VOA慢速英语--马拉维国产蔬菜缓解蔬菜短缺紧张

AS IT IS 2016-08-23 Malawi's Homegrown Vegetables Ease¹ Food Shortage 马拉维国产蔬菜缓解蔬菜短缺紧张

In Malawi, over 6 million people need food aid because severe weather has made growing corn crops difficult. But small home gardens are helping². The Victory Garden Campaign is working with people in the capital city of Lilongwe to grow a variety of vegetables near their houses.

Edson Kumbani and his family live in the Likuni area of the capital city. He created a garden last year after his corn crop failed.

Like most farmers in Malawi, his family depended on corn as its main source of food. But now he grows vegetables such as tomatoes, pumpkins³, beans and potatoes.

His wife, Efrida helps with the garden.

“Now I have even stopped asking my husband about food whenever he leaves the house. I just enter the garden and pick whatever food I need for the family and cook it.”

Kumbani began his garden with help from a U.S. anti-hunger charity, Face to Face. Its mission⁴ is to help communities help themselves. Ken⁵ Wong is the director.

“What we want to do is roll out our Victory Garden solution, our solution of changing the way that Malawians think about farming, and thinking about food, so that Malawi can break the cycle of poverty.”

About 22,000 families in the Likuni, Tsabango and Mitundu areas are benefiting from the campaign. Each person that receives training will teach 25 other people.

The small gardens are about 2.5 square meters and can grow up to 15 kinds of plants, vegetables and fruit trees.

The campaign chooses plants and trees that can survive on little water. The weather is still dry in Malawi and some villagers must walk a long way to get water. Even so, the seeds of change for a healthier future are being planted.

Words in This Story

variety – n. the state of having or including many different things

mission – n. work that you consider to be a very important duty

solution – n. something that solves a problem

cycle – n. a repeating series of events

benefiting – verb to be useful or helpful to someone

1 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

4 mission   

n.使命，任务，天职；代表团，使团

参考例句：

• He was charged with an important mission.他受委托承担一项重要使命。
• I'll leave you to undertake an important mission.我要让你承担一项重要使命。

5 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.