VOA常速英语2007-South Korean Festival 'Goes Strong' on Ginseng M

By Kurt Achin
Geumsan, South Korea
01 October 2007
 

Have you heard about the health benefits of ginseng?  It is pretty likely you have, as marketers in both the East and the West have long promoted the root's healthful properties to build athletic¹ strength.  But in an increasingly competitive market, one of the world's best-known ginseng growing areas has thrown some new weight behind its sales efforts.  VOA's Kurt Achin reports from the annual ginseng festival in Geumsan, South Korea. 

Kim Sung-dae has been harvesting ginseng on his private plot of land, right next to a busy highway, for more than three decades.

Ginseng has made a good living for Kim, even in hard times, but the market is not what it used to be. "There are a lot of growers in the United States and China now.  The competition is harder, and the profits aren't as high," he says.

Around this time of year, Kim spends most of his time shooing away traffic.  A lot of people wanted to park for the recent ginseng festival next door.

Here, marketers do their best to prove that Korean ginseng -- not to mention ginseng-derived tea, coffee, syrup², liquor, facial massage³ creams and foot bath salts -- are superior to non-Korean products. But this year, the festival got a little help with the "heavy lifting."

The festival hosted a championship of the International Federation⁴ of Strength Athletes. While some people golf on weekends, these guys drag trucks.

Two average people have a tough time moving the steel pylons⁵, even with a hydraulic⁶ cart. These athletes carry them around like suitcases.

The desired message is clear: ginseng equals strength.

The athletes themselves do not want to sell ginseng short, but they realize a little good old-fashioned hype is going on.

One athlete confesses, "There's no one miracle product to do it for you.  It's a lot of hard work.  Just ginseng won't help you drag a truck, I can tell you that."

Maybe the best advertisement for ginseng is back on the farm, in the form of Kim. He is 67 years old, but comes across at least 10 years younger.

1 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

2 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

3 massage   

n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据

参考例句：

• He is really quite skilled in doing massage.他的按摩技术确实不错。
• Massage helps relieve the tension in one's muscles.按摩可使僵硬的肌肉松弛。

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 pylons   

n.（架高压输电线的）电缆塔( pylon的名词复数 )；挂架

参考例句：

• A-form pylons are designed to withstand earthquake forces. A型框架式塔架设计中考虑塔架能够经受地震力的作用。 来自辞典例句
• Who designed the arch bridge with granite-faced pylons at either end? 谁设计在拱桥两端镶有花岗岩的塔门？ 来自互联网

6 hydraulic   

adj.水力的；水压的，液压的；水力学的

参考例句：

• The boat has no fewer than five hydraulic pumps.这艘船配有不少于5个液压泵。
• A group of apprentics were operating the hydraulic press.一群学徒正在开动水压机。