VOA慢速英语 2008 0108a

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

 
A round barn¹ in Illinois
American farmers traditionally keep their animals and equipment in barns² that are rectangular³, longer than they are wide. But as many as one thousand barns in the Midwest and other parts of the country are round.

Round barns have a long history in America. George Washington, the nation's first president, had a round barn in the seventeen hundreds. The Shaker religious community at Hancock, Massachusetts, built one in the eighteen twenties.

But the idea did not become popular until years later. Then, in the early nineteen hundreds, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign built three round barns that a lot of farmers copied.

A farmer could save on wood or stone with a round building that needed less material than traditional barns. Experts also believed that farmers could save steps, and time, in feeding their animals in a round barn. And round barns stood a better chance against strong winds.

Some round barns are not truly circular⁴. They just look that way but really are many flat sides put together.

Early versions⁵ were mainly designed with two levels. Cows were kept on the first level and the one above was used to store hay⁶ to feed them. Later designs brought a large area in the middle for the hay and places all around it for the cows.

By the nineteen thirties, however, fewer American farmers were building round barns. Some people said it took more time and skill. Others disagreed. In any case, it was not a good time to argue -- it was the Great Depression, and times were difficult.

Also, as electric power came to rural⁷ America, there was a school of thought that rectangular barns were easier to wire for electricity. Agricultural experts also reconsidered their ideas about a round barn saving⁸ time in feeding animals.

Kathy and Bob Frydenlund can tell you all about round barns. The Frydenlunds have a library of architectural plans and drawings and have published books on the subject. Their most recent is called "How to Build and Love Your Round Barn."

Money from their book sales helps them take care of their own barn -- a big, ninety-year-old structure made of concrete and wood. The Frydenlunds own the Round Barn Llama Farm in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Bob Frydenlund says having a round barn means keeping alive part of the history of American farming.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Jerilyn Watson.

 

1 barn   

n.谷仓，饲料仓，牲口棚

参考例句：

• That big building is a barn for keeping the grain.那幢大房子是存放粮食的谷仓。
• The cows were driven into the barn.牛被赶进了牲口棚。

2 barns   

n.牲口棚( barn的名词复数 )；（公共汽车、卡车等的）车库；仓房；简陋的大建筑物

参考例句：

• Hurstwood breathed freely when he saw the barns. 当赫斯渥看见车场时，轻松地出了一口气。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Groups of ham actors took the barns by storm like soldiers. 一伙伙的蹩脚演员就象士兵攻占堡垒一样大闹各仓。 来自辞典例句

3 rectangular   

adj.矩形的，成直角的

参考例句：

• He put a rectangular box on the table.他把一个长方形的箱子放在桌子上。
• The equations are written in rectangular coordinates.这些方程是在直角座标系中写出的。

4 circular   

adj.圆(形)的，环形的；循环的；n.传单，通报

参考例句：

• The bright boy altered it to a circular form.这个聪明的男孩把它改成了圆形。
• The lamp stands on a circular base.这盏台灯是装在圆形底座上的。

5 versions   

n.译本( version的名词复数 )；版本；（个人对事件的）描述；（原物的）变体

参考例句：

• There are two versions of the game, a long one and a short one. 这游戏有两个版本，一长一短。
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 hay   

n.(用作饲料或覆盖的)干草

参考例句：

• Cows feed on hay.奶牛以干草为生。
• They usually keep the hay in the barn.他们通常将干草存放在谷仓中。

7 rural   

adj.乡下的，田园的，乡村风味的

参考例句：

• He lived a rural life.他过着田园生活。
• We left the city for a rural home.我们离开城市，去农村安家。

8 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。