Algae are very simple living things that make their own food from sunlight, like plants, but they have no true stems, roots, or leaves. They grow in water or in wet places: the green skin on a pond, the brown stuff on rocks at the beach, and the tiny specks that turn a fish tank cloudy are all algae.

Algae「Algae」（藻類） are very simple living things是非常簡單的生物 that能夠 make their own food from sunlight靠陽光自己製造食物， like plants就像植物一樣， but但是 they它們 have no true stems, roots, or leaves沒有真正的莖、根或葉子。 They它們 grow in water or in wet places生長在水裡或潮濕的地方： the green skin on a pond池塘上那層綠色的東西、 the brown stuff on rocks at the beach海邊岩石上那些棕色的東西、 and而 the tiny specks that turn a fish tank cloudy讓魚缸變混濁的那些小顆粒 are all algae全都是 algae（藻類）。

Though actually, scientists do not all call them plants any more — some are closer to bacteria, and some (the ones that build kelp forests) grow huge.

Though actually不過事實上， scientists科學家 do not all call them plants any more現在不是全部都把它們叫做植物了—— some有些 are closer to bacteria比較接近細菌， and而 some有些（ the ones that build kelp forests那些會形成海帶森林的種類） grow huge會長得非常巨大。

In everyday English, algae is the word you will hear; the old singular alga belongs mostly to textbooks. People also stretch algae to mean any green gunge in water, even when they are not being careful.

In everyday English在日常英文裡， algae「algae」 is the word you will hear是你會聽到的說法； the old singular alga舊的單數形式「alga」 belongs mostly to textbooks大多只出現在教科書裡。 People人們 also stretch algae也會把 algae 這個詞延伸 to mean any green gunge in water來指水裡任何綠綠黏黏的東西， even when they are not being careful就算用得不夠精確也一樣。