Strawberries are one of the fruits that signal the start of winter. Although “berry” is included in the name, a strawberry isn’t actually a berry in the __1__ sense of the word. True berries, such as blueberries and cranberries, have seeds inside the fleshy part of the fruits. If you look at a strawberry, you’ll see what seem to be seeds on the outside of the fruit. This __2__ makes strawberries fall into a category known as an aggregate fruit.
It’s easy to see where the __3__ comes from. In everyday language, almost any small, juicy, edible fruit is called a berry by most people. This is why strawberries, along with other fruits like raspberries and blackberries, are commonly __4__ into the berry family, even though they don’t fit the main feature of a berry—having internal seeds.
Technically speaking, a berry is any fruit that has seeds and pulp produced from the ovary of a single flower. It’s also fleshy throughout, with the seeds __5__ within the flesh of the fruit. Believe it or not, by this definition, bananas and tomatoes __6__ as berries. Strawberries, however, develop from a flower with multiple ovaries. What we think of as the “fruit” is actually the enlarged receptacle of the flower. In fact, the tiny “seeds” __7__ on the outside are not seeds at all. They are the actual fruits of the plant, which are known as achenes.
Photo: AdobeStock / 照片： AdobeStock
Strawberries __8__ to a family of fruits called Rosaceae, which includes roses and other fruits like apples and pears. When it comes to __9__, strawberries are low in calories but rich in many essential vitamins and minerals. This makes them both a delicious and __10__ choice for an everyday diet. So, does it matter that a strawberry is not technically a berry? Of course not, unless you’re a scientist. The rest of us can just enjoy these juicy, delicious gifts of nature.
(A) enclosed (B) healthy (C) classified (D) qualify (E) strictest
(F) belong (G) confusion (H) visible (I) characteristic (J) nutrition
Photo: AdobeStock / 照片： AdobeStock
草莓是示意冬天開始的水果之一。雖然其名字中有「莓」這個字，但從這個字最嚴格的意義來說，草莓其實不是莓。真正的莓果（像是藍莓和蔓越莓）在果肉的部分裡有種籽。如果你查看一顆草莓，你會看到似乎是種籽的東西是在該水果的外部。這項特點讓草莓落入名為聚合果的分類中。
這個令人混淆的狀況從何而來是顯而易見的。在我們日常的語言中，幾乎任何小小、多汁且可食用的水果都被多數人稱為莓果。這就是為何草莓和其他像是覆盆莓、黑莓等水果常常被分類到莓科裡，即便它們不符合莓果主要的特色──有著在內部的種籽。
按理來說，莓果是指任何從單一花朵的子房產出之具有種籽和果肉的水果。這種水果也是從內到外都是果肉，種籽則是含在果肉裡。信不信由你，根據這個定義，香蕉和番茄可以被稱為莓果。然而，草莓是從一朵花的數個子房中發展而成的。我們所認為的「果實」其實是變大的花托。實際上，外部可見的小小「種籽」根本不是種籽。它們是這種植物真正的果實 ── 稱為瘦果。
草莓屬於水果類的薔薇科，其包含玫瑰和其他像是蘋果和梨子的水果。提到營養價值的部分，草莓熱量很低，但富含許多必需的維生素和礦物質。這使其成為日常飲食中美味和健康兼具的選擇。那麼，草莓按理來說並不是莓這件事重要嗎？當然不重要，除非你是科學家。我們其他人可以單純地享用這些大自然多汁且美味的饋贈就好。
水果小筆記
blueberry n. 藍莓
cranberry n. 蔓越莓
raspberry n. 覆盆莓（p 不發音）
blackberry n. 黑莓
植物小筆記
aggregate a. 聚合的
pulp n. 果肉
ovary n.（植物的）子房
receptacle n. 花托
achene n. 瘦果
答案： 1. E 2. I 3. G 4. C 5. A 6. D 7. H 8. F 9. J 10. B
Word in Use
1. curious a. 有趣的；稀奇古怪的；好奇的
It’s curious that my best friend left the party last night without saying goodbye.
昨晚我最好的朋友沒說再見就離開派對了，這真奇怪。
2. signal vt. 表示；預示
The rush of cars trying to leave the city signaled the end of the workday.
趕著遠離都市的車流顯示著工作日的結束。
3. berry n. 莓果；漿果
Bears feed on honey and wild berries.
熊以蜂蜜和野莓為食。
4. fleshy a.（水果）肉質多的
flesh n. 果肉
A berry is a fleshy fruit with a thin wall and many seeds.
莓果是有著薄外皮和許多籽、且果肉部分多的水果。
Bananas have firm, creamy flesh packed with nutrients and health benefits.
香蕉豐厚綿密的果肉富含營養與健康益處。
5. category n. 類別，種類
The boxer met all the requirements of the heavyweight category.
那位拳擊手符合重量級項目的所有條件。
Practical Phrases
1. fall into... 歸入 ∕ 分為……
Our customers fall into three main categories.
我們的顧客主要分為三種類型。
2. technically speaking 按理來說，嚴格來說
technically adv. 嚴格遵循規則地；技術上地
Technically speaking, the applicant is not qualified for the job.
嚴格說來，該應徵者不符合這項職位的資格。
3. Believe it or not, S + V 信不信由你，……
Believe it or not, this machine can make 100 copies in a minute.
信不信由你，這臺機器一分鐘可以影印一百張。
4. think of A as B 認為 A 是 B
After the girl rescued the boy from drowning, the villagers thought of her as a heroine.
女孩救了差點溺水的男孩後，村民們視她為女英雄。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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