VOA慢速英语2012 Agriculture Report - A Flower in Winter: The Story of the Poinsettia

 

Agriculture Report - A Flower in Winter: The Story of the Poinsettia

农业报道 - 圣诞花一品红的故事

From VOA Learning¹ English, this is the Agriculture Report in Special English.

这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。

Poinsettias are the best-selling potted flowering plant in the United States. Red poinsettias are a traditional part of Christmas celebrations, which is why almost all of them are sold at wintertime. The Department of Agriculture estimates² that Americans bought $250 million worth of poinsettias last year.

一品红是美国最畅销的盆栽开花植物。红色的一品红是圣诞庆祝活动的传统组成部分，这也就是为什么几乎所有这种花都在冬季出售的原因。美国农业部估计，去年美国人购买了价值2.5亿美元的一品红。

The poinsettia is native to Central America and needs warmth to grow. Bright red poinsettias are the best known. But there are about one hundred different kinds, in colors including white, pink, yellow and purple. 

一品红原产于中美洲，需要在温暖环境中生长。鲜红色的一品红最为有名。但它还有大约100种不同颜色，其中包括白色、粉红色、黄色和紫色。

The flowers of the poinsettia are very small. Around the flowers are colorful leaves called bracts. These bracts are what give the plants their beauty.

一品红的花非常小，围绕着花的是被称为苞片的色彩鲜艳的叶子。苞片使得它尤为美丽。

The poinsettia is named for Joel Roberts Poinsett from South Carolina. In 1825 President John Quincy Adams appointed him as the United States' first minister to Mexico. Poinsett had an interest in plants. He saw the colorful plants growing in the wild. Wild poinsettias can grow up to four meters tall. He liked them so much that he sent some cuttings back to the United States.

一品红因为南卡罗来纳州的乔尔·罗伯茨·波因塞特（Joel Roberts Poinsett）而得名。1825年，美国总统约翰·昆西·亚当斯（John Quincy Adams）任命他为美国首任驻墨西哥大使。波因塞特对植物很有兴趣。他看到这种色彩鲜艳的植物生长在野外。野生的一品红能够长到4米多高。他很喜欢这种植物，就送了一些插枝回美国。

The botanical name for the plant is Euphorbia pulcherrima. In Latin³, that means "most beautiful euphorbia." There are hundreds of related⁴ plants, including rubber trees, trees that produce castor and tung oil, and the cassava, a root crop.

这种植物的学名是Euphorbia pulcherrima。在拉丁语中的意思就是美丽的大戟科植物。大戟科植物有数百种，包括橡胶树，产生蓖麻油和桐油的树，以及木薯这种块根作物。

People who are allergic⁵ to the latex produced by rubber trees can develop a mild skin rash⁶ from poinsettia plants. Babies and pets that chew on poinsettias can get sick. But experts say the plant is not as poisonous as some people think.

对橡胶树产生的树胶过敏的人会因为一品红患上轻度皮疹。孩子或宠物嚼了一品红会生病。但专家表示，这种植物并不像有些人想的那么有毒性。

In the 1920s, Albert Ecke and his son Paul became interested in the poinsettia’s ability to flower in winter. Paul Ecke thought it would be a good plant to display at Christmastime.

在20世纪20年代，阿尔伯特·艾克（Albert Ecke）和他的儿子保罗开始对一品红冬季开花的本事产生了兴趣。保罗·艾克认为它是一种圣诞期间展示的很好的植物。

They started a farm near Encinitas, California. At first, Paul Ecke, and later his son, grew large plants in fields. Then they sent them to growers by train. Growers would divide the large plants into cuttings, to raise smaller ones in greenhouses⁷ until the holidays.

他们在加州Encinitas市附近开办了一家农场。起初，保罗，以及后来他的儿子在地里种植这种大型的植物。然后用火车将它们发给种植者。种植者将这种大型植物分成插枝，在温室中培育这种小的插枝，直到假日来临。

In the 1960s came poinsettias that grew best in containers. The Eckes started to sell cuttings from these new plants. Today Ecke Ranch⁸ remains⁹ a major supplier in the United States and around the world. In August, Paul Ecke's grandson announced that the company was joining the Dutch-based Agribio Group.

20世纪60年代有了在容器中生长很好的一品红。艾克一家开始销售这些新植物的插枝。如今艾克农场仍然是美国和世界各地一品红的主要供应商。今年8月，保罗·艾克的孙子宣布，该公司已经并入荷兰Agribio集团。

1 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。

2 estimates   

估计

参考例句：

• Unofficial estimates put the figure at over two million. 非官方的估计数字为200万以上。
• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

4 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

5 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

6 rash   

adj.轻率的；n.（皮）疹，爆发的一连串

参考例句：

• My skin has broken out in an itchy rash.我的皮肤上突然长出一片让人发痒的皮疹。
• Don't be rash in making your decision.别轻率做出决定。

7 greenhouses   

温室，花房( greenhouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cypress and redwood are seldom used in the superstructure of commercial greenhouses. 扁柏和美州红松很少用于商用温室的上部结构。
• They grew tomatoes in two greenhouses, each with a CD-player inside. 他们在两个温室里种西红柿，每个里面都有一个CD播放机。

8 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。