Is fruit getting sweeter?
水果正变得越来越甜吗？
Among fruit breeders, the word "quality" is now routinely used as a synonym for "high in sugar". In 2010, in an article looking at ways to enhance the sweetness of fruit, a group of Korean plant scientists wrote that "in general, the sugar content" of many fruits is now higher than before "owing to continuous selection and breeding."
在果农圈子里，“优质”一词现在通常被用作“高糖分”的同义词。2010 年，一群韩国植物学家在一篇探讨如何通过提高水果甜度的文章中写道，“总的来说，由于不断的选择育种”，现在许多水果的“含糖量”都高于从前。
Breeding isn't the only reason that modern fruit is sweeter; there's also climate change. Research from Japan found that since the 1970s, with rising temperatures, Fuji apples (which were already a sweet variety) have become significantly sweeter and softer.
育种并不是现代水果变甜的唯一原因；气候变化也是原因之一。日本有研究表明，自上世纪 70 年代以来，随着气温的升高，富士苹果（原本就是偏甜的品种）已经明显变得更甜、更软了。
The sweetness of fruit depends not just on how it is bred but also on growing conditions (more sun means more sweetness), yield (higher yield means lower sugar) and when it is harvested (the longer fruit stays on the tree, the sweeter and fuller-tasting it is). Many of the subtler aromas never develop in fruit that is harvested too early.
水果的甜度不仅取决于培育方式，还取决于生长条件（阳光越充足，甜度越高）、产量（产量越高，糖分越低）、采摘时间（水果在树上停留的时间越长，甜度越高，果味越浓郁）。过早采摘的水果永远散发不出那些淡淡的香气。
But the ubiquitous sweetness of modern fruit is not without its problems, especially for people with diabetes, who have to be careful to moderate their intake of higher-sugar fruits such as pineapple. Fruit that is bred sweeter also tends to be lower in the phytochemicals that make it so healthy.
但是，现代水果无处不在的甜味也存在问题，对于糖尿病患者来说尤其如此，因为他们必须小心控制菠萝等高糖水果的摄入量。甜度较高的水果往往含有较少的植物化学物质，而这些物质正是水果的健康之源。
Health aside, maybe the real problem with modern fruit is that it has become yet another sweet thing in a world awash with sugar. Even grapefruits, which used to be bracingly bitter, are sometimes now as sweet as oranges.
健康问题暂且不谈，现代水果的真正问题或许在于，它已成为糖分泛滥世界中的另一种甜食。即使是过去苦得人神清气爽的葡萄柚，现在有时甜得和橘子一样。
Fruit that is bred for one-dimensional sweetness, as opposed to aroma or texture, denies us some of the contrast and variety of life. If you've never tasted a sour cherry, how can you fully appreciate a sweet one?
水果培育只追求无趣单一的甜味，而不是香味或口感，这样的水果让我们失去了体验生活中的一些反差和不同的机会。如果你从未吃过一颗酸溜溜的樱桃，你又怎么能充分品尝甜樱桃的滋味呢？
主编：啾笛、Sophia
品控：木子、蘑菇
审核：Sophia
重点词汇
breeder
/ˈbriː.dɚ/
n. 植物培育者；动物饲养员
相关词汇：breed（v. 交配繁殖；饲养，培育（动植物）；养育（人）；导致）
搭配短语：to breed good manners into their children（养育）
搭配短语：born and bred（土生土长）
例句：He's a Parisian, born and bred.
英文释义：to be the cause of sth.（导致）
例句：Violence breeds violence.（暴力会催生出更多暴力。）
quality
/ˈkwɑː.lə.t̬i/
n. 优质；质量
相关词汇：quantity（n. 数量）
英文释义：a high standard
例句：We aim to provide quality at reasonable prices.
look at
思考，思索，考虑
英文释义：to think about a subject carefully so that you can make a decision about it
例句：They're looking at the feasibility of building a shopping centre there.
content
/ˈkɑːn.tent/
n. 含量；所含之物；内容
补充：content 表示“（书、节目等的）内容”和“含量”时，一般为单数。表示“所含之物，内容物”时，往往以复数形式出现。
例句：He tipped the contents of the bag onto the table.（content 指“所含之物”）
搭配短语：food with a high fat content（content 指“含量”）
yield
/jiːld/
n. 产量
词性拓展：yield（v. 放弃，屈服；产生（收益、效益等）；出产（作物））
例句：The research has yielded a great number of positive results.（产生）
搭配短语：trees that yield fruit（出产）
subtle
/ˈsʌt̬.əl/
adj. 隐约的；微妙的，难以描述的
例句：His language expresses rich and subtle meanings.（他的语言表达了丰富而又深奥的含义。）
搭配短语：subtle shades of brown（淡棕色），delightfully subtle scents（怡人的淡淡香气）
aroma
/əˈroʊ.mə/
n.（通常指食物、饮料的）香味，香气，芳香
ubiquitous
/juːˈbɪk.wə.t̬əs/
adj. 无所不在的；随处可见的
例句：Coffee shops are ubiquitous these days.
moderate
/ˈmɑː.də.reɪt/
v. 节制，克制
词性拓展：moderate /'mɒdərət/（adj. )
搭配短语：a moderate drinker
搭配短语：moderate one's pace
phytochemical
/ˌfaɪtəʊˈkemɪkəl/
n. 植物化学物质
文化拓展：植物中含有的活跃且具有保健作用的物质，在蔬果中，植物化学物质的种类很多，比如我们比较常见的多酚就是其中一类。
aside
/əˈsaɪd/
adv. 且不谈，且不管
补充：该用法需置于名词后使用。
awash
/əˈwɑːʃ/
adj. 充满的；充斥的；泛滥的；被淹没的
例句：By the time I discovered the problem, the floor was awash.（被淹没的）
例句：The city is awash with tourists this time of year.（充满）
grapefruit
/ˈɡreɪp.fruːt/
n. 葡萄柚，西柚
bracingly
/ˈbreɪ.sɪŋ.li/
adv. 清新地；令人心旷神怡地
相关词汇：bracing（adj.）
搭配短语：a bracing sea breeze
搭配短语：a bracing walk
one-dimensional
/ˌwʌn.daɪˈmen.ʃən.əl/
adj. 缺乏深度的；肤浅的；一维的
相关词汇：dimension（n. 纬度）
词根词缀：-dimensional（……维的）
派生词：three-dimensional，multidimensional
例句：Time is one-dimensional.
近义词：superficial（adj.）
例句：The novel's characters were one-dimensional.
as opposed to
而，相对于；不是
近义词（组）：instead of，rather than
例句：They use fresh fish, as opposed to fish that has been frozen.
texture
/ˈteks.tʃɚ/
n. 口感；质地
搭配短语：the smooth texture of silk
deny
/dɪˈnaɪ/
v. 拒绝给予；否认
英文释义：to refuse to give (something) to someone
例句：There are parents who refuse to deny their children anything.
