VOA标准英语2011--Community Gardens Grow Green Space in Ne

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Community Gardens Grow Green Space in New York City

FAITH LAPIDUS: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)
I'm Faith Lapidus. This week, on our program we play new music from Alison Krauss and Union Station…
answer a question about the Patowmack Canal near Washington…
but first we visit some New York City gardeners and their green spaces…
(MUSIC)
Community Gardens
FAITH LAPIDUS: You have probably heard the term “concrete jungle.” People use it to describe big cities that often have more hard surfaces than green space. Some people call New York City a concrete jungle. But, New York is also home to hundreds of community gardens filled with all kinds of crops. Bob Doughty² has our story.
BOB DOUGHTY: It is almost nine in the morning on a workday. And Noah Kauffman is working hard, but not at his paying job. He is digging in the soil at the 113th Street Play Garden in Manhattan. He is the volunteer president of the community garden.
NOAH KAUFFMAN: “New York City is, if anything, the built environment. We have plenty of concrete. We have plenty of bricks³. We have plenty of steel. We have little, little places like this vest pocket park, which are a small oasis⁴, a piece of green. For our neighbors here on 113th Street, this is our front yard and we share it.”
For Alexandra Patz and her seven year old son, the garden has been a refuge⁵ since they moved to New York. They had come from a town where they had a home with a backyard.
ALEXANDRA PATZ: “When we moved to the city, I was glad to find on this block that there was a little garden where we could become involved, where my son could experience digging and growing things. He’s outside. We can hear the birds tweeting. You know, he’s sitting under a tree. There are no leaves yet, but you know, they’re coming. There are little birds digging and in the dirt there, you know…Life!” [LAUGHS]
New York City has more than five hundred community gardens. The movement to create them began in the nineteen seventies. It was a difficult time. The city’s population was falling and many empty outdoor areas were filled with waste and rats.
New York began its Operation Greenthumb program in nineteen seventy eight. The program offers free crop growing classes and some gardening equipment. Yet economics⁶ can sometimes get between the gardeners and their gardens. City officials have successfully fought to re-gain control of some areas so they could sell the land to property developers.
Catherine Wint is a community garden organizer with the New York Land Trust. She and other organizers collect money to buy green space in the city. Then they surrender⁷ ownership⁸ of the land to the people in the community.
Catherine Wint says volunteers supervise⁹ and care for the gardens. She says these individuals bring their own plans, values and leadership styles.
CATHERINE WINT: “It’s different than a park, in that sense, because individuals in a community garden have to have a relationship and they have to work democratically¹⁰ and they have to come up with procedures¹¹ to enable¹² them to share this very small space in a way that’s going to benefit everyone.”
However, these individuals also create gardens that are unusual because of their mix of plants. A Mexican immigrant¹³ family working in one garden plants a species¹⁴ of red pepper commonly used in Mexican food. Next to that crop are peony flowers planted by a Chinese immigrant who misses his homeland.
Community gardener Lori Harris looks at the green space that her now ninety-year-old father helped create in Harlem. It was a trash-filled lot when he started working on the project in nineteen seventy-one. Lori Harris is proud as she talks about the true success of the garden.
LORI HARRIS: “You have to give back to Earth. You can’t just take everything from it. You’ve got to learn how to recycle and clean up. You know, people think groceries come from the grocery store, but they come from a farm. They start somewhere. So you really have to treat Mother Earth right and she treats you just the same. [LAUGH]”
Patowmack Canal
FAITH LAPIDUS: Our question this week comes from the American island territory of Puerto Rico. Leidyonor Muniz Quinones wants to hear about George Washington’s Patowmack Canal.
The Patowmack Canal is part of Great Falls National Park in Virginia, about twenty-five kilometers from Washington. The Patowmack was one of the first canals built in the United States.
The idea for the canal came from George Washington, now known as the father of the country. He had explored the area around the Upper Potomac River. He believed that that the river had to be made passable by boats. He thought the waterway would be a great path of trade between the east coast and western territory.
However, the Potomac River is very wild. Its Great Falls area is famous for powerful currents that flow sharply¹⁵ downhill. The river falls almost twenty-five meters in less than one and a half kilometers. The water is filled with huge rocks above and below the surface.
Washington knew a canal would have to be built for boats to safely pass by Great Falls. He also knew the project would be a long and costly¹⁶ process.
George Washington was a very popular leader at this time. He had commanded the Continental¹⁷ Army in America’s successful fight for independence from Britain. He was known as a wealthy farmer and land expert. As a result, he easily won financial support for the canal. He set up the Patowmack Company and started building the canal in seventeen eighty-five.
George Washington led the project until he took the office of President in seventeen eighty-nine. But building continued.
It took seventeen years to complete the Patowmack Canal. It included a series of locks. The locks raised or lowered the water in the canal to permit the boats to pass by the dangerous falls.
Thousands of boats travelled the Patowmack Canal. They carried flour, alcohol¹⁸, cloth, weapons and other goods. However, the water levels in the river made the canal usable only about two months out of the year. And profits never covered the cost of the building project. In the end, the Potowmack Company failed. The canal operated for only about twenty-five years.
The Patowmack Canal is now dry. It is open to visitors every day from seven in the morning until dark. The canal’s lock structures are still observable. The powerful Great Falls that made the canal necessary are also an extraordinary sight.
(MUSIC)
“Paper Airplane”
FAITH LAPIDUS: Bluegrass singer Alison Krauss has been making records since she was fourteen years old. The thirty-nine year old performer has also won twenty-six Grammy awards for her music. Recently, she reunited with Union Station, the group with which she has made several recordings²⁰ over the years. Katherine Cole has music from Alison Krauss and Union Station’s new album “Paper Airplane.”
(MUSIC)
KATHERINE COLE: That was Alison Krauss singing “Miles to Go.” Like most songs on the album “Paper Airplane,” this one is about the difficult emotions of failed love.
Krauss says “Paper Airplane” was one of the most difficult albums she has ever made. She suffered severe headaches that affected²¹ her ability to give her full attention to the music. She and Union Station decided²² to take a break from recording¹⁹ so that she could rest and recover.
Here is Union Station band member Dan Tyminski singing “Dust Bowl Children.” It is about living through hard times and poverty.
(MUSIC)
Alison Krauss says she and her band realized while recording this album that they could not depend on their past methods of making music. Instead, she said, they worked together to make music they found to be deeply truthful²³ and moving. She says the songs on this album are sad, but they feel good because they are honest. We leave you with “Lie Awake.”
(MUSIC)
FAITH LAPIDUS: I’m Faith Lapidus. Our program was written by Dana Demange and Caty Weaver²⁴, who was also our producer.
If you ever miss a program, or want to search for subjects that interest you, go to voaspecialenglish.com. You can download transcripts²⁵ and MP3s of all of our shows.
You can also send us questions about American life. Go to the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page or write to [email protected]. And we're on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning²⁶ English.
Join us again next week for music and more on AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

1 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

2 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

3 bricks   

n.砖( brick的名词复数 )；砖块；积木；可靠的朋友

参考例句：

• He compounded water, sand and soil and formed bricks. 他用水拌和沙和泥土做成砖块。
• The United Auto Workers hit the bricks against General Motors. 联合汽车工人工会举行罢工，反对通用汽车公司。

4 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

5 refuge   

n.避难（处），庇护（所）；v.庇护，避难（所）

参考例句：

• They took refuge in a cave yesterday.他们昨天是在一个洞里避难的。
• We took refuge in the lee of the wall.我们在墙的背风处暂避。

6 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

7 surrender   

v.投降，自首；屈服；交出，放弃

参考例句：

• He preferred to die rather than surrender to the enemy.他宁死也不愿向敌人投降。
• Liu Hulan would rather die than surrender before the enemy.刘胡兰在敌人面前宁死不屈。

8 ownership   

n.所有(权)，所有制

参考例句：

• The house is under new ownership.那栋房子已易新主。
• He claimed ownership of the house.他声称那幢房子归他所有。

9 supervise   

v.监督，管理，指导

参考例句：

• We must supervise and speed up the fulfilment of assigned tasks.已经布置了的工作，应当认真督促检查。
• Tomorrow he will supervise all the pupils taking the English examination.明天全体学生考英语，他将担任监考。

10 democratically   

民主地

参考例句：

• a democratically elected legislature 民主选举产生的立法机关
• Deputies to people's congresses at various levels total 3.65 million and are all democratically elected. 中国各级人民代表大会现有代表365万名，都是民主选举产生的。

11 procedures   

程序； 手续； 步骤； 常规； 程序( procedure的名词复数 )； 手续； [计算机]过程； （为解决一个特殊问题而专门设计的）文字程序

参考例句：

• procedures that must be followed to ensure full compliance with the law 为确保严格遵守法律所必须遵行的程序
• You need to become fully conversant with the company's procedures. 你得对公司的程序了如指掌。

12 enable   

vt.使能够；使可以；使成为可能

参考例句：

• Only teamwork will enable us to get the job done on time.只有团结一致，我们才能按时完成这项工作。
• This will enable China to go a step further in grain production.这是中国粮食生产再上新台阶的巨大动力。

13 immigrant   

adj.(从国外)移来的，移民的；n.移民，侨民

参考例句：

• Life in the USA was very hard for almost every new immigrant.美国的生活几乎对每一个新移民都很艰难。
• I'd like to obtain some information about applying for an immigrant visa.我想取一些申请移民签证的资料。

14 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

15 sharply   

adj.锐利地，急速；adv.严厉地，鲜明地

参考例句：

• The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
• Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。

16 costly   

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。

17 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

18 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。

19 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

20 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

21 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

22 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

23 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

24 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

25 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

26 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。