Cork-the thick bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber)-is a remarkable material. It is tough, elastic, buoyant, and fire-resistant, and suitable for a wide range of purposes. It has also been used for millennia: the ancient Egyptians sealed their sarcophagi (stone coffins ) with cork, while the ancient Greeks and Roman used it for anything from beehives to sandals.

软木，即栓皮栎(Quercus suber)厚实的树皮，是一种不寻常的材料，它坚硬而富有弹良易浮且耐火，广泛适用于各种用途，几千年来也一直得到人类的使用:古埃及人用其密封自己的石棺，而古希腊和古罗马人则用以制造各种物品，如蜂箱和凉鞋。

栓皮标本身也是一种奇特的树种，它的树皮可长至20厘米之厚，像外衣一样包裹着树枝和树干，将树木隔绝起来，并保持内部全年处于20℃的恒温，栓皮标的树皮很可能出于防火进化而成，它拥有特殊的细胞结构——每立方厘米具有4000万个细胞——这项结构从未在技术上成功仿制，它每个细胞都充满了空气，这也是软木之所以如此易浮的原因，它同样富有弹性，这体现在当你释放压力时，你可以挤压并观察它是如何恢复到原来的大小和形状的。

And the cork oak itself is an extraordinary tree.Its bark grows up to 20 cm 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. 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 . The cells are filled with air, which is why cork is so buoyant. 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.

栓皮栎生长于多数地中海国家，包括葡萄牙、西班牙、意大利、希腊和摩洛哥，它们在温暖、阳光充沛的气候中茁壮成长，那里每年降水量至少400毫米，最多不会超过800毫米，这些树木像葡萄藤一样偏爱贫瘠的土地，它们深深扎根获取水分和营养。葡萄牙南部的Alentejo地区符合上述所有要求，这也说明了为什么在到20世纪初，上最大的软木产地，以及为什么如今该地的软木产量占到了世界产产量的一半。

栓皮栎林为家族持有。很多这种家族企业——县至很多这些树木本身——大都存在200多年了总之，软木生产是非常需要耐心的，从种植软木树苗到首次收获需要25年，之后每棵树的收获间隔为10年左右，对于品质上乘的软木，则需要再等上15年或20年。甚至人们需要等待合适的夏季去收获软仁如果选择过弓寒冷轧空王去剥取树皮，整棵树未将会受到毁坏。

Cork oaks grow in a number of Mediterranean countries, including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco. They flourish in warm, sunny climates where there is a minimum of 400 millimetres of rain per year, and not more than 800 millimetres.Like grape vines, the trees thrive in poor soil, putting down deep roots in search of moisture and nutrients. 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 producer of cork, and why today it accounts for roughly half of all cork production around the world.

采剥软木是一种非常专业化的职业现在还没有发明任何刊离树皮的机械设备，因此这项工作由技术娴熟的工人们完成首先，他们用小而锋利的斧子寄树皮欲出嘘交的切口接着以他们能够处理的大小一片片地将树皮从树上撬下来技术最娴熟的剥皮工人会撬出一块半圆形的树皮，大小相当于从地面到第一节树枝的树干长度树皮会放在地面晾晒四个月左右，接下来再被送至工厂，放置水中煮沸以杀死可能留在软木上的各种虫子，之后超过60%的软木将继续用于制作传统的瓶塞，其余的大部分会用于建筑行业软木板和弦木砖是理想的隔热和隔音材料，而软木颗粒则被用于制成混凝土。

近年来，制作瓶塞的材料已不再为软木所专属，因为担心其会对瓶中夜体有影响迋种影响是缘于一种叫2,4.6一三聚苯甲醚(TCA)的化合物引起的，这种化分物在植物酚氯和霉菌的相互作用中形成，最小的浓度——每万亿分之三到四个单位——也先破坏瓶中产品的味道，结果就是，最初人们逐渐且持续开始使用塑料塞、直到最近又开始使用铝螺旋盖，这些替代品生产成本更低，而对于用户来说，螺旋盖则更加便捷。

Most cork forests are family-owned. Many of these family businesses, and indeed many of the trees themselves, are around 200 years old. Cork production is, above all, an exercise in patience. 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. And for top-quality cork, it`s necessary to wait a further 15 or 20 years. You even have to wait for the right kind of summer`s day to harvest cork . If the bark is stripped on a day when it`s too cold -or when the air is damp - the tree will be damaged.

然而，经典的软木塞确实存在许多优点，首先，它的传统形象与其长期相关的高品.E商品形象更为一致，其次，非常重要的是，软木是一种可持续使用的产品，很容易回收利用此外，栓皮栎林作为～种资源，可以保护当地生物的多样性并防止其种植区域的汁溪化，因此，考虑到目前对环境问题的担忧，这种古老材料的前景又再次光明起来。

Cork harvesting is a very specialised profession. No mechanical means of stripping cork bark has been invented, so the job is done by teams of highly skilled workers. First , they make vertical cuts down the bark using small sharp axes, than lever it away in pieces as large as they can manage. 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. 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. 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. Corkboard and cork tiles are ideal for thermal and acoustic insulation, while granules of cork are used in the manufacture of concrete.

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. This is caused by a chemical compound called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), which forms through the interaction of plant phenols, chlorine and mould. The tiniest concentrations - as little as three or four parts o a trillion - can spoil the taste of the product contained in the bottle. The result has been a gradual yet steady move first towards plastic stoppers and, more recently, to aluminium screw caps. These substitutes are cheaper to manufacture and, in the case of screw caps, more convenient for the user.

The classic cork stopper does have several advantages, however. Firstly, its traditional image is more in keeping with that of the type of high quality goods with which it has long been associated. Secondly - and very importantly - cork is a sustainable product that can be recycled without difficulty. Moreover, cork forests are a resource which support local biodiversity, and prevent desertification in the regions where they are planted. So, given the current concerns about environmental issues, the future of this ancient material once again looks promising.