AGRICULTURE REPORT - Heifer International

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Heifer International
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Broadcast: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Heifer International is sixty years old. This organization gives farm animals to families and communities around the world. The idea is to fight hunger and poverty. Instead of short-term¹ aid, the animals represent a chance for people to improve their lives and become independent.

Heifer International gives away young cows, known as heifers. But it also gives away other animals. These include sheep, goats, pigs, buffalo², rabbits, birds, even bees.

Celebrations of the sixtieth anniversary³ are planned in October in Little Rock, Arkansas. That is where the organization is based. Events will also include a Conference on Ending Hunger. The conference will follow a discussion⁴ called "the Small Farmer in the Global Economy."

An American farmer named Dan West developed the idea for Heifer International. He was working in Spain in the nineteen thirties during the Spanish civil war. Many families were starving. So Dan West asked his friends in the United States to send some cows. The first ones were sent in nineteen forty-four.

Since that time, Heifer International says it has helped millions of families in more than one hundred countries. Its Web site lists more than four hundred current projects in fifty countries.

The organization provides families a chance to feed themselves and become self-supporting. Those who wish to receive an animal must first explain their needs and goals. They must make a plan for use of the animal. Local experts usually provide training. The animals must be guaranteed food, water, shelter, health care and the ability to reproduce⁵.

Also, those who receive an animal must share their success with someone else in need. Each family must agree to give away the first female⁶ animal born. Families must also agree to pass on the skills and training they received. This idea is called "passing on the gift."

The organization has a gift catalog⁷ on its Web site to permit people to give money to support its activities. Five hundred dollars, for example, will pay for a heifer. Fifty dollars will pay for a share of one.

The Web site is heifer.org. Heifer is spelled h-e-i-f-e-r. The mailing address is Heifer International, post office box eight-zero-five-eight, Little Rock, Arkansas, seven-two-two-zero-three, U.S.A.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Jill Moss⁸ and Avi Arditti. This is Gwen Outen.

1 short-term   

adj.短期的

参考例句：

• The short-term training class has been run three times.短训班办了三期。
• For this they are running short-term courses and evening classes.为此，他们办了短训班和夜校。

2 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

3 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

4 discussion   

n.讨论，谈论；论述

参考例句：

• It is certain he will come to the discussion.他肯定会来参加讨论。
• After months of discussion,a peace agreement is gradually taking shape.经过几个月的商讨，和平协议渐渐有了眉目。

5 reproduce   

v.生育，繁殖，复制，重做

参考例句：

• The machine can reproduce a key in two minutes.这机器能在两分钟内复制一把钥匙。
• The picture will reproduce well.这照片会印得很清楚。

6 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

7 catalog   

n.目录(册)vt.将…编入目录，将…编目

参考例句：

• Can you catalog all these books?你能给所有这些书编目录吗？
• You can look for the book in the library catalog.你可以在图书馆的图书目录上查找这本书。

8 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。