国家地理-2008-07-26 ''环保''的高尔夫球场

Millions of Americans enjoy playing golf. But golf courses are not known to be environmentally friendly. They demand a lot of fresh water, fertilizers and herbicides to keep them looking green. That’s true of most golf courses. But let’s look at one that is trying something different. This is the Miami Beach Golf Club. The grass used here is called “seashore paspalum”.

 “It’s the most environmentally friendly grass in the world.” Dr. Ron Duncan is a turf researcher at the University of Georgia and a leading expert on seashore paspalum. “And environmentally friendly from the standpoint that you can save the potable water use from the human side and utilize¹ all other alternative water sources like brackish² water or water out of sewage plants to irrigate³ this grass.  Also you have a reduced management budget because it requires about half the fertilizers that you normally use on the other grasses. Also you can save on pesticide⁴ use.”

 What makes seashore paspalum so special is that it can survive and thrive in high-salt environments. So brackish water or partially⁶ salty water can be used to irrigate this grass. This translates into big savings⁷ for the golf course.

 “We estimate at this point we are gonna reduce our dependency on fresh water by about 65-75%, that'll save us somewhere, in a range of 175-200 thousand dollars annually⁸ on fresh water.”

 Steve Forrest is the architect who designed this golf course. He says seashore paspalum has other advantages besides being environmentally friendly.

 “This grass is able to provide a striping pattern and the black you would see on a football field or if you are vacuuming your carpet. This grass is also greener or darker green in texture⁹, so you can again have different contrast in color throughout the golf course which is desirable from the architectural standpoint of view.”

 So do golfers rate seashore paspalum as a birdie or a bogie?  

 “I will definitely come back and I was very impressed to it."

 "We've come down the play three rounds and we've played at three different courses and this is by far the best.”

 “The end use is here, it’s not in my research plot, it’s not at the University of Georgia. It’s where it's gonna be used. And the acceptance of the golfers now, and various people trying this grass in a lot of different areas, that’s the pleasure that I’m getting.”

Seashore paspalum appears to be a green solution that's par⁵ for the course.

1 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

2 brackish   

adj.混有盐的；咸的

参考例句：

• Brackish waters generally support only a small range of faunas.咸水水域通常只能存活为数不多的几种动物。
• The factory has several shallow pools of brackish water.工厂有几个浅的咸水池。

3 irrigate   

vt.灌溉，修水利，冲洗伤口，使潮湿

参考例句：

• The farmer dug several trenches to irrigate the rice fields.这个农民挖了好几条沟以灌溉稻田。
• They have built canals to irrigate the desert.他们建造成水渠以灌溉沙漠。

4 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

5 par   

n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的

参考例句：

• Sales of nylon have been below par in recent years.近年来尼龙织品的销售额一直不及以往。
• I don't think his ability is on a par with yours.我认为他的能力不能与你的能力相媲美。

6 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

7 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

8 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

9 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。