VOA慢速英语2010年-Agriculture Report - Uncooperative Goa

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Mike Henry has a two-hectare farm in Palmer, Alaska. About a year and a half ago, his goat Millie was giving him a hard time. She did not want to be milked.

She kicked her back legs and stepped into the bucket that was supposed to catch her milk. But there was no milk to catch. All Mike Henry got was tired hands from his attempts to milk her.

But he also got an idea. He designed a goat milking machine that does not require any electricity or motors. The Henry Milker is a hand-operated vacuum¹ pump. A person attaches a tube to the goat and, after a little pumping, the milk begins to flow. A gauge² measures the pressure of the suction.

The process uses a closed system to keep hair and dirt out of the milk. The milk goes directly from the goat into a container that is then placed in the refrigerator to keep the milk cold.

Mike Henry has sold his invention to hundreds of people, mainly small farmers who also hold other jobs -- just as he does. Mr. Henry is an executive³ director in the Anchorage School District in Alaska.

Mike Henry milks a goat using his Henry Milker in Palmer, Alaska

He considered spending more than one thousand dollars for an electric milking machine. But that seemed like a lot of money to milk just one goat. So he began to develop a device⁴ of his own. He worked with parts that he bought from an auto⁵ supply store and a Wal-Mart store.

He tried the invention on Millie. How did she react? She gave a little milk. As the months passed, he improved the device. Milking Millie became easy. Mike Henry began to think other people who owned just a few goats might be interested in his invention.

So he offered one on eBay, an Internet marketplace. The first one sold for forty-five dollars. Interest grew. Today, he receives orders from as far away as Australia and New Zealand.

The regular price is one hundred forty-nine dollars. Recently he has offered the system for one hundred nineteen dollars, plus shipping⁶ and handling charges, at goatfinder.com.

The system is advertised as safe enough for children to use. The ad also says it is not a production milker and not designed to replace commercial machines.

The average milking time with the Henry Milker is ten minutes. Mike Henry says Millie now gives about two liters⁷ in half that time.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. What is your secret to gaining the cooperation of a goat at milking time? You can comment at voaspecialenglish.com or on Facebook or Twitter at VOA Learning⁸ English. I’m Bob Doughty
 

1 vacuum   

n.真空，空间，真空吸尘器；adj.真空的，产生(利用)真空的；v.用吸尘器打扫

参考例句：

• Sound waves will not travel through a vacuum.声波在真空里不能传播。
• He sells vacuum cleaners.他经销真空吸尘器。

2 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

3 executive   

adj.执行的，行政的；n.执行者，行政官，经理

参考例句：

• A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
• He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。

4 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

5 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

6 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

7 liters   

n.升( liter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In the metric system, measurements are made in metres and liters. 在公制中，用米和升作计量单位。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This can holds five liters of water. 这个容器可装五升水。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。