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VOA慢速英语--意大利的白松露猎人担心气候变化

时间:2019-11-26 23:53:47

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(单词翻译)

Italy’s White Truffle Hunters Worry about Climate Change

Rising temperatures are worrying truffle hunters in northwestern Italy. In and around the town of Alba, the most prized truffle -- a white one – can sell for two times the price of gold.

Last month was unusually warm in Alba. During October, eight out of 10 white truffles recovered by Carlo Olivero and his 3-year-old dog Steel were dark and dried out.

"They are clearly signs of the temperatures,'' Olivero told The Associated Press as he held one of the truffles in his hand. He put the others back in the ground so that its spores2 will spread. He hopes this will lead to more truffles next year.

For food lovers, truffles are a tasty, and costly3 treat. Truffles look like potatoes, but are actually a kind of strong-smelling fungus4 that grows underground. They are usually found with the aid of trained dogs or pigs.

Alba is in Italy's Piedmont region, an area known as the "white truffle capital of the world" for truffle lovers. Each year the town holds a truffle celebration and an auction5 to raise money for worthy6 causes. This year, a Hong Kong buyer paid 120,000 euros – more than twice the price of gold -- for a single truffle.

The longer-term effect of rising temperatures on the highly prized white truffles is being carefully watched. Truffles grow best in cool, rainy weather.

Climate change has pushed back high truffle season to November.

"It has been a few years that we have been worrying about truffle(s)," said Antonio Degiacomi. He is president of Italy's national center for truffle studies.

"We have had over the last three seasons one terrible year, one excellent season and one that is decent7," he added.

Experts have been trying to protect the area where truffles grow. Their hope is to protect the relationship between the truffle and the plant it grows on, as well as the relationship between the truffle hunter and the owner of the land.

Olivero noted8 that a maker9 of the area's famous Barolo red wine wanted to cut down two large oak10 trees where truffles grew to stop them from blocking sunlight.

"I told him, ‘The day you take all the oaks11, only you will drink your wine,'" Olivero said. He added that the truffle and wine go together in every meal, but they also need to grow together in nature.

Unlike the more common black truffle, white truffles only grow wild, so controlling their environment is important.

Italy has begun paying 24 euros a year to property owners to keep trees they might want to remove. Truffle groups have made deals with landowners to keep their wooded land cleared in a way that helps truffles grow.

After an unusually hot and long summer, the recent wet weather has been perfect for truffle hunting around Alba.

"In these days, the quality is especially high,'' said truffle judge Stefano Cometti.

Even after more than 40 years of hunting truffles, Olivero still gets emotional when Steel, his dog, smells one in the soil.

Steel's nose is perfect. The dog recognizes the sweet smell of a white truffle and begins quickly digging in the earth to find it.

"I call it the magic moment, because it means that there is something under there that we [are] looking for,'' Olivero said.

Words in This Story

truffle – n. a kind of fungus that grows under the ground and that is used in cooking

spore1 – n. a cell made by some plants that is like a seed and can produce a new plant

auction – n. a public sale at which things are sold to the people who offer to pay the most

fungus – n. any one of a group of living things (such as mushrooms) that often look like plants but have no flowers and that live on dead or dying things

decent - adj. reasonable, not great


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1 spore eTrzW     
n.(无花植物借以繁殖的)孢子,芽胞
参考例句:
  • A spore can quickly spread and form a mould.一个孢子能迅速蔓延并形成霉。
  • The cation penetrates the spore.这种阳离子能透入孢子。
2 spores c0cc8819fa73268b5ec019dbe33b798c     
n.(细菌、苔藓、蕨类植物)孢子( spore的名词复数 )v.(细菌、苔藓、蕨类植物)孢子( spore的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Ferns, mosses and fungi spread by means of spores. 蕨类植物、苔藓和真菌通过孢子传播蔓生。
  • Spores form a lipid membrane during the process of reproducing. 孢于在生殖过程中形成类脂膜。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
3 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
4 fungus gzRyI     
n.真菌,真菌类植物
参考例句:
  • Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
  • This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。
5 auction 3uVzy     
n.拍卖;拍卖会;vt.拍卖
参考例句:
  • They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
  • They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。
6 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
参考例句:
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
7 decent mx6xr     
adj.象样的,不错的,体面的,正派的,恰当的
参考例句:
  • We want to raise our children to be decent men and women.我们盼望把孩子们培养成优秀人才。
  • There isn't even a decent table in this room.这屋里连张像样的桌子也没有。
8 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
9 maker DALxN     
n.制造者,制造商
参考例句:
  • He is a trouble maker,You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼,你不要跟他在一起。
  • A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。
10 oak YHoxP     
n.栎树,橡树,栎木,橡木
参考例句:
  • The chair is of solid oak.这把椅子是纯橡木的。
  • The carpenter will floor this room with oak.木匠将用橡木铺设这个房间的地板。
11 oaks 8be81eec3a21ccc7972e3759a684a11d     
n.栎树( oak的名词复数 );橡树;栎木;橡木
参考例句:
  • Oaks may fall when reeds stand the storm. 芦苇耐风暴,橡树却会倒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Great oaks from little acorns grow. 万丈高楼平地起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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