VOA慢速英语2010年-Agriculture Report - A Vegetable Garde

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Earlier this month, Michelle Obama and twenty-three schoolchildren helped prepare the ground for an organic¹ vegetable garden on the South Lawn² of the White House. The first lady showed the young gardeners how to turn the soil for the one hundred square meter garden.

First lady Michelle Obama breaks ground for the White House Kitchen Garden with the help of local students

The students from nearby Bancroft Elementary School will help grow fifty-five kinds of vegetables, herbs and berries³. They will plant organic seedlings⁴ in a few weeks. The White House will provide organic fertilizer⁵ for the garden. Crops will include lettuce⁶, spinach⁷, broccoli⁸, peas, onions and berries. Missus Obama said two beehives will provide honey. The whole Obama family, including the president, will pull weeds in the garden. The total cost of the seedlings and fertilizer is two hundred dollars.

The vegetables and fruit will help provide meals for the Obama family, White House workers and guests. The produce will also go to a nearby center that provides food for homeless people. Michelle Obama said the main goal of the garden is to educate children and influence communities to choose and prepare healthful food.

The garden will be the first on the White House lawn since World War Two. President Franklin Roosevelt's wife Eleanor planted what was called a "Victory Garden" as part of the war effort in nineteen forty-three.

Eleanor Roosevelt urged all Americans to grow their own vegetables and fruits. Much of the nation's farm produce at the time was feeding American soldiers. More recently, President and Missus Clinton had a small garden. But it was planted in containers on the roof of the White House.

The White House garden marks a victory for people like Professor Michael Pollan of the University of California, Berkeley. The writer and food expert has worked to increase public education about good food. He said gardens like the one at the White House help people reconnect with food and eat more healthfully.

In a public letter to Mister⁹ Obama several months ago, Michael Pollan said a White House garden would set a revolutionary example of healthful eating and local farming for the whole country.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. You can learn more about growing food at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.
 

1 organic   

adj.有机的，有机物的；有组织的

参考例句：

• Organic farming is expanding everywhere.有机农业正在各地迅速发展起来。
• The organic fertilizer shall keep the soil in good heart.这有机肥一定会使土壤保持肥沃。

2 lawn   

n.草地，草坪，上等细麻布

参考例句：

• The lawn was crawling with ants.草坪上爬满了蚂蚁。
• They are lying on a grassy lawn.他们躺在绿草如茵的草坪上。

3 berries   

n.浆果( berry的名词复数 )；（葡萄，番茄等）浆果；干果仁；干种子

参考例句：

• Birds feed on nuts and berries in the winter. 鸟类靠坚果和浆果过冬。
• We went here and there looking for berries. 我们四处寻找浆果。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 seedlings   

n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 fertilizer   

n.肥料，化肥

参考例句：

• Fertilizer enriches the soil.肥料使土壤肥沃。
• Get some more fertilizer for the garden.给花园再多施些肥料。

6 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

7 spinach   

n.菠菜

参考例句：

• Eating spinach is supposed to make you strong.据说吃菠菜能使人强壮。
• You should eat such vegetables as carrot,celery and spinach.你应该吃胡萝卜、芹菜和菠菜这类的蔬菜。

8 broccoli   

n.绿菜花，花椰菜

参考例句：

• She grew all the broccoli plants from seed.这些花椰菜都是她用种子培育出来的。
• They think broccoli is only green and cauliflower is only white.他们认为西兰花只有绿色的，而菜花都是白色的。

9 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。