VOA常速英语2016--四只山羊兄弟来布鲁克林执行任务

Four Brother Goats Arrive in Brooklyn on a Mission 四只山羊兄弟来布鲁克林执行任务

There is the old saying that areas in decline are “going to the dogs.” It seems parts of Brooklyn, New York, are going to the goats — a small herd¹ of goats, to be exact.

The caprine (the scientific term for goat) team is on a mission. Unlike gas-powered mowing² equipment, goats remove invasive weeds quietly and without adding more pollution to the air. If this goat gardener program proves successful, it will be extended to other areas of the state.

In Brooklyn Bridge Park, four Nubian goats are busy doing the job they were hired to do this summer: clearing the park of weeds.

在布鲁克林大桥公园，四只努比亚山羊正忙着做它们这个夏天被雇佣而来要做的工作：眉毛、赫克托、霍雷肖和米妮正清理公园的野草。

“These are young goats, they’re adolescents,and they are hungry all the time, so they were the perfect goats for this project. They select out the weeds from the grasses. They don’t like the grasses as much as they like the weeds.”

“它们都是年轻的山羊，正值青少年时期，总是会饥饿，因此他们是这个项目所需要的完美山羊。它们从青草中挑选出野草。相比野草，它们没那么喜欢青草。”

The goats are also naturally fertilizing³ the park, which was built as a buffer⁴ zone between the residential⁵ area and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

这些山羊也可以自然地给公园施肥，这一公园修建在居民区和布鲁克林皇后高速公路之间作为缓冲区。

“We are an organic park, we don’t use synthetic⁶ herbicides. So that wasn’t an option. So goats were really the most logical and adorable and fun option for us, in reality.”

“我们是一个有机公园，因此我们不会使用人造的除草剂。那不是一个选择。对于我们来说，实际上，山羊确实是最符合常理而且可爱又有趣的选择。”

The goat option makes sense to many of the neighbors.

对于周边大多数居民来说，山羊的选择是很有意义的。

“New York City in general has a huge lead problem, and there is a lot of pollution in the dirt. So finding a more natural way to get rid of waste is always a step in the right direction.”

“纽约大致来说有着很严重的铅污染问题，而且在灰尘中也有许多污染物。因此找到一个更为自然的方式来减少废弃物一直是朝着正确方向迈进的一步。”

“It’s probably unusual, but it’s nice. It’s a good idea because they have this idea of being an eco-friendly surrounding, so it makes sense.”

“这可能很不常见，但是却很不错。这是一个很好的点子，因为这个点子可以保持生态友好的居住周边，所以可以接受。”

Each goat eats about 23 kilograms (50 pounds) of weeds a day, which makes them effective landscape managers.

每一只山羊每天可以吃掉23公斤（50磅）的野草，这让他们成为有效的景观维护经理。

And although it’s tempting⁷ since they’re so cute, residents are advised not to feed the goats, so they can be hungry enough to do their job.

尽管因为它们很可爱，总是忍不住要给它们喂食，但是建议居民们不要给它们喂食，因而它们能够留有肚子来完成它们的工作。

1 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

2 mowing   

n.割草，一次收割量，牧草地v.刈，割( mow的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The lawn needs mowing. 这草坪的草该割了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• "Do you use it for mowing?" “你是用它割草么？” 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

3 fertilizing   

v.施肥( fertilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Sometimes the preliminary step must be taken of reducing weed population before fertilizing. 有时候，在施肥之前，必须采取减少杂草密度的预备性步骤。 来自辞典例句
• The self fertilizing garden can also be planted in raised beds. 自我施肥的菜园也可以在苗圃床中种植。 来自互联网

4 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

5 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

6 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

7 tempting   

a.诱人的, 吸引人的

参考例句：

• It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
• It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。