读者文摘:"食物沙漠"到"健康中心"(2)

Joyner ran a youth camp through his church, so that summer,

乔伊纳在他的教堂里组织了一个青年营，所以那个夏天，

using land, equipment, and seed donated by the community,

他利用社区捐赠的土地、设备和种子，

he showed the campers how to grow their own food on a small plot of land.

向露营者展示如何在一小块土地上种植他们自己的食物。

The kids, 4 to 16 years old, consumed their initial¹ harvest of mustard² greens,

4到16岁的孩子们吃了自己第一次种的芥菜、

sweet potatoes, and other vegetables,

红薯以及其它蔬菜，

but the following year, they delivered free boxes of vegetables to senior citizens.

但第二年，他们向老年人免费运送了几箱蔬菜。

"One 97-year-old lady was so excited, she kissed the children," Joyner says.

乔伊纳说：“一位97岁的女士非常兴奋，她亲吻了孩子们。”

Not everyone welcomed the bounty³.

并不是所有人都欢迎这笔赏金。

Only a generation or two removed from sharecropping,

只有一两代人从佃农中脱身，

some church elders questioned the wisdom of participating in any sort of agrarian⁴ pursuit⁵.

一些教会长老就参与任何农业明智与否提出质疑。

They remained uncomfortably familiar with Edgecombe's role in the South's antebellum cotton economy,

他们仍然不安地熟悉着埃奇康比县在南部棉花经济中扮演的角色，

in which African Americans were treated as second-class citizens

非裔美国人被视为二等公民，

and Conetoe was home to many slaves.

Conetoe是许多奴隶的家园。

As Joyner explains the prevailing⁶ concern:

正如乔伊纳解释的那样：

"Do we really want our kids going back to that?"

“我们真的希望我们的孩子回到过去吗?”

But he saw it differently.

但他的看法不同。

The kids are "bringing food to people who need it.

孩子们在“把食物带给需要人的过程中

They enjoy the process.

很享受。

They're playing out there," he says.

他们在那玩耍，”他说。

Meanwhile, tending crops, selling produce, and tracking digital data

与此同时，照料农作物，销售农产品，跟踪数据

impart⁷ valuable lessons in science, technology, math, and nutrition.

为科学、技术、数学和营养学方面提供了宝贵的经验。

1 initial   

adj.最初的，开始的，词首的；n.首字母，姓名的开头字母；vt.标注姓名的首字母于

参考例句：

• After she'd overcome her initial shyness,she became very friendly.她克服了起初的羞怯之后，变得十分友善。
• The experiments have given initial results eventually.那些试验总算初见成效了。

2 mustard   

n.芥子，芥末，深黄色，强烈的兴趣，热情的人

参考例句：

• This meat should be seasoned with salt and mustard.这肉里应该加点盐和芥末调味。
• This mustard is hot enough to bite your tongue.这种芥末很辣，你的舌头会吃不消的。

3 bounty   

n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与

参考例句：

• He is famous for his bounty to the poor.他因对穷人慷慨相助而出名。
• We received a bounty from the government.我们收到政府给予的一笔补助金。

4 agrarian   

adj.土地的，农村的，农业的

参考例句：

• People are leaving an agrarian way of life to go to the city.人们正在放弃农业生活方式而转向城市。
• This was a feature of agrarian development in Britain.这是大不列颠土地所有制发展的一个特征。

5 pursuit   

n.追赶，追求，职业，工作

参考例句：

• They set off at once along the lane in pursuit.他们立即出发沿着小巷追赶。
• Life,liberty,and the pursuit of happiness have been called the inalienable rights of man.生命、自由和追求幸福被称为人类不可剥夺的权利。

6 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

7 impart   

vt.告知，透露；赋予，给予

参考例句：

• A teacher's aim is to impart knowledge.教师的宗旨就是传授知识。
• Your presence will impart an air of elegance to the party.您的光临将会为宴会增添优雅的气氛。