VOA常速英语--南瓜在美国比以往任何时候都更受欢迎（在线收听）

Pumpkins More Popular than Ever in US 南瓜在美国比以往任何时候都更受欢迎

October means many things.  It means Halloween, harvest season, or just the arrival of fall, and falling leaves.  But no matter which part of October you celebrate, the pumpkin is likely to be part of the party.  

At Cox Farms Fall Festival in the Washington suburbs, picking out the perfect pumpkins is a big part of fun.

在华盛顿郊区考克斯农场的秋季狂欢节,挑选完美的南瓜是很有趣的一件事情。

“Every year we come here.  Bring the family out for the festival and get the pumpkins for Halloween carving.  It is just a family tradition," said a visitor.

“每年我们都会来这里。这个节日带你的家人来这里,挑选万圣节雕刻用的南瓜。这只是家庭传统。”

"These big guys are about 25 pounds. This white blueish one,  we are going to eat that one," said another.

“这些大南瓜有约25磅重。这个白色带青色的,我们要吃掉它。”

The pick-your-own farm offers a variety of pumpkins and gourds in different sizes, shapes and colors.

这座自己采摘的农场提供了各种各样不同大小、形状及颜色的南瓜及葫芦。

”We offer 40 or 50 different varieties of pumpkins, and all together 150,000 pumpkins will go through this place," said Lucas Cox, co-owner of Cox Farms.

“我们提供40或50个不同品种的南瓜,总共加在一起这座农场有150000个南瓜。”

Lucas Cox, second generation co-owner, says his family has been holding this fall festival since 1983, and it has grown every year.  

第二代合伙人卢卡斯·考克斯表示他的家人自1983年以来一直在举办这样的节日,而且每年的游客人数都在增加。

“We have over 100, 000 visitors for the season.   I think Halloween is the fastest growing holiday in the US. And the pumpkins are the staple of Halloween.  You cannot have Halloween without pumpkins.  So that means pumpkin business is growing every year," said Cox.

“这个季节我们有超过100,000名游客。我想万圣节是增长最快的美国节日。而南瓜是万圣节的当家主菜。你的万圣节不可能没有南瓜。这就表示南瓜生意每年都在增加。”

As the weather cools, pumpkins appear on front porches, roadside stands pop up everywhere, and grocery stores overflow with pumpkins and pumpkin products.    

随着天气逐渐变冷,南瓜成为热卖品，而路边摊也会出现它的身影,而杂货店摆满了琳琅满目的南瓜及南瓜的相关产品。

According to a market research firm, Americans spent more than $350 million on pumpkin-flavored products last year.  

而一家市场研究公司的报告显示美国人去年在南瓜产品上花费3.5亿多美元。

“We are selling pumpkin spice [drinks] from early September through mid-November and it sells really well," said barista Marcia Vernor.

“我们从9月初到11月中旬会销售这款南瓜饮品,它卖的很好。”

Other nontraditional pumpkin products are also gaining popularity.

其它非传统的南瓜产品也越来越受欢迎。

“It is pumpkin beer. I’ve never tried before. But it is that time of the year when we start eating pumpkin or drinking pumpkin, in this case," said a customer.

“这是南瓜啤酒。我以前从没有尝试过。但这是今年这个时候我们会开始吃南瓜或喝这样的南瓜饮品。”

However,in the Midwest where 90 percent of the nation's pumpkins are grown bad weather has had an impact.

然而,在中西部地区,全国90%的南瓜受到了恶劣天气的影响。

“The late summer rains in the Midwest really hurt the pumpkin crop.  And the pumpkin supply is really starting to tighten up this year," said Lucas Cox.

“夏末在中西部降雨严重伤及南瓜农作物。因此今年的南瓜供应会非常紧张。”

Cox says he has enough pumpkins to make this years festival a success.  And next year he expects farmers to harvest even more to meet a growing demand.

但考克斯表示他有足够的南瓜会使得今年的节日大获成功。而他预计明年农民会收获更多南瓜以满足日益增长的需求。