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VOA慢速英语2014 农场游客增加农场收入

时间:2014-11-20 14:23:28

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AS IT IS 2014-11-19 Farm Visitors Increase Farm profits 农场游客增加农场收入

As the weather cools across the United States, a growing number of Americans visit farms. They harvest apples, enjoy hay wagon1 rides and walk in the fields. These people are called “agri-tourists.” They improve the economy of rural areas and help farmers increase their profits.

"Here! This way!"  

"That way!"

School children are walking in a corn field maze2. The corn is cut into tricky3 passageways that make it difficult to find a way out.   

"No!"

The children are from Yorktown Elementary School in Bowie, Maryland. They have traveled to Montpelier Farms in Prince George’s County, which is also in Maryland. The farm is about 40 kilometers from The White House.

Debbie Pierson is the student’s teacher.

“We go on these kind of field trips so that the children will have a hands-on experience of what it’s like to be on a farm.”    

“This is a good one.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

Amy Etsy-Smith is visiting the farm with her children.

“We come about once a year. Lots of fun, yes. The kids enjoy it. This was her favorite part, was choosing the pumpkin4.”

When Mike Dunn opened the family farm to agri-tourists in 2008 he had only a corn maze, a pumpkin field and hay wagon rides. But he says so many people visited that he soon increased the number of activities. He says he hopes he will someday make a larger profit from visitors than from farming.

“Our agri-tourism revenue might be 30 percent of our entire farm income. We’d like to grow it to maybe one day be 60 percent.”

Americans spent more than $700 million on agri-tourism activities in the United States in 2012. That is an increase of 24 percent from 2007.

“Buddy” Hance is Maryland’s agriculture secretary.  

“Farm operators who have these operations generate (a) significant portion of their income from this opportunity. So it’s a great revenue stream for the county, states and the farmers.”

In Loudon County, Virginia, there are farms where grapes are grown for use in making wine. Many of the farms let people visit, and drink the wine that is made there. Bill Hatch owns the Zephaniah Farm Vineyard. He holds wine tastings in his home.

“We’re doubling the number of visitors to our farm every year. We have an average of 250 people on a weekend.”

As more people visit farms, more farmers are adding activities in which visitors can take part. Malcolm Baldwin owns WeatherLea Farm and Vineyard in Loudoun County. Six years ago, he began letting people be married at his farm. They can also sleep at the farm overnight. Mr. Baldwin says the money he makes from these activities let him keep his small farm operating.

“But without the animals, and without the vines, the wedding business wouldn’t be as profitable because people like to see the vines. They like to see the animals, and without which I don’t think this would be as popular a place.”

Words in This Story

tourist – n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure

maze – n. a complicated and confusing system of connected passages

field trip – n. a visit to a place (such as a museum or zoo) that is made by students to learn about something

harvest – v. to gather (a crop)

wine – n. an alcoholic5 drink made from the juice of grapes

overnight – adv. for or during the entire night


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1 wagon XhUwP     
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
参考例句:
  • We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
  • The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
2 maze F76ze     
n.迷宫,八阵图,混乱,迷惑
参考例句:
  • He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
  • She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时,她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。
3 tricky 9fCzyd     
adj.狡猾的,奸诈的;(工作等)棘手的,微妙的
参考例句:
  • I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手,你能帮我吗?
  • He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题,只做了个笼统的表述。
4 pumpkin NtKy8     
n.南瓜
参考例句:
  • They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
  • It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你!
5 alcoholic rx7zC     
adj.(含)酒精的,由酒精引起的;n.酗酒者
参考例句:
  • The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
  • Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

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