VOA新闻杂志2023--US Grower Sets World Record for Heaviest Pumpkin

US Grower Sets World Record for Heaviest Pumpkin¹

An American teacher from Minnesota has set a record for growing the world's heaviest pumpkin, which weighed 1,247 kilograms.

Travis Gienger was named the winner Monday of the 50th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California.

The 43-year-old won the same contest in 2022. His winning pumpkin last year weighed 1,161 kilograms. Still, Gienger told The Associated Press he was surprised to win the world record. "I was not expecting that," he said. "It was quite the feeling."

Gienger is a teacher at Anoka Technical College in Anoka, Minnesota. He teaches agriculture and growing methods and has been producing pumpkins² for nearly 30 years. Gienger says his father also raised pumpkins and this got him interested.

The past world record for the heaviest pumpkin was set by a grower in Italy who produced a 1,226-kilogram gourd³ in 2021, the Guinness World Records organization reports.

Gienger – who grows the pumpkins on his home property – said this year he decided⁴ to give his plants extra care. This included watering them up to 12 times a day and feeding them food, or fertilizer, a little more than usual.

Gienger first competed in Half Moon Bay's yearly contest in 2020. He has won three of the city's last four pumpkin contests. "I put in the work so that I can put a smile on people's faces and it's just so nice coming out here to see everyone in this town," Gienger said.

The pumpkin champion won a $30,000 prize for growing the biggest pumpkin and setting a world record.

Gienger's pumpkin will be shown along with the runner-up winners at the city's upcoming Art and Pumpkin Festival. At the event, visitors will be able to look at the pumpkin prizes and take pictures with the growers.

In the United States, pumpkins are popular throughout the autumn.

During the U.S. holiday Halloween – on October 31 – many people decorate the orange gourds⁵ and turn them into "jack-o'-lanterns." A jack-o'-lantern is a pumpkin that has been carved, usually to show a frightening or funny face.

Pumpkins are also a seasonal⁶ favorite for Americans to make pumpkin pie. This dessert food is traditionally eaten on Thanksgiving Day, which this year falls on November

Words in This Story

gourd – n. a large fruit with a hard shell

decorate – v. to add something to an object or place, especially to make it more inviting⁷

carve – v. to make something by cutting into something

 

dessert – n. a sweet food usually eaten at the end of a meal

1 pumpkin   

n.南瓜

参考例句：

• They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
• It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你！

2 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）

3 gourd   

n.葫芦

参考例句：

• Are you going with him? You must be out of your gourd.你和他一块去？你一定是疯了。
• Give me a gourd so I can bail.把葫芦瓢给我，我好把水舀出去。

4 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。

5 gourds   

n.葫芦( gourd的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Dried gourds are sometimes used as ornaments. 干葫芦有时用作饰品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The villagers use gourds for holding water. 村民们用葫芦盛水。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

7 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。