1.Spring①time has come，and the April showers have brought the yellow primroses in thousands to bloom②in our woods and lanes，and on our banks and meadows.
2.Let us dig up some primroses，roots and all，and plant them in our garden.But we will keep one to look at and pull to pieces，so that we may see how this lovely plant is made.
3.Its brown roots are of course meant to fix it in the soil，so that the wind cannot blow it from its place.But the roots do more than this.They suck food and water out of the earth for the use of the plant.
4.The stem of the primrose plant is so short that it can hardly b e s e e n .F r o m t h e s t e m t h e crumpled green leaves spread outlike a rosette③，forming a sort ofgreen nest，which lies close to the ground.
①Spring，the first season of the year （February，March，April）.
②Bloom，open out into blossom；flower.
③Rosette，the form or shape of a rose.
5.The leaves are narrow where they join the stem；but they are broad at their outer ends，where there is room for each leaf to get the light and the air it needs.The slender flower-stalks rise straight up from the short stem，and each stalk carries one flower.
6.On the outside of the flower is a green cup，made of five little green leaves joined together except at their points.Then comes a bright yellow tube，which spreads out at the top like a saucer.This also is made of five leaves，which have grown together.
7.Look next at the centre or eye of a few of the flowers，and you will find that they are not all alike.There are two kinds；and you will find both kinds growing together.One kind has in its eye a little green knob just like the head of a pin；these are calledpin-eyed.The other kind has a fringe①of little yellow dust-spikesinstead；such flowers are called thrum-eyed.
8.Let us split open the tube②of one of each kind.Both have the broad green seed-vessel down at the bottom of the tube，and from it there rises a slender green thread with a round sticky knob at the top.This thread is called the style.Now you see that in one of the flowers the style rises to the top ofthe tube，and in the other it rises only half-way.
9.Do you see any other difference between the two flowers？Yes；in the pin-eyed flower the dust-spikes are placed half-way down the tube，but in the other they are right at the top，and form its “thrum”eye.
①Fringe，edge.
②Tube，hollow stem.
10.You know that every flower needs pollen from some other flower to help to make its seeds，and that bees and other insects carry this pollen about when they are gathering honey.Let us see how the two kinds of primrose flowers help each other to make seeds.
11.When a bee pushes its trunk down into a thrum-eyed primrose，it gets part of its head covered with pollen.When it goes to a pin-eyed flower，that part of its head rubs against the top of the style and supplies it with pollen.
12.A pin-eyed flower will leave its pollen on a different part of the insect‘s head.But this is just the part that will rub against the style of a thrum-eyed flower.So you see that the two kinds of primrose flowers exchange pollen with each other by means of the bees，and so help each other to make good seeds.
SUMMARY
The yellow primrose grows in woods，lanes，and meadows.It has a brown root，with which it sucks up food and water out of the earth.It has a very short stem，from which its green leaves spread out like a rosette.The flower has an outer tube of five green leaves grown together，and an inner tube of five yellow ones.Inside this are the five dust-spikes and the seed-vessel.Some flowers have a short style and others a long style rising from the seed-vessel.Insects carry pollen from one kind to the other.
【中文阅读】
1．春天来了，四月的绵绵细雨，让成千上万的黄色报春花，绽放在我们的树林、小路、河岸、草地。①2．咱们连根带土挖出点儿报春花来，种在家里的花园里吧。但是我们也要留一棵来观察和分解，这样就可以看见，这种可爱的花儿，结构是什么样的。②3．报春花棕色的根，当然是为了把植株固定在土里，这样就不会让风刮跑了。但是根的作用还不止这个，还能吸取土中的养分和水分，让植株利用。
4．报春花的茎，非常短，不太容易看出来。起皱的绿叶，就从这条茎向四面八方长出来，像一个“玫瑰花结”一样，形成了一个绿色的小“巢”，长在离地很近的地方。③5．报春花的叶子，在靠近茎的一侧很窄，但在靠外的一侧很宽，这样每一片叶子都有足够的空间，能得到需要的阳光和空气。纤细的花茎从短短的茎上，直直地向上生出，每一根花茎都托着一朵花。
6．花朵的外面是一个绿色的杯子一样的东西，是五片叶子一样的东西长在一起形成的，只在尖端才分开。④然后有一个明黄色的管子“花冠筒”，在顶端展开，像一个碟子的形状。这一部分也是五片花瓣长在一起形成的。
7．然后看看几朵花的花心，会发现这些花心不全都一样，而是有两种；你还会发现，这两种花心是长在一起的。其中一种的“眼”中，有一个小小的绿球，像大头针的头一样，英语是pin-eyed，直译是“大头针花心”，汉语叫“长花柱花”。另一种花心，边上有一圈小小的黄色花药，这种花英语叫做thrum-eyed，直译是“线头花心”，汉语叫“短花柱花”。
8．咱们把两种花心的“花冠筒”各掰开一条。两种花冠筒底部，都有宽宽的绿色“子房”⑤，从它里面长出一根细丝，顶端有一个带着粘性的小圆球。这细丝叫做“花柱”（style），现在你看到了，在一朵花当中，花柱会长到花冠筒顶端，在其他花当中，却只长到花冠筒的一半高。
9．你还看见这两种花有什么不同了吗？有的：长花柱花中，花药的位置，在花冠筒的下半边；而在别的花中，花药在最顶端，形成了花的线头形状的花心。
10．小朋友知道，每朵花都需要从别的花那儿拿到花粉，才能制造出自己的种子，蜜蜂和其他昆虫，在采蜜的时候，就能把花粉带来带去。咱们再看看，这两种报春花是怎么互相帮助，制造种子的。
11．蜜蜂把喙探进“短花柱花”的时候，头上的一个地方会染上花粉。蜜蜂再落到“长花柱花”上，头的这个地方就蹭到了柱头，把花粉送给了它。⑥12.“长花柱花”还会把花粉，留在昆虫头部的另一个地方⑦，蜜蜂正好用这个地方，蹭到“短花柱花”花的柱头。所以这两种报春花，就是通过蜜蜂来传递花粉的，互相帮助，制造出优良的种子。
译注
①英国四月经常下小雨，因此“April showers”已经成了英国日常生活中的一部分。shower除了小雨，还有淋浴的意思，是一个很形象的表达法。英国的现代淋浴设施，是19世纪才出现的，1851年，英语词典中才第一次收录了“淋浴”
（shower bath）。英语里还说“April showers bring May flowers”，直译是“四月雨带来五月花”，类似汉语的“不经历风雨，怎能见彩虹”的意思。报春花在早春开放，因此得名；它的英语primrose里的prim-也有“早”的意思。
②报春花属于“双子叶植物纲”“杜鹃花目”“报春花科”，也叫“樱花草”。花朵除了黄色之外，还有红、白、蓝、紫等颜色。在中国，报春花主要分布在西南和西北地区。英国曾经多次从中国采集报春花，运回本国栽培，先后采集了大概110种，成为植物学界和园艺界的热潮。
③这种结构，术语叫“莲座状叶丛”。
④这一部分叫“花萼”，之前你已经见到过几次了。
⑤第22课讲苹果的时候说过，子房的术语是ovary。
⑥因为花冠筒是狭长的，只有长着长喙的蜜蜂和蝴蝶才能做到这一点。
⑦具体来说，是蜜蜂的口器。
SULPHUR