VOA常速英语--国会公墓邀请山羊除草（在线收听）

国会公墓邀请山羊除草

Located near Capitol Hill,Congressional Cemetery is the only American "cemetery of national memory" founded before the Civil War. Those buried there include legendary FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, famed Civil War photographer Mathew Brady, and many members of the U.S. Congress.

位于国会旁的国会公墓是唯一一座建于内战前的国家陵园。这里埋葬着联邦调查局传奇局长埃德加·胡佛，内战著名摄影家马修·布雷迪，以及诸多国会议员。

In recent years, the cemetery has been overrun by weeds. Officials didn't want to use herbicides because of the nearby Anacostia River.

最近几年，陵园杂草丛生。因靠近阿纳卡斯蒂亚河，政府不想用除草剂清理。

So we are always looking for ways to make sure that we are sustainable, that we are not using pesticides that might hurt the environment.

我们一直在寻找可持续发展道路，杀虫剂会破坏环境。

So the cemetery hired goats who embarked on a non-stop eating binge, as if they were at an all-you-can-eat buffet. They're kept corralled on the cemetery grounds by an electronic fence.

公墓“聘请”山羊除草，它们的脚步从不停歇，这好比是自助餐馆。通过电铁丝网将它们围栏在墓地中。

The goats are owned by Mary Bowen, whose farm runs a company called Browsing Green Goats. The price tag to clean unwanted vegetation: $4,500 per acre. It sounds expensive, but Bowen says it's about half the price of using herbicides.

山羊主人名叫玛丽·鲍恩，她的农场经营了一家名叫“Browsing Green Goats”的公司。除草价格为每英亩4500美金。听起来很贵，但鲍恩认为这个价钱约除草剂的一半。

The great things about goats: There's no instructions; they don’t take breaks; there's no union; they don't need Sunday afternoon off. They just love eating! The only time they will actually take a break to lay down is to let the vegetation ruminate in their intestine. Otherwise, they are eating.

山羊的最有利之处就在于：没有指令；它们从不停歇；不会集合；也不需要周日午休。它们就喜欢吃草！它们唯一的休息时间就是躺下等待胃肠蠕动。否则，它们会不停地吃。

Private residents can also hire these goats. Diana Davis and her neighbors employ 35 goats to clean their yards in the Heritage Harbor Community of Annapolis, Maryland.

个人也可以租赁山羊。戴安娜·戴维斯和她的邻居“聘请”了35头山羊，为马里兰州安纳波利的“Heritage Harbor”社区院落“清扫”杂草。

Oh, they are doing a wonderful job. Everybody's thrilled. Because we all know how dense it was when they came. And, of course, the neighbors keep coming over to see and they are just amazed.

它们太棒了。人们兴奋不已。刚开始杂草丛生。邻居们也会经常光顾，他们非常惊讶。

This is what Bowen was hoping for when she started the project.

这就是鲍恩所希望看到的。

The goats to me give such a sense of community and bring people together for a common good. And that makes me feel very good to be of service.

对于我来说，这些山羊给了我团队意识，人们会为了“共同心愿”在一起。我对这样的服务感到自豪。

Bowen checks every day to make sure the electronic fence is working properly; she says she has not lost a single goat in five years. Her hope is that, through this approach, more people can actively take part in protecting the environment, while keeping their property manicured and weed-free.

每天，鲍恩都会检查电铁丝网的情况；她说她5年来没有丢过一只羊。她希望通过山羊会有更多人在除草的同时保护环境。