VOA慢速英语--水果侦探寻找稀有的苹果

Fruit Detectives Search For Rare Kinds of Apples

An apple tree stands alone near the top of a hill. It produces the Arkansas Beauty, a fruit long believed to have disappeared from existence. Three years ago, plant experts E.J. Brandt and David Benscoter rediscovered it.

The men have found 13 long-lost apple varieties in an area once known as Oregon Territory in the northwestern United States.

Brandt and Benscoter, both retirees, lead a nonprofit called Lost Apple Project. They travel hundreds of kilometers in trucks and on foot to find orchards² planted by settlers more than a century ago.

The two are racing³ against time to keep the fruit from disappearing. The apple trees are old, and many are dying. Others are being ripped out for more wheat fields or housing developments.

"To me, this area is a goldmine," said Brandt, who has found two historical varieties in the state of Idaho. "I don't want it lost in time. I want to give back to the people so that they can enjoy what our forefathers⁵ did."

History

North America once had 17,000 named varieties of domesticated⁷ apples, but only about 4,000 remain. The Lost Apple Project believes settlers planted a few hundred varieties in their part of the Pacific Northwest alone.

The Homestead Act of 1862 gave 65 hectares to families who would improve the land and pay a small fee. These people planted orchards with enough variety to get them through the long winter. They planted apples that ripen⁸ from early spring until the first freeze.

Then, as now, people did not raise apples from seeds. People took cuttings taken from existing trees and then joined them with roots. The new trees do not have the genetic⁹ material that often makes "wild" apples unfit as food.

Genetic Diversity

Joanie Cooper is a plant scientist at the Temperate¹⁰ Orchard¹ Conservancy. She has helped identify many of the lost varieties found in northern Idaho and eastern Washington. The trees have value beyond their historic importance, she notes.

The trees could help genetic diversity among modern-day apple crops as climate change and disease take an increasing toll¹¹.

Cooper said, "You have to have varieties that can last, that can grow, produce fruit, survive the heat and maybe survive the cold winter, depending on where you are. I think that's critical."

Words in This Story

variety – n. a particular kind of person or thing

orchard – n. a planting of fruit trees, nut trees, or sugar maples¹²

forefather⁴ – n. a person from an earlier time who helped to create or start something modern or important

domesticated – adj. from the verb

domesticate⁶ - v. to grow (a plant) for human use ; to breed or train (an animal) to need and accept the care of human beings : to tame (an animal)

ripen – v. to become ripe and ready to eat

1 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

2 orchards   

（通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They turned the hills into orchards and plains into granaries. 他们把山坡变成了果园，把平地变成了粮仓。
• Some of the new planted apple orchards have also begun to bear. 有些新开的苹果园也开始结苹果了。

3 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

4 forefather   

n.祖先；前辈

参考例句：

• What we are doing today is something never dreamed of by our forefather.我们今天正在做的是我们祖先所不敢想的。
• These are the customs of forefather hand down to us.这些都是先辈传给你们的习俗。

5 forefathers   

n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left. 它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 domesticate   

vt.驯养；使归化，使专注于家务

参考例句：

• Many thousand years ago people learned how to domesticate animals.数千年以前人们就学会了饲养动物。
• If you domesticate this raccoon,it will have trouble living in the wild.如果你驯养这只浣熊，它生活在野外将会有困难。

7 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 ripen   

vt.使成熟；vi.成熟

参考例句：

• I'm waiting for the apples to ripen.我正在等待苹果成熟。
• You can ripen the tomatoes on a sunny windowsill.把西红柿放在有阳光的窗台上可以让它们成熟。

9 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

10 temperate   

adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的

参考例句：

• Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
• Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。

11 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

12 maples   

槭树，枫树( maple的名词复数 )； 槭木

参考例句：

• There are many maples in the park. 公园里有好多枫树。
• The wind of the autumn colour the maples carmine . 秋风给枫林涂抹胭红。