托福聽力涉及話題多樣，尤其是偏向于學術課堂場景的講座類，經常考到一些我們并不熟悉的學科，適當的掌握一些背景知識和常考考點有助于我們更迅速精準地聽懂聽力內容。植物學是托福聽力常考學科話題領域之一，無論是機經真題還是托福TPO都能見到它的身影，下面我們就結合TPO2的Lecture2涉及的“蕉麻”,了解一下托福聽力會如何考察相關內容吧。

Introduction：

Manila hemp

蕉麻,一年生草本。莖直立,有縱溝,密生短柔毛,皮層富纖維,葉互生或下部的對生。掌狀復葉,小葉 5 片或 7 片,有鋸齒。花單性,雌雄異株,無花瓣。蕉麻由于強度大、柔軟、有浮力和抗海水侵蝕性好,主要用作船用的繩纜、釣魚線、吊車繩索和漁網。有些蕉麻可用來制地毯、桌墊和紙。內層纖維可不經紡線而制造出耐穿的細布,主要被當地人用來做衣服和鞋帽。

Background information：

Manilahemp is a type of buff-colored fiber obtained from Musa textilis, a relative ofedible bananas, which is also called Manila hemp as well as abaca?. It ismostly used for pulping for a range of uses, including speciality papers. Itwas once used mainly to make manila rope, but this is now of minor importance.Manila envelopes and Manila paper take their name from this fiber.

It isnot actually hemp, but named so because hemp was long a major source of fiber,and other fibers were sometimes named after it. The name refers to the capitalof the Philippines, one of the main producers of Manila hemp.

Thehatmaking straw made from Manila hemp is called Tagal or Tagal straw.

Knowledge points：

1. 蕉麻是從穆薩紡織品中提煉出來一種淺褐色的纖維。

2. 蕉麻主要被用于紙品中,包括一些特殊紙。曾經蕉麻主要被用來制作粗麻繩,但是現在這個用處沒有那么重要了。

3. 蕉麻不是真的是麻類植物,這樣命名是因為它一直以來都是纖維的主要原料。Manila 是取自于菲律賓的首都馬尼拉,因為它是主要的生產地。

Vocabulary prediction：

Bundle 捆

Rope 粗繩

Textile 紡織品

Resistant 有抵抗力的

Test Point – TPO2L2

Today we’ll continue talking about usefulfibers, and we’ll begin with a fiber that’s commonly known as “Manila hemp”.

Now, for some strange reason, many peoplebelieve that Manila hemp is a hemp plant. But Manila hemp is not really hemp.It’s actually a member of the banana family— it even bears little banana-shapedfruits. The “Manila” part of the name makes sense, because Manila hemp isproduced chiefly in the Philippine Islands and, of course, the capital city ofthe Philippines is Manila.

Now, as fibers go, Manila hemp fibers arevery long. They can easily be several feet in length and they’re also verystrong, very flexible. They have one more characteristic that’s very important,and that is that they are exceptionally resistant to salt water. And thiscombination of characteristics—long, strong, flexible, resistant to saltwater—makes Manila hemp a great material for ropes, especially for ropes thatare gonna be used on ocean-going ships. In fact, by the early 1940’s, eventhough steel cables were available, most ships in the United States Navy werenot moored with steel cables; they were moored with Manila hemp ropes.

Knowledge points

1.蕉麻是芭蕉屬植物中的一員。

2.蕉麻纖維非常長,堅固和柔韌。它有一個非常重要的特性:可以抵抗海水。這些特性使得蕉麻很適合用來做繩子,特別是需要在海水里航行的船上。