2007年VOA标准英语-Fresh Produce for Sale in Boston City Center

By Retno Pinasti and Supri Yono
Boston, Massachusetts
07 May 2007
 

Every year from May until November you can find local farmers selling their fruits and vegetables at outdoor markets all across the United States. Tables laden¹ with melons and berries, corn and potatoes offer customers produce fresh off the farm. Recently, VOA's Retno Pinasti and Supri Yono visited Boston, in the northeastern state of Massachusetts at the City Hall Farmers' Market where they had a chance to sample some of the farm fresh treats. VOA's Jim Bertel narrates².

Boston Farmers Market

Amid the hustle³ and bustle⁴ of the city, Bostonians can find a small piece of country life at the weekly City Hall Farmers' Market. The vendors⁵ are local farmers who travel into the city to sell their berries and peaches, radishes and rhubarbs to the city's busy work force.

Jeff Cole of the Federation⁶ of Massachusetts Farmers' Markets says these open-air markets are growing in popularity. "Most of the bigger cities have at least two or more farmers' markets. It is very much in a resurgence⁷ across the nation, directly getting food from a farmer verses going to the supermarket, which is great for both markets, but [especially] for the farmers who often struggle in America to make a living."

Instead of pushing a cart up and down sterile⁸ aisles⁹ at the supermarket, shoppers here wander among the vendors savoring¹⁰ the beautiful day and the farm fresh produce.

Chris Kurth is with Sienna Farms. "We grow a lot of different vegetables, fruits and flowers organically, a lot of baby greens, a few different types of arugula and watercress. Lots of heirloom tomatoes, which are just about to roll in, my best tomato crop in ten years despite the crazy rains we had this spring, they are doing really well which I am grateful for."

The City Hall Farmers' Market began nearly 30 years ago and has been growing ever since. Cole credits the expansion to hard work and loyal customers. "The consumer is increasing in their participation¹¹, more people are interested. The farmers are becoming more engaged with farmer's markets. We have some farmers now in this state that do twelve to thirteen markets a week. Obviously they have multiple trucks and multiple staff to do that. There are more farmers becoming interested."

Organizers say many factors have contributed to the market's increasing popularity including consumers' growing demand for organic foods, items that are grown without fertilizers, pesticides¹² and other manmade substances. But perhaps the most important reason to shop at these open-air stalls is that with every ear of corn or box of berries you buy, shoppers ensure these local farms will exist in the future.

1 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

4 bustle   

v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。

5 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

7 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

8 sterile   

adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• This top fits over the bottle and keeps the teat sterile.这个盖子严实地盖在奶瓶上，保持奶嘴无菌。
• The farmers turned the sterile land into high fields.农民们把不毛之地变成了高产田。

9 aisles   

n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊

参考例句：

• Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在诺曼时期，原来的萨克森风格的建筑物都增添了走廊。
• They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他们走到大教堂的走廊附近，并且很快就坐了下来。

10 savoring   

v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的现在分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝

参考例句：

• Cooking was fine but it was the savoring that he enjoyed most. 烹饪当然很好，但他最享受的是闻到的各种味道。 来自互联网
• She sat there for a moment, savoring the smell of the food. 她在那儿坐了一会儿，品尝这些食物的香味。 来自互联网

11 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

12 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》