VOA慢速英语2009年-Agriculture Report - Understanding Farm An

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Today we harvest some words. We are going to explain some commonly used terms for plants and farm animals. If you miss any, or if you want to test yourself, you can find a transcript¹ and MP3 of our program at voaspecialenglish.com. So here we go.

Some plants are annuals. Annuals live only one year or one growing season -- unlike perennials². Perennials last for more than two years. This term is used especially for plants like herbs that produce new growth year after year from the same root structure.

People eat herbs, and so do cattle. Among cattle, a bull is a male cow that has not been castrated. A male is called a steer³ if it had its reproductive organs removed as a calf⁴. A calf is a young cow. A young female cow, especially one that has not yet had a calf, is called a heifer: H-E-I-F-E-R.

Cows are like all mammals: they produce milk for their young. This is called lactating. Cows lactate for up to ten months. A dry cow is a cow that is not producing milk.

Milk may be homogenized. Homogenization is a process that reduces the size of the fat particles and mixes the fat all through the milk. Otherwise, the fat will collect at the top, which is how some people like it.

Some people like products made from sheep's milk. The milk comes from a ewe -- spelled E-W-E. A ewe is a female sheep of any age. Ewes produce lambs. A lamb is a sheep under a year old. Male sheep of any age are called rams⁵.

Sheep are known for their thick coat of fleece. That is, unless they have been sheared⁶. Shearing⁷ is when a sheep gets a haircut so the fleece can be made into wool.

Sheep are also valued for their meat. Meat from a sheep that is more than a year old is called mutton.

Mutton was a traditional favorite of the British. Now speaking of the British, they call a castrated male pig a hog⁸. But hog is a term commonly used for any swine, especially a domesticated⁹ adult pig. A sexually mature male is called a boar. And an adult female is a sow. She gives birth to litters of piglets.

A male horse is a gelding if it was castrated and a stallion if it was not. A young horse is a foal. Foals are born to a mare¹⁰, a sexually mature female. A mare is generally defined as three years or older. A female horse under three is a filly. And a male under four is a colt.

So that is our lesson. And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Steve Ember.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 perennials   

n.多年生植物( perennial的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Name six perennials and six annuals suitable for indoor flower arrangement. 列出多年生及一年生花朵各六种，它们必须是适合插花的。 来自互联网
• Herbage can be divided into three categories: annuals, biennials, and perennials. 草本植物可分成一年生、二年生和多年生。 来自互联网

3 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

4 calf   

n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮

参考例句：

• The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
• The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。

5 rams   

n.公羊( ram的名词复数 )；(R-)白羊（星）座；夯；攻城槌v.夯实（土等）( ram的第三人称单数 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• A couple of rams are butting at each other. 两只羊正在用角互相抵触。 来自辞典例句
• More than anything the rams helped to break what should have been on interminable marriage. 那些牡羊比任何东西都更严重地加速了他们那本该天长地久的婚姻的破裂。 来自辞典例句

6 sheared   

v.剪羊毛( shear的过去式和过去分词 )；切断；剪切

参考例句：

• A jet plane sheared the blue sky. 一架喷气式飞机划破蓝空。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The pedal had sheared off at the pivot. 踏板在枢轴处断裂了。 来自辞典例句

7 shearing   

n.剪羊毛，剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 )；切断；剪切

参考例句：

• The farmer is shearing his sheep. 那农夫正在给他的羊剪毛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The result of this shearing force is to push the endoplasm forward. 这种剪切力作用的结果是推动内质向前。 来自辞典例句

8 hog   

n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占

参考例句：

• He is greedy like a hog.他像猪一样贪婪。
• Drivers who hog the road leave no room for other cars.那些占着路面的驾驶员一点余地都不留给其他车辆。

9 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 mare   

n.母马，母驴

参考例句：

• The mare has just thrown a foal in the stable.那匹母马刚刚在马厩里产下了一只小马驹。
• The mare foundered under the heavy load and collapsed in the road.那母马因负载过重而倒在路上。