VOA慢速英语2010年-Agriculture Report - Winter Gives a Ha

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Official snowfall records for Washington date back to eighteen eighty-four. By early February, this winter had already broken them with one hundred forty-two centimeters of snow measured.

But the recent storms that buried the city broke more than seasonal¹ records. Heavy snow and high winds damaged some of Washington's famous cherry trees.

Cherry trees in Washington that were damaged by recent storms

In the spring, crowds expect a beautiful show as the trees blossom² along the edge of the Tidal Basin next to the Jefferson Memorial.

Workers have been busy picking up broken branches, some as thick as fifteen centimeters. A few trees have lost their canopies³.

Peak blooming, when the trees are in full flower, may be delayed a little. But the National Park Service says people can expect the usual show of pink and white flowers. This year's National Cherry Blossom Festival is set for March twenty-seventh through April fourth.

Twelve kinds of cherry trees grow around the Tidal Basin. The first trees were a gift from Japan in nineteen twelve. The Japanese later sent two more gifts of cherry trees.

Cherry trees are valued for their flowers but also for their wood and their fruit. The United States and Turkey are leading producers of cherries, though not all cherry trees produce fruit.

The two major kinds of cherries are sweet and sour. Sour cherries, sometimes called tart⁴ cherries, are used in foods and drinks.

The state of Michigan is the nation's top producer of sour cherries. Washington -- not the city, but the state in the Pacific Northwest -- is the top producer of sweet cherries.

Now speaking of Washington and cherry trees, maybe you have heard the story about America's first president. As a boy George Washington supposedly told his father: "I cannot tell a lie. I chopped⁵ down the cherry tree."

Is the story true? "Probably not," says the Web site for his home at Mount⁶ Vernon, Virginia.

Monday was George Washington's birthday. But not much is known about his childhood. So it seems that a biography⁷ written shortly after his death included several invented stories about his early life. These were meant to show where he got his heroic⁸ qualities. Children then learned⁹ the story of the cherry tree in a school book, and it became rooted in popular history.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. Transcripts¹⁰, MP3s and captioned¹¹ videos of our reports can be found at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also practice your English by posting comments. I'm Mario Ritter.

 

1 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。

2 blossom   

n.花，开花；vi.开花，发展

参考例句：

• The blossom on the trees looks lovely in springtime.春天树上的花很漂亮。
• Let a hundred flowers blossom,let a hundred schools of thought contend.百花齐放，百家争鸣。

3 canopies   

（宝座或床等上面的）华盖( canopy的名词复数 )； （飞行器上的）座舱罩； 任何悬于上空的覆盖物； 森林中天棚似的树荫

参考例句：

• Golf carts with bright canvas canopies wandered the raingreen fairways. 一场雨后显得愈加葱绿的高尔夫球场草地上，散放着一些带有色彩缤纷的帆布华盖的高尔夫小车。
• Rock permitted seven canopies, cornices floors, decorative glass, Ambilight, momentum magnificent, magnificent. 七檐佛殿背倚山岩，楼层飞檐翘角，殿顶琉璃装饰，流光溢彩，气势恢宏，蔚为壮观。

4 tart   

adj.酸的；尖酸的，刻薄的；n.果馅饼；淫妇

参考例句：

• She was learning how to make a fruit tart in class.她正在课上学习如何制作水果馅饼。
• She replied in her usual tart and offhand way.她开口回答了，用她平常那种尖酸刻薄的声调随口说道。

5 chopped   

[医]剁碎的

参考例句：

• He chopped some wood for the fire. 他劈了些柴烧火。
• Finish by sprinkling some chopped almonds over the cake. 最后在蛋糕上撒些剁碎的杏仁。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

7 biography   

n.个人经历，传记

参考例句：

• He is now collecting material for a biography of Tao Yuanming.他正在为写陶渊明传记搜集材料。
• Boswell wrote a famous biography of Dr.White.鲍斯韦尔为怀特博士写过一本著名传记。

8 heroic   

adj.英雄的，英勇的，崇高的

参考例句：

• Many people have heard of the man's heroic deeds.许多人都已经听说了这个人的英雄事迹。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

9 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

10 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

11 captioned   

a.标题项下的； 标题所说的

参考例句：

• This paper reviews the production, development and nationalization of the captioned materials. 本文就铜系合金引线框架材料的生产、发展和国产化进程作一论述。
• Please advise other considerable hotels for this captioned group. 请推荐其它一些高级的旅馆给这一群打标语的人。