VOA慢速英语2015 America’s Famous Front Lawn Gets Overhaul

AS IT IS 2015-05-25 America’s Famous Front Lawn Gets Overhaul¹

Almost two kilometers of green grass stretch from the front of the U.S. Capitol building to the Washington Monument. Thousands of people walk on it every day. They also play games, have picnics, run their dogs and bike.

The activities have damaged the expanse of land known as the National Mall. Now workers are in the middle of a $45 million project to return thick, healthy grass to the area.

“This thick blade, this thick, flat blade, is tall fescue.”

That is Michael Stachowicz. He is a man who knows his grass. Stachowitz spent 20 years caring for golf courses. Now, he manages one of the best-known green spaces in the world.

“It is really cool to work on a piece of property that so many people around the world can relate to.”

More than twenty-five million people visit the Mall each year for concerts, festivals and rallies, and, of course, to visit its popular museums. Over the years all those feet have compressed the soil to the density² of brick. Only weeds can succeed in the rock-hard soil.

The whole Mall is in a very poor condition. But the repair project is rebuilding it, from the ground up. The old soil will be replaced with new soil like you’d find under a professional baseball field.

The workers are even improving the grass itself. University researchers are helping³ to find the highest quality grasses for the space.

“It being the most heavily trafficked piece of turf in the world, we’re trying to find the most traffic-resistant, the toughest turf that we can.”

Workers are also burying devices called cisterns⁴ that will capture nearly four million liters of rainwater. Michael Stachowicz says they will help reduce pollution during heavy storms.

Sometimes, storm waters flood waste sewers⁵. Then that water and the waste flow directly into the Potomac River, polluting it.

The cisterns will help prevent that.

The dig of such a huge stretch of ground has been a complex effort.

“There’s at least a century’s worth of wiring, piping and tunneling underneath⁶ the Mall.”

The job of rebuilding the Mall is expected to be completed by early 2017.

Hundreds of thousands of people will again walk all over it to attend the presidential inauguration⁷ in front of the Capitol.

Words in This Story

picnic – n. a meal that is eaten outdoors especially during a trip away from home

manage – v. to have control of; to take care of and make decisions about

yard – n. an outdoor area that is next to a house and is usually covered by grass

compress – v. to press or squeeze (something) so that it is smaller or fills less space

turf – n. the upper layer of ground that is made up of grass and plant roots

1 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

2 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 cisterns   

n.蓄水池，储水箱( cistern的名词复数 )；地下储水池

参考例句：

• Continental production and flower pots, cisterns, nursery toys, chemical preservative products. 兼产欧式花盆、水箱、幼儿园玩具、化工防腐产品。 来自互联网
• And voices singing out of empty cisterns and exhausted wells. 还有声音在空的水池、干的井里歌唱。 来自互联网

5 sewers   

n.阴沟，污水管，下水道( sewer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sewers discharge out at sea. 下水道的污水排入海里。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Another municipal waste problem is street runoff into storm sewers. 有关都市废水的另外一个问题是进入雨水沟的街道雨水。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

7 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。