美国国家公共电台 NPR Tea Farmer In India Leads Charge For Organic, Evades The Charge Of Elephants

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Our colleague Julie McCarthy has spent years now ranging across India, and we get to follow along. India is a world of its own - the largest democracy, second only to China in population. And also, Julie found a remarkable¹ source of tea from India's Assam province.

JULIE MCCARTHY, BYLINE²: There's nothing simple about that cup of tea you may be clutching. Tea grower Tenzing Bodosa stands beside the vermilion flames of a brick oven that heats a drying contraption as he oversees³ his round-the-clock tea processing, fermenting⁴, dehydrating, sorting.

TENZING BODOSA: Yeah, after sorting, then it's packaging and marketing⁵. OK.

MCCARTHY: Tenzing is a marketer's dream. From the big Bodo tribe, he's known widely by his first name and exudes⁶ passion for tea, gratitude⁷ toward benefactors⁸ and an affability that attracts business. Tenzing sports a T-shirt bearing the logo of a New York importer of upscale teas called In Pursuit Of Tea. Founder⁹ Sebastian Beckwith said he was impressed with samples of Tenzing's tea, and in 2016, came to check out the operation. A one-day inspection¹⁰ was all it took. The American tea aficionado¹¹ ordered 500 kilos on the spot, fetching 500,000 rupees - about $8,000 - a windfall for Tenzing.

You're going to get a half a million rupees from him.

BODOSA: Yeah.

MCCARTHY: ...First time out.

BODOSA: Yeah, its big money for me, and for here, this is big money.

MCCARTHY: Beckwith says Tenzing's tea, with notes of black currant, is one of their best sellers, and he appreciates the way Tenzing produces his tea.

SEBASTIAN BECKWITH: Produced in a clean way without chemicals and that tastes good - he's someone who's succeeding on a very small level, and I think it's great.

(SOUNDBITE OF BRUSH CRACKLING)

MCCARTHY: Tenzing's tiny tea estate sits along the folds of the Himalayas and hugs the mountain kingdom of Bhutan to the north. By late morning, some 30 workers have been plucking leaves for hours. Tenzing transitioned to organic farming after an incident with chemical pesticides¹² on his own farm.

BODOSA: After I was spraying, I feel like vomiting¹³ and headaches. I feel - why I feel like that?

MCCARTHY: Then the fish died in the water where he'd washed his clothes. Then the rabbits died. Tenzing said he worried he was selling people poison. His small tea estate is now chemical-free.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #1: (Foreign language spoken).

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #2: (Foreign language spoken).

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #1: Mmm hmm.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #2: (Foreign language spoken).

MCCARTHY: Sumitra Sabar, age 60, moves in a small group along dark green rows, softly talking and plucking leaves under a bright sky. But danger lurks¹⁴ in this seemingly tranquil¹⁵ scene. Sumitra says the tea pickers have an ever-present dread¹⁶ - wild elephants.

SURESH MUNDA: (Foreign language spoken).

MCCARTHY: Twenty-three-year-old Suresh Munda recalls one of the scariest encounters, when an elephant approached them as the tire of their vehicle blew out, and they couldn't move. The elephant wandered off. Just next to the tea estate, Tenzing has established a 30-hectare wildlife preserve that attracts herds¹⁷ of elephants, which roam between Assam and Bhutan. Twigs¹⁸ crackling, he carefully leads us in.

It's a very healthy ground cover, and trees, and grasses, and flowers, and wildlife and birds.

Tenzing spots an elephant's fresh print inside the preserve just steps from the tea estate.

BODOSA: Elephant kicked here. So they kick here.

(SOUNDBITE OF BIRDS SQUAWKING)

MCCARTHY: Wild peacocks flap above the treetops.

BODOSA: They're not happy, yeah.

MCCARTHY: They sense danger, he says, and ushers¹⁹ us out.

Are you at risk of losing some employees because they're going to be too afraid to work here?

BODOSA: Yeah, that's true. That's true. Some worker don't wanted to work in my farm. (Speaking Assamese).

MCCARTHY: In Assamese, he adds, earlier they would run around in a panic at the sight of an elephant. But now, he says, they've become used to them. Tenzing's commitment to conserving²⁰ nature and growing organically has attracted a following. Farmers such as Bolin Chandra Bodo beat a path to his door for advice on organic methods.

BOLIN CHANDRA BODO: (Speaking Assamese).

MCCARTHY: Bodo says chemical fertilizers are used everywhere. Everything is so adulterated, he says; we all must learn to grow organic and stay healthy. Bodo and the 25 farmers gathered in Tenzing's backyard call themselves foot soldiers in a campaign to transform farming here. Tenzing says in the past eight years, he's interacted with more than 20,000 farmers. When they fret²¹ over their organic ventures not making a profit, he urges them to keep faith in themselves. This 31-year-old farmer reformer is building a movement.

BODOSA: I love to teach them. I love to share whatever I learned. I want to give back to the people.

MCCARTHY: And, Tenzing says, give back to nature. Julie McCarthy, NPR News.

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

4 fermenting   

v.（使）发酵( ferment的现在分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰

参考例句：

• The fermenting wine has bubbled up and over the top. 发酵的葡萄酒已经冒泡，溢了出来。 来自辞典例句
• It must be processed through methods like boiling, grinding or fermenting. 它必须通过煮沸、研磨、或者发酵等方法加工。 来自互联网

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 exudes   

v.缓慢流出，渗出，分泌出( exude的第三人称单数 )；流露出对（某物）的神态或感情

参考例句：

• The plant exudes a sticky fluid. 这种植物分泌出一种黏液。
• She exudes sexual magnetism. 她洋溢着女性的魅力。

7 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

8 benefactors   

n.捐助者，施主( benefactor的名词复数 )；恩人

参考例句：

• I rate him among my benefactors. 我认为他是我的一个恩人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We showed high respect to benefactors. 我们对捐助者表达了崇高的敬意。 来自辞典例句

9 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

10 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

11 aficionado   

n.…迷；运动迷

参考例句：

• This is good news for postcard aficionado Drene Brennan.这对明信片迷杰纳•布雷南来说是个好消息。
• I'm a real opera aficionado.我是个真正的歌剧迷。

12 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

14 lurks   

n.潜在，潜伏；（lurk的复数形式）vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Behind his cool exterior lurks a reckless and frustrated person. 在冷酷的外表背后，他是一个鲁莽又不得志的人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Good fortune lies within Bad, Bad fortune lurks within good. 福兮祸所倚，祸兮福所伏。 来自互联网

15 tranquil   

adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的

参考例句：

• The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
• The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

16 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

17 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

18 twigs   

细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
• Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。

19 ushers   

n.引座员( usher的名词复数 )；招待员；门房；助理教员v.引，领，陪同( usher的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Seats clicked, ushers bowed while he looked blandly on. 座位发出啪啦啪啦的声响，领座员朝客人们鞠躬，而他在一边温和殷勤地看着。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• The minister then offers a brief prayer of dedication, and the ushers return to their seats. 于是牧师又做了一个简短的奉献的祈祷，各招待员也各自回座位。 来自辞典例句

20 conserving   

v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Contour planning with or without terracing is effective in conserving both soil and moisture. 顺等高线栽植，无论做或不做梯田对于保持水土都能有效。 来自辞典例句
• Economic savings, consistent with a conserving society and the public philosophy. 经济节约，符合创建节约型社会的公共理念。 来自互联网

21 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.