VOA标准英语2008年-America, How Does Your Garden Grow?

This is a great time to be in the seed business in America. Middlebury College economist¹ Bill McKibben reports that Burpee, America's largest seed company, sold twice as many seeds this spring as it did last year. And that members of the Seed Savers Exchange, a cooperative organization, sold more packets to each other in the first four months of this year than they did in all of 2007.
　
It's not just hobbyists and small farmers who are raising their own fruits and vegetables now. Lots of Americans are buying seeds and growing their own goods to save money

What's going on? Is the government giving away land? Did some rock star turn gardening into a fad²? Or are food prices suddenly so monstrous³ that Americans by the tens of thousands are getting out the old hoe and work gloves?
　
Community gardens in many areas report long waiting lists, and thousands of people are breaking the soil in their backyards in order to create their own produce plots

It's high prices, all right. According to a study by the Boston Globe newspaper, growing one's own produce has become an attractive option to paying shocking prices at the store.

Soaring food costs are tied to exploding oil prices. It's much, much more expensive to ship pineapples from Hawaii to Georgia, blackberries from Michigan to New Mexico, and lettuce⁴ to New York from California these days. Weather disasters and the diversion of cropland to biofuel enterprises have jacked up food prices, too.
　
It's not just labor⁵ costs that are driving up the price of produce. It's the astronomical⁶ rise in gasoline and diesel⁷ and airplane fuel needed to get the food to market

So consumers are slipping on their jeans and taking matters into their own hands. The Globe reports that hundreds of people are on waiting lists for community garden plots in the Boston area. And no wonder. The newspaper calculates that 15 healthy tomato plants can produce 45 kilos of luscious⁸ tomatoes in a season. At today's prices, such a bounty⁹ would cost almost $400 at the store. Who has $400 to spend on tomatoes?

And if gardens are booming, it's not hard to imagine at least a modest revival¹⁰ ahead for small, financially struggling family farms — long the heart of American life but now growing less than a fifth of the nation's food bounty.

 

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。

3 monstrous   

adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的

参考例句：

• The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升，形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
• Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人！

4 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

7 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

8 luscious   

adj.美味的；芬芳的；肉感的，引与性欲的

参考例句：

• The watermelon was very luscious.Everyone wanted another slice.西瓜很可口，每个人都想再来一片。
• What I like most about Gabby is her luscious lips!我最喜欢的是盖比那性感饱满的双唇！

9 bounty   

n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与

参考例句：

• He is famous for his bounty to the poor.他因对穷人慷慨相助而出名。
• We received a bounty from the government.我们收到政府给予的一笔补助金。

10 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。