Cork - the thick bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber) - is a remarkable material. 橡木——橡树（栎属软木）的厚树皮——是一种重要的资源。 It is tough, elastic, buoyant, and fire-resistant, and suitable for a wide range of purposes. 由于它很结实，有弹性，有浮力而且还防火，使得它在很多方面得到应用。 It has also been used for millennia: the ancient Egyptians sealed their sarcophagi (stone coffins) with cork, while the ancient Greeks and Romans used it for anything from beehives to sandals. 软木也已被使用了几千年：古埃及人用软木密封石棺，古希腊和罗马人用它来制作各种各样的东西，比如蜂房和拖鞋。

And the cork oak itself is an extraordinary tree. 橡树本身就是一种非常神奇的树。 Its bark grows up to 20cm in thickness, insulating the tree like a coat wrapped around the trunk and branches and keeping the inside at a constant 20°C all year round. 当树皮生长到20厘米厚度的时候，它就像外套一样包裹着树干和树枝，使得内部温度全年持续恒定在20摄氏度。 Developed most probably as a defence against forest fires, the bark of the cork oak has a particular cellular structure - with about 40 million cells per cubic centimetre - that technology has never succeeded in replicating. 最有可能是为了抵御森林大火，橡树的树皮有一种特殊的细胞结构——每立方厘米有四千万个细胞——这是任何技术都不能够复制的。 The cells are filled with air, which is why cork is so buoyant. 这种细胞里面充斥着空气，这就是橡木有浮力的原因。 It also has an elasticity that means you can squash it and watch it spring back to its original size and shape when you release the pressure. 橡木也很有弹性，这意味着把橡木压扁之后再释放压力，可以观察到橡木恢复原来的体积和形状。

Cork oaks grow in a number of Mediterranean countries, including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco. 橡树生长在一些地中海国家，包括葡萄牙，西班牙，意大利，希腊和摩洛哥。 They flourish in warm, sunny climates where there is a minimum of 400 millimetres of rain per year, and not more than 800 millimetres. 它们在那些温暖光照强的气候区生长非常旺盛，这些地区每年降水量要在400毫米以上800毫米以下。 Like grape vines, the trees thrive in poor soil, putting down deep roots in search of moisture and nutrients. 像葡萄树那样，橡树把根扎得很深来吸取水分和营养，即使在贫瘠的土地里也能够茁壮生长。 Southern Portugal’s Alentejo region meets all of these requirements, which explains why, by the early 20th century, this region had become the world’s largest producer of cork, and why today it accounts for roughly half of all cork production around the world. Southern Portugal`s Alentejo（葡萄牙南部的阿连特如地区）完全符合橡树的生长条件，这也就是20世纪早期此地区成为世界最大橡树生产地的原因。并且在今天，此地区的橡树产量占到全世界产量的一半。

Most cork forests are family-owned. 绝大多数的橡树林是由家庭所拥有的。 Many of these family businesses, and indeed many of the trees themselves, are around 200 years old. 很多家庭的橡树和橡树生意大概有200年之久。 Cork production is, above all, an exercise in patience. 最重要的是，橡树的生产需要耐心。 From the planting of a cork sapling to the first harvest takes 25 years, and a gap of approximately a decade must separate harvests from an individual tree. 从橡树树苗的种植到第一次收获要花费25年的时间，每一棵树的收获的间隔大约10年。 And for top-quality cork, it’s necessary to wait a further 15 or 20 years. 为了得到高质量的橡木，还需要再等待15-20年的时间。 You even have to wait for the right kind of summer’s day to harvest cork. 甚至你需要等到夏天某个合适的时机去收割橡木。 If the bark is stripped on a day when it’s too cold - or when the air is damp - the tree will be damaged. 如果在一个很冷或者很潮湿的时候给橡树脱皮，橡树将会遭到破坏。

Cork harvesting is a very specialised profession. 收割橡木是一个非常特殊的职业。 No mechanical means of stripping cork bark has been invented, so the job is done by teams of highly skilled workers. 到现在我们还没有发明出给橡树脱皮的机械化手段，所以这个工作只能由那些很有经验的工人来完成。 First, they make vertical cuts down the bark using small sharp axes, then lever it away in pieces as large as they can manage. 首先，他们要用小的锋利的斧头竖着砍下树皮，然后再尽可能大的一块一块的撬下来。 The most skilful cork-strippers prise away a semi-circular husk that runs the length of the trunk from just above ground level to the first branches. 最有经验的橡树脱皮人员能把地面到第一根树枝的树皮呈半圆形的一次性剥下来。 It is then dried on the ground for about four months, before being taken to factories, where it is boiled to kill any insects that might remain in the cork. 在橡木进入工厂之前，它需要在地上干燥4个月，然后再进入工厂蒸煮杀虫。 Over 60% of cork then goes on to be made into traditional bottle stoppers, with most of the remainder being used in the construction trade. 超过60%的橡木被做成传统的瓶塞，剩余的绝大多数都被用在了建造业。 Corkboard and cork tiles are ideal for thermal and acoustic insulation, while granules of cork are used in the manufacture of concrete. 软木板和软木砖是用来隔热和隔音的非常理想的材料，橡木颗粒可以用来制造混凝土。

Recent years have seen the end of the virtual monopoly of cork as the material for bottle stoppers, due to concerns about the effect it may have on the contents of the bottle. 近年来，橡木瓶塞的垄断地位被打破，主要原因是瓶塞对瓶内产品的影响。 This is caused by a chemical compound called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), which forms through the interaction of plant phenols, chlorine and mould. 这是由一种叫做“2,4,6-三氯苯甲醚”的化学合成物造成的，这种合成物由植物酚、氯和霉反应而成。 The tiniest concentrations - as little as three or four parts to a trillion - can spoil the taste of the product contained in the bottle. 极小的浓度——小到万亿分之三到万亿分之四——也能够破坏瓶中产品的味道。 The result has been a gradual yet steady move first towards plastic stoppers and, more recently, to aluminium screw caps. 这就导致了塑料瓶塞逐渐得到了应用，而最近，铝制螺旋盖也得到了应用。 These substitutes are cheaper to manufacture and, in the case of screw caps, more convenient for the user. 这些替代品要比橡木塞更便宜，并且螺旋盖对使用者来说也更加方便。

The classic cork stopper does have several advantages, however. 然而，传统的橡木塞仍然有很多优点。 Firstly, its traditional image is more in keeping with that of the type of high quality goods with which it has long been associated. 首先，它的传统形象和长期以来与之想联系的高品质产品更加匹配。 Secondly - and very importantly - cork is a sustainable product that can be recycled without difficulty. 其次，非常重要的一点是，橡木能够很轻松的进行回收利用。 Moreover, cork forests are a resource which support local biodiversity, and prevent desertification in the regions where they are planted. 此外，橡树林可以用来维持生态多样性和防止沙漠化。 So, given the current concerns about environmental issues, the future of this ancient material once again looks promising. 所以，考虑到目前的环境问题，这种古老的资源前景甚广。