshino tree’s five petals.

　　日本拥有几百个品种的樱树，据乐观的估计，可能有600多种。有些樱树能结果，有些不能。许多樱树在不同的开花阶段颜色会从深粉变成淡粉再变成白色，而其他一些樱树的花则会从黄绿色变成白色再变成粉色。有一种关山樱能开“两重花”，每朵花花瓣多达28个，而吉野樱树的花只有五个花瓣。

　　4. THEY DON'T BLOOM FOR LONG.

　　樱花花期很短

　　A cherry tree might only remain in bloom for one to two weeks. However, they only keep up their “peak color” for about three days, so it’s best to time your trip wisely if you’re visiting a cherry blossom destination from out of town. The timing depends on a number of factors, including location, heat, and daylight.

　　一颗樱树的花期只有一到两周。但是，樱花颜色最美的时间只有三天，所以如果你是去外地赏樱，最好能把握住时机。赏樱的最佳时间取决于多种因素，包括地点、温度和日照。

　　5. CLIMATE CHANGE COULD BE MAKING THEM BLOSSOM EARLIER.

　　气候变化会让樱花更早盛开

　　Some scholars have suggested that the trees are blooming earlier and earlier as the planet gradually gets warmer. Dr. Soo-Hyung Kim, an ecophysiologist at the University of Washington who has studied the phenomenon, says that by 2080 we could expect to see cherry blossoms in D.C. as early as February.

　　一些学者指出，随着全球变暖，樱树开花的时间越来越早。研究这一现象的华盛顿大学生态生理学家金秀贤博士说，到2080年，樱花可能会提早至二月份盛开。