Y: So Don, yesterday I was walking down the produce aisle when I saw it--long, ripe,yellow，the perfect banana. It really looked delicious and I had to have it. I took it home and hung it on a banana hanger. The very next morning, it developed nasty brown spots.

昨天走在乡间小路上,见到了长长的、黄色的香蕉，太诱人了！看上去真的是很好吃，我也忍不住吃上了几根。我还拿到家里一些挂了起来。第二天早上，上面却长了肮脏的、褐色的斑点。

D: And you're wondering what gives.

在想为什么会生出那些斑点吗？

Y: Right. It was a good banana yesterday. What happened?

是啊。昨天还是好好的香蕉。发生了什么呢？


D: It's no mystery, Yael. Those spots are a natural part of the ripening process. You see, just like all fresh produce, your bananas are alive.They're taking in oxygen to help them convert sugars into energy, and releasing carbon dioxide. This process is called respiration.

没什么稀奇的。那些斑点是香蕉在成熟的过程中自然产生的。就像所有的新鲜农产品一样，你的香蕉是活的。他们吸入氧气，将糖转化成能量，并释放二氧化碳。这个过程叫做呼吸作用。

Y: I don't know, Don, this banana looks dead to me.

我不太懂。我还以为这些香蕉是死的。

D: Now, the quicker a fruit or vegetable respires, the quicker it ripens. For most fruits,the respiration rate slows down after the initial growth stage and the fruit ripens slowly. The growth and ripening process of bananas, however, is different. Although at first the banana's respiration slows down too, when it's ready to ripen, the banana's pulp releases a chemical that increases respiration. This converts the starches in the banana to sugars and gives it its fabulous taste. And you know how good bananas taste!

水果或者蔬菜的呼吸作用越强烈，它成熟的就越快。对于大多数水果来说，在最初的成长阶段呼吸作用减弱，成熟也较为缓慢。但是，香蕉的成长和成熟过程却不是这样的。虽然香蕉一开始呼吸作用也会减弱，当快要成熟的时候，它的果肉会释放出一种化学物质来加强它的呼吸作用。香蕉内的淀粉转化为糖，使香蕉美味无比。你知道香蕉有多好吃吧！

Y: Watch it--you're drooling. But what does all this ripening have to do with spots?

看啊-你都流口水了！但是这整个成熟的过程和那些斑点又有什么关系呢？

D: Well, with all this respiration, the banana eventually processes all the starches available. And that's when it begins to die. Those brown spots are rot and decay.

随着不断的呼吸作用，香蕉内的淀粉最终都被转化成糖了，香蕉也就“死”了。那些棕色的斑点是腐烂。

Y: Poor thing. It just ran out of fuel.

真可怜，就是把自己的能量消耗殆尽了。

D: Yeah, it's never easy seeing a good banana go bad.

是啊，看到好好的香蕉变质了，心情肯定不好。