银杏果臭味扰民 首尔拟移走结果的雌银杏树

Fallen gingko nuts that stink of vomit have provoked articles and editorials in South Korean newspapers as officials in the country's capital grapple with how to get rid of them, it appears.

最近韩国报纸上出现了不少关注掉落的银杏果臭气熏天的文章和社论，貌似韩国首都首尔的政府部门终于打算出手解决银杏果臭味扰民的问题了。

The gingko tree is famous for its spectacular yellow leaves in autumn which become a tourist attraction in some districts. The problem is that while Seoul's thousands of gingko trees produce nutritious nuts that are tasty when cooked, acid in the husks produces a smell that's offensive to the noses of local residents, the Korea JoongAng Daily reports. With over 114,000 gingko trees in the city, one-in-10 being female trees which produce the nuts, the smell can be overpowering in the autumn months. The problem is made worse by the fact that the trees are city property, and picking the fallen fruit is theft, meaning they are left to rot in the streets, the Korea Herald says.

银杏树因在秋天身披金黄叶片的景致而闻名，这成了某些地区吸引游客的亮丽风景。据韩国《中央日报》(JoongAng Daily)报道，首尔市内有数以千计的银杏树，结出的银杏果营养丰富，煮后食用相当美味。然而，银杏果的果壳中含有的酸散发的恶臭令市民苦不堪言。鉴于首尔街头有11.4万多棵银杏树，其中1/10为能够结果的雌树，到了秋天，恶臭难忍。《韩国先驱报》(Korea Herald)称，首尔的银杏树是城市公共财产，捡拾掉落的银杏果属于盗窃，因此市民只能任凭掉落的果实烂在街上，这使情况变得更糟。

One solution to the problem is to transplant the female trees elsewhere, and this operation - starting in November - will cost up to 25bn won, and will initially concentrate on bus stops and areas where people congregate. However, the Herald argues, it would be better - and cheaper - for the no-picking law to be lifted so that "the public will appreciate a chance to gather some berries... since they are prized delicacies of the season." As it is, the city employs 446 people to shake the trees and collect the nuts before they start to smell.

解决方案之一是将雌银杏树移栽到其他地方。该工程将于11月启动，耗资达250亿韩元(约合1.4亿人民币)，并先集中处理公交车站等人群聚集处的银杏树。不过，《韩国先驱报》辩称，更有效也更经济的方案是取消严禁私自捡拾银杏果的规定。如此一来，“市民将感激政府给予了捡银杏果的机会，因为银杏果是美味的时馐。目前，首尔政府聘用了446人负责在果实未散发出臭味前摇动果树，收集银杏果。

It's an issue that's not unique to Seoul. Last year, Japanese officials handed out nuts to residents, but admitted that the smell is the price to pay for such a beautiful autumnal display. Kim Bong-ho of the University of Seoul agrees: "Ecologically, nutritious fruits tend to smell bad," Kim said.

银杏果臭味扰民的问题并非首尔独有。去年，日本政府官员向市民分发银杏果，却也承认，这种臭味是收获如此美不胜收的秋景所必须付出的代价。首尔大学的金奉镐(Kim Bong-ho)同意这一说法，金奉镐表示：“从生态学角度讲，营养丰富的果实往往气味难闻。

Vocabulary

editorial：社论

grapple with：努力对付，尽力克服(困难)

husk：外壳

overpowering：强烈得令人无法忍受的

congregate：聚集

ecologically：从生态学的观点看