Purchasing a watermelon is kind of a risky¹ investment. It's usually giant, so you're really committing to a lot of fruit. And the thick green rind protecting the pink flesh means there's no easy way to know how good the fruit is inside. Or is there?

买西瓜是一项有点冒险的投资。西瓜通常很大，所以你真的是在买大量水果。厚实的绿色瓜皮保护着粉色的瓜瓤，意味着要知道这种水果的内里如何是没有捷径的。或许会有吗？

If you know what to look for, you can be sure of a watermelon's readiness before cracking it open. Here's what you need to know:

如果你知道要找到的（西瓜成熟的迹象），那么你就能确定它是否成熟。这些就是你需要了解的：

Look for the spot. The telltale sign that a watermelon is ready to be sliced open is the spot. A good watermelon will have a pale yellow spot on the rind, indicating that it was left on the ground to ripen² in the sun. If there's no yellowish marking, be wary³.

看一下西瓜的斑点。判断西瓜是否可以切开，一个迹象就是瓜上的斑点。好西瓜的瓜皮上会有一个淡黄色的斑点，这说明它被留在了地上，在阳光下成熟。如果瓜上没有淡黄色斑点，你就要小心了。

Make sure it's heavy. Another sign you've got a good melon on your hands is the weight. If you pick up the watermelon and it feels really heavy — heavier than it looks — you’ve hit the jackpot. The heavier the melon, the better it is.

一定要选重的。要确定你手上的是一个好瓜，另一个标志就是重量。如果你选的西瓜感觉上真的很重，比看上去还要重，你就选对了。西瓜越重越好。

Knock on it. Sure, you might get a little side eye from other grocery store shoppers, but give the melon a listen for a final test. Gently knock on the watermelon and listen for a hollow sound that makes a "plunk" rather than a "thwack" sound.

敲一下。当然，杂货店其他顾客可能要为之侧目了，但还是要听听西瓜的声音来进行最后的测试。轻轻敲一敲西瓜，听听空闷的回声，要听到“砰砰”的声音而不是“啪啪”的声音。

If a watermelon passes those three tests, you've found yourself one worthy⁴ of your summer barbecue. Or these salad recipes. OR these cocktails⁵. Either way, buy the watermelon.

如果一个西瓜通过了这三项测试，你会发现自己对得起夏天的烤肉大餐、沙拉食谱或是鸡尾酒会了。无论怎样，买这个西瓜吧。