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Cork. It's the miracle tree bark that's found in everything from baseball bats to spaceships.
软木，那个从棒球拍到宇宙飞船无一不会用到的神奇树皮。
But it's best known as the last obstacle in your journey to drink wine.
但它最为人知的用处还是大家在品茗红酒时遇到的最后一道障碍。
Yes, sometimes de-corking can feel like a chore.
没错，有时拧瓶塞确实是一件苦差事。
No, I'm not talking about popping open a wine bottle.
不，今天我们要聊的并不是怎么开酒，
I'm talking about how cork is harvested in the first place by these guys.
而是这些软木塞最初是如何被这些人采收回去的。
Manual cork harvesters in Portugal.
他们是葡萄牙采收软木树皮的工人。
It's a job so difficult and yet so artful, machines have yet to render it obsolete.
这份工作十分艰辛且十分考验技巧，所以机器仍未能取代人工。
Welcome to Portugal where cork is the national tree.
欢迎来到葡萄牙，一个尊软木为国树的国度。
Cork is native to the Mediterranean basin, but nowhere does it grow more than here.
软木树原产于地中海，但在整个地中海地带，又数这里的软木树最多。
Portugal has 35% of all the cork trees in the world.
葡萄牙的软木树占到了全世界软木树总量的35%。
This tree needs very special conditions of humidity and hot weather.
这些树对环境的湿度和气候要求都很高。
Since cork trees can live for 200 years,
由于软木树树龄可达200年，
Goncalo's trees are the exact same trees his parents, grandparents, and great grandparents also cared for.
孔卡洛经营的那些树他的父母、祖父母乃至曾祖父母都曾照料过。
The cork harvesting is a process that can only be done by hand.
采收软木树皮这个工作职能由人工来做。
The men work always in teams of two.
工人们通常两人一组。
First, they cut the tree like a tailor. They draw the tree with several cuts to open the cork.
先像裁缝一样砍出几条线，把树皮撬开。
When they throw the ax they also twist the hand to open the cork.
下斧子的时候会拧一下手臂，以便撬开树皮。
After that, with the side of the blade, they will open and separate the cork from the tree.
之后用斧子的侧面将树皮从树上撬下来。
The men learn from quite young to just cut the cork so it doesn't cut the layer of the cork tree.
工人们从小就学会了只砍到树皮部分，不会伤到树本身。
If the men cut the layer, there's a problem. They will harm the tree and open an entrance for bugs and other diseases.
否则就会出问题。伤到树就等于给虫子和疾病打开了一扇门。
Once a tree is harvested, it won't be cut again for another nine years.
一棵树的树皮被采摘过后，要休养九年，
This keeps the bark healthy and the harvest tradition alive for the generations to come.
从而保证树皮能够健康生长，保证后代能够继续延续采收传统。
Through all of our generations, we take care of our trees like we take care of our sons.
我们世世代代都像照顾我们的孩子一样照料这些树。
This is very important for us.
这点对我们非常重要。
