VOA慢速英语--肯尼亚花卉产业的发展形势喜人

Kenya's Flower Industry Grows

For some industries, Christmas or New Year’s celebrations are the busiest times of year. But for Kenya’s flower growers, the biggest holiday is Valentine’s Day.

Workers in the city of Navaisha, the center of Kenya’s flower industry, are busy cutting, packing, and cooling roses.

Flower workers are celebrating something else, too: a plan for direct flights from Nairobi to New York City beginning next October. The move would create a possibility for the Kenyan flower industry to sell more in the American market.

Right now, South American exporters dominate¹ the U.S. market.

Jane Ngige is the outgoing chief of the Kenya Flower Council.

“What we're looking at is an opportunity to diversify² our markets to the American market and we’re also looking not to compete with the South Americans, who are the main producers or the main suppliers of flowers to North America, but to look at complementing³ the product. Because our products are very different.”

Kenya’s roses, for example, have smaller heads than those grown in Colombia.

Industry experts believe Kenyan growers can offer different types of flowers and lower production costs.

Kenya is currently⁴ the fourth-largest exporter of cut flowers. Most of its flowers go to Europe, Australia, and Japan. It does not sell as many cut flowers to the United States because the cost of an air freight⁵ stopover in Europe is costly⁶.

Jonathan Ralling is with Flamingo⁷ Horticulture Kenya. He says that the Kenyan flower industry’s success in America will depend partly on how much freight space is available on planes making the planned nonstop flights.

For most of the year, Kenya’s flower industry directly employs about 100,000 workers. But the Flower Council says other services and products create another 400,000 jobs. In total, the industry provides livelihoods⁹ for about 2 million people.

And with better access to the U.S. market, Kenya’s flower industry can only grow.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Words in This Story

dominate - v. to be the most important part of

freight - n. goods that are carried by ships, trains, trucks, or airplanes

livelihood⁸ - n. a way of earning money in order to live

1 dominate   

v.支配，统治，高出，俯视，在...中占首地位

参考例句：

• They had the ambition to dominate this small country.他们有控制这个小国的野心。
• The strong usually dominate over the weak.强者常常支配弱者。

2 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

3 complementing   

补足，补充( complement的现在分词 )； 求反

参考例句：

• Maligrant segregants may, therefore, arise when complementing chromosomes are lost. 因此当互补染色体丢失时，就会产生恶性分离子。
• A complementing circuIt'selects either the subtracter output or the output of the complementing circuit. 取补线路可任意选通减法器的输出或补取线路的输出。

4 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

5 freight   

n.货物，货运；vt.运送（货物）看，装货于

参考例句：

• Tons of freight were flown into this airport every day.每天有许多吨货物被空运到这个机场。
• There is ten yuan in the bill for freight.发票中包括运费十元。

6 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

7 flamingo   

n.红鹳，火烈鸟

参考例句：

• This is the only species of flamingo in the region,easily recognized by its pink plumage.这是那个地区唯一一种火烈鸟，很容易凭粉红色的羽毛辨认出来。
• In my family,I am flamingo in the flock of pigeons.在家里，我就像一只被困在鸽笼里的火烈鸟。

8 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

9 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。