2017考研趣味閱讀：神奇的空中盆栽

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Humans seem to be obsessed with things that float, like hoverboards, UFOs and levitating Bluetooth speakers. A Kickstarter project wants to extend that love for the defiance of gravity to plant life. Air Bonsai uses the power of magnetic levitation to float small trees grown and groomed through the Japanese art of bonsai.

從懸浮滑板、飛碟，到懸浮音箱，人們往往對浮在空中的東西很是著迷。這股“懸浮風”甚至吹到了植物界：圓夢網上就有個名為空中盆栽的眾籌項目。這種源于日本的盆栽藝術利用了磁懸浮原理，能讓植物浮在空中。

Air Bonsai uses the same principle we've seen before in this floating chessboard and this UFO-inspired levitating speaker. Repelling magnets push away from each other, allowing the plant container to float above the base. The creators refer to the floating plants as "little stars."

與此前問世的懸浮棋盤和仿飛碟造型的懸浮音箱一樣，空中盆栽利用的也是磁極同性相斥的原理。如此一來，盆栽便穩穩地浮在基座之上了。發明團隊給這種盆栽取了個名字，叫“小星星”。

The effect is magical. The tiny trees float gently and spin slowly like imaginative creations from an anime. Some of them look like dainty planets with cratered surfaces. Small pines are what most people are familiar with when it comes to bonsai, but the Air Bonsai can also be used to grow other flora like mosses and flowering plants.

空中盆栽看上去頗為神奇。迷你植物在空中慢慢地旋轉，好似動畫片中的虛擬場景。有些盆栽甚至像綴滿了隕石坑的微型星球。常見的盆栽幾乎是清一色的小松樹，但空中盆栽的植株中也有苔蘚或花卉。

Shipping live plants can be a challenge. Air Bonsai plans to use locally sourced plants for backers in the US. Backers in most other countries will have to provide their own bonsai.

不過，由于空中盆栽用的是正在生長中的植物，運輸便成了大問題。發明團隊會為身在美國的眾籌贊助者們提供現成的植株，其他國家的則需自行準備。

There seems to be a lot of interest in magnetic gardening. The project blew away its original $80,000 funding goal and has attracted over $185,000 in funding so far with one month left to run.

人們似乎對空中盆栽興趣很大。該項目最初的眾籌目標是8萬美元(約合52萬元人民幣)，截至目前卻已收獲18.5萬美元(約合121萬元人民幣)。要知道，離眾籌結束還有整整一個月。

A basic Air Bonsai set that includes the growing container, "energy base," a cushion, a box and an AC adapter starts at a $200 pledge price. Keep in mind that not all crowdfunding projects deliver on time or as expected.

只要你在圓夢網的該項目上出資200美元(約合1315元人民幣)，便可在日后得到基本款空中盆栽禮盒，其中包括種植盆、“能量基座”、墊枕、盆栽盒，以及電源適配器。當然，圓夢網上的項目魚龍混雜，眾籌項目的實施情況需以實際為準。

It's easy to see why these charming trees are attracting so much Kickstarter attention. We may not all have hoverboards yet, but at least we can have hoverplants.

話說回來，空中盆栽小巧別致，無怪乎吸引了眾多贊助者的眼球。或許你目前對懸浮滑板興趣不大，那么買個空中盆栽來把玩一番，也許是個不錯的選擇。

Vocabulary

magnetic levitation：磁懸浮

cratered：有坑洞的;多坑的

AC adapter：電源適配器