商业周刊:怀抱绿色梦想,经营私有温室(1)

The Green Dream

绿色梦想

Running your own greenhouse may seem idyllic¹. The reality is not for the faint of heart. By James Tarmy

经营自己的温室似乎充满诗情画意，但真实的情况会吓退胆小者。詹姆斯·塔米报道。

With the exception of a few years in the late 1800s when some rowdy servants burned down the manor² house by mistake,

除了在19世纪末的几年里，一些粗暴的仆人误烧坎博庄园的房子外，

the Erskine family has peacefully occupied the sprawling³ Cambo estate in Fife, Scotland, for more than 350 years.

厄斯金一家已经安稳地在苏格兰法夫郡这片庞大的庄园上生活了350多年。

Along the way, they’ve been patrons for generations of agricultural workers who’ve tended the grounds.

在此过程中，他们一直是这片土地上代代相传的农工的庇护者。

The cost of that support has become increasingly steep,

这种支持的成本变得越来越高。

so five years ago the Erskines turned Cambo’s gardens in to a charitable trust with a mission to educate young adults in the art of rural agriculture.

因此在五年前，厄斯金一家把坎博庄园的花园变成一个慈善信托机构，其使命是对年轻人进行乡村农业教育。

“Scotland is very short of young people going in to rural occupations,” says Catherine, Lady Erskine.

“苏格兰非常缺乏在农村工作的年轻人，”凯瑟琳·厄斯金夫人说。

Legend-of-Sleepy-Hollow.jpg

“There is a skills gap.”But first they had to build new green houses.

“存在技能缺口。” 但首先，他们必须建造新的温室。

The existing ones, dating from the early 19th century, had “become quite shabby” says her husband, Sir Peter Erskine.

她的丈夫彼得·厄斯金爵士表示，现存的建于19世纪初的那些温室，已经 “变得相当破旧”。

The wood frames were rotting, glass panes⁴ had been patched haphazardly⁵, and maintaining an even temperature was almost impossible. “

木框腐烂了，玻璃窗格被随意地修补，几乎无法保持温度均衡。

They’d outlived their natural lifespan.”

“它们已经超出了其自然使用年限。”

The family hired a U.K. company called Alitex Ltd. to build a structure with four sections

这家人雇佣一家名为Alitex Ltd.的英国公司，来建造一个包含四部分的建筑物。

—one for peaches, one that serves as a year-round space full of flowers and plants, and two to instruct trainees⁶ in the art of growing vegetables.

其中一部分用于种植桃子，一部分用于全年生长鲜花和植物的空间。另外两部分用于指导学员种植蔬菜。

“The desire to educate had always been embedded⁷ in country estates,” Lady Erskine says.

“对教育的渴望一直根植于这座乡村庄园，” 厄斯金夫人说。

“They were the training facility for the local area.” The new greenhouse cost roughly ￡500,000 ($649,000).

“它们是当地的培训设施。”新温室耗资约为50万英镑（64.9万美元）。

1 idyllic   

adj.质朴宜人的，田园风光的

参考例句：

• These scenes had an idyllic air.这种情景多少有点田园气氛。
• Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。

2 manor   

n.庄园，领地

参考例句：

• The builder of the manor house is a direct ancestor of the present owner.建造这幢庄园的人就是它现在主人的一个直系祖先。
• I am not lord of the manor,but its lady.我并非此地的领主，而是这儿的女主人。

3 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

4 panes   

窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sun caught the panes and flashed back at him. 阳光照到窗玻璃上，又反射到他身上。
• The window-panes are dim with steam. 玻璃窗上蒙上了一层蒸汽。

5 haphazardly   

adv.偶然地，随意地，杂乱地

参考例句：

• The books were placed haphazardly on the shelf. 书籍乱七八糟地堆放在书架上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is foolish to haphazardly adventure. 随便冒险是愚蠢的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 trainees   

新兵( trainee的名词复数 )； 练习生； 接受训练的人； 训练中的动物

参考例句：

• We've taken on our full complement of new trainees. 我们招收的新学员已经满额了。
• The trainees were put through an assault course. 受训人员接受了突击训练课程。

7 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。