King of Fruits水果之王

It is a tree that is green at all times of the year. But it bears1 fruit inthe height of summer. The hotter it is， the sweeter it becomes. And， itseems we humans cannot have enough of this delicious fruit， for there arealmost 1，000 kinds of this “king of fruits”around the world to please2 ourtongues and eyes.

这是一种一年四季都是绿色的树。但它在盛夏结果实。天气越热，果实越甜。而且我们人类似乎吃不腻这种美味的水果，因为全世界有将近1000 个品种的“水果之王”来取悦我们的舌头和眼睛。

It could be round， almost like a ball， or it could be oval3 or just long and thin.It could have a red and yellow color like the setting sun. Or it could be yellow oreven green. It could be small as a cricket4 ball or as big as a watermelon5！

芒果可以是圆形的，差不多像一个球，也可以是椭圆形的，或者只是细长形的。它可能有红色和黄色，就像落日，或者可以是黄色甚至绿色。它可以像板球那么小，也可以和西瓜一样大。

The mango tree is quite large. The largest cangrow to be 65 feet （19.81 m） tall. Those trees in lessthan best climates6 may only grow to a thirdof that height when fully grown. The fruitwas introduced to Southern California in the late19th century， and with frosts7 sometime， the mature8trees there are usually no more than 20 feet （6.09 m） tall.

芒果树很高大，最高的可以长到65 英尺（19.81 米）。那些生长于不完全适宜的气候里的芒果树在完全长成时可能只能长到这个高度的三分之一。这种水果于19 世纪末被引入南加州，有时会有霜冻，那里成熟的树木通常不超过20 英尺（6.09 米）高。

Asia爷s gift to the world

亚洲给世界的礼物

If someone were to ask you about India or Asia’s great achievements9， youcan confidently10 say， Mango！ Yes， the mango is one of them. The original11wild mango came from the forest of Assam in north-east India and Myanmar.

如果有人问你印度或亚洲有什么伟大成就，你可以自信地说，芒果！是的，芒果就是其中之一。最初的野生芒果来自印度东北部阿萨姆邦和缅甸的森林。

How the mango got its name

芒果是如何得名的

It’s an interesting story. The name mango comes from Tamil. From man-kay orman-gay， it changed to manga. The people who gave it the name manga or mangowere the Portuguese. They first came to India， across the oceans， about 500 yearsago. As they settled12 down in parts of India， they found the mango. They seemed towant more of it， so they started experimenting13 with new kinds of mango. Thefamous Alphonso or Mulgoa that we love today， is the result of their hard work. Andthen they decided to introduce the fruit to the rest of the world.

这是一个有趣的故事。“芒果”这个名字来自泰米尔语。从man-kay 或者man-gay 变成manga。给它起名字“manga”或“mango”的是葡萄牙人。大约500 年前，他们第一次漂洋过海来到印度。当他们在印度部分地区定居下来时，他们发现了芒果。他们似乎想要更多的芒果，于是他们开始试验新的芒果品种。我们今天喜欢的著名的阿方索或穆尔戈阿芒果，就是他们辛勤工作的结果。然后他们决定把这种水果引入世界其他地方。

A fruit enjoyed since 3，000 years

一种3000 年前就被人享用的水果

While Indians have been talking excitedly about the fruit for 3，000 years， thewestern world has tasted it for only 300 years！ But how do we know that Indianshave enjoyed the mango for 3，000 years？ Simple， they were excited enough toactually write about its good qualities14 in some important old books. Today we allknow that the mango is rich in vitamin15 A， C and D. They were written by differentnames in those books.

3000 年来，印度人一直在热情地谈论这种水果，而西方世界只品尝了它300年！但是，我们怎么知道印度人已经享用芒果3000 年了呢？很简单，他们非常兴奋地在几本重要的古书中写下了它的优点。今天我们都知道芒果富含维生素A、C 和D。在那几本书中，这几种维生素的名字大不相同。

Down the years， several qualities have got attached16 to the mango. It is seenas a symbol of good luck and in many parts of west and south India， mango leavesare put up at the front door. It is a belief17 that the mango tree has the power18 tomake wishes come true.

随着岁月流逝，芒果被赋予了几个特性。它被视为好运的象征，在印度西部和南部的许多地方，芒果叶被挂在前门。人们相信芒果树有实现愿望的能力。

Mangoes are used in a number of dishesof Asian， Indian and South American. Manyare familiar19 with the drink， Mango Lassi20，in Indian and Himalayan restaurants. Thoughthe mango has become a kind of fruit we ofteneat in daily life， its wild cousins can still befound in the north-eastern part of India and Myanmar.

芒果被用于亚洲、印度和南美的许多菜肴中。许多人在印度和喜马拉雅山地区的餐馆里都很熟悉这种饮料———芒果酸奶奶昔。尽管芒果已经成为我们日常生活中经常吃的一种水果，但在印度东北部和缅甸仍然可以找到它的几种野生“近亲”。

（英语原文选自：pitara.com amp; delightedcooking.com）