AGRICULTURE REPORT - It's Apple Season in America

AGRICULTURE REPORT - It's Apple Season in America
By Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Tuesday, October 25, 2005

I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

 
Apples are the second most valuable fruit crop in the United¹ States, after oranges. Autumn is a time when fresh apples are everywhere. They are not native to the country. Research shows that apples came from Central Asia. But they are believed to have been grown in America since the early sixteen hundreds.

Washington² State, in the Pacific Northwest, produces the country's biggest apple crop. New York and Michigan are also big producers. Among nations, China is the biggest grower followed by the United States and Turkey.

This year, American growers expect to harvest nearly four thousand five hundred million kilograms³ of apples. That is a little less than last year's record harvest.

Apples are a member of the rose family. Apples come in reds, greens and yellows. About two thousand five hundred kinds grow in the United States. Three times that number are grown around the world.

The University of Illinois Extension⁴ service says one hundred varieties are grown most commonly in the United States. The most popular are the Red Delicious, Golden⁵ Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith.

In the United States, three fourths of apples are eaten fresh. Some are made into sweet foods like apple pie. The rest are processed to make products such as apple juice, apple cider, apple sauce⁶ and vinegar⁷.

A popular saying goes: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Apples are a healthy food. For one thing, they are high in fiber⁸, mainly in the skin.

Apple trees flower in late spring. Late blossoming⁹ avoids freezing weather. So farmers can grow apples farther¹⁰ north than most other fruits. In North America, apples can be gown¹¹ in all fifty states and Canada.

Johnny Appleseed was born in Massachusetts in seventeen seventy-four. He grew apple trees on land he owned in Ohio and Indiana. He traveled with settlers as they moved West. He supplied them with apple seeds and young trees and, it is said, religion.

Johnny Appleseed was an early American hero. His real name was John Chapman. Americans might not know the story of John Chapman, but almost everyone has heard of Johnny Appleseed.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter.  I'm Steve Ember.

1 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

2 Washington   

n.华盛顿特区(是美国首都)

参考例句：

• His birthplace is Washington,but he lives in San Francisco.他出生于华盛顿，但住在旧金山。
• They, together with my father,have gone to Washington.他们和我父亲一起去华盛顿了。

3 kilograms   

n.千克( kilogram的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 2 kilograms of rice 2公斤大米
• Every tonne of coal contains,on average,30 kilograms of nitrogen. 每吨煤平均含30公斤氮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 extension   

n.伸长，扩大，伸展；延长，延期；延长部分，扩大部分；电话分机

参考例句：

• The pupils disliked the extension of the term.小学生们不愿延长学期。
• Our extension is nearly finished.我们的扩建部分已接近完工。

5 golden   

adj.金的，含金的，可贵的，金色的，贵重的，繁盛的

参考例句：

• My teacher is an Englishman with golden hair.我的老师是一个金黄色头发的英国人。
• It's a balmy evening,the golden time for lovers.这是一个暖和的夜晚，是恋人们的黄金时光。

6 sauce   

n.酱油，酱汁；调味汁

参考例句：

• Some cream will enrich the sauce.在调味汁里加一些奶油会使其味道更加丰富。
• This sauce is too thick-- add some milk.调味汁太稠，再加点奶.

7 vinegar   

n.醋

参考例句：

• Do we need some soy sauce and vinegar?我们需要酱油和醋吗？
• Vinegar is used in preserving food.醋可用来保存食物。

8 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

9 blossoming   

v.（植物）开花( blossom的现在分词 )；发展；长成；变得更加健康（或自信、成功）

参考例句：

• Our firm is blossoming out. 我们的公司正在成长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The corn is blossoming [ripening]. 玉米正在开花[成熟]。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 farther   

adj.更远的，进一步的；adv.更远的，此外；far的比较级

参考例句：

• I can throw the ball farther than you can.这个球我能比你扔得远。
• The farther hill is five kilometres away.那座更远的小山在五公里以外。

11 gown   

n.长袍，特殊场合穿的长服

参考例句：

• She pinned the gown at the neck with a safety pin.她在领子那儿用一枚别针把睡衣别住。
• He threw on his gown.他穿上他的礼服。