VOA慢速英语--如何控制花园里的杂草

Weeds, the fast-growing plants that cannot be eaten and do not bring flowers, are a common problem for gardeners. Some use chemicals to kill weeds. Others pull them up by hand or with heavy machinery¹. Luckily, there are other ways to limit their growth.

Mulches

For starters, there are mulches which can bury weeds. Mulches are made from organic² material, such as leaves, grass cuttings, and small pieces of wood, or inorganic³ material like plastic. They are spread over the ground in a garden to control weeds.

Organic mulches break down over time so you must add more to your garden often. That is not a bad thing, because their decomposition⁴ creates nutrients⁵ for plants and humus to keep soils wet and full of fresh air.

Plastic mulch is another way to stop weeds. Common black plastic is easy to lay down. It also effectively blocks weeds and helps soil warm faster in the spring. Recent experiments with other colored plastic have shown effects on both bugs⁶ and plant growth. A reflective plastic mulch, for example, keeps some plant-eating insects away.

A major problem with plastic is that it breaks apart over time, so eventually it needs to be thrown away. It also adds nothing to the soil as far as nutrients or humus. And plastic also can block air from reaching the soil.

One kind of mulch that combines some of the qualities of both plastic and organic material is paper. Paper mulch is easy to lay down and eventually decomposes⁷. However, paper adds little to the soil in terms of humus or nutrients.

Birds

For larger gardens where the weeds are mainly grasses, a somewhat⁸ unusual way to control them is using the birds known as geese.

Young geese will eat their weight in weeds every day. A small group of geese can clear weeds in half a hectare of land and keep each other company. All you need to provide is water, protection from the sun, and some additional⁹ feed. You also need barriers to keep the geese in and other animals out. One warning, though, do not plant corn or they will eat that, too.

Other ways to control weeds

Finally, in addition to direct attacks on weeds, how you plant your garden can indirectly¹⁰ influence weed growth.

For example, close spacing of plants in the garden blocks sunlight from reaching the ground and can limit weed growth. And using a watering method known as drip¹¹ irrigation will direct small amounts of water to the roots of your plants instead of the weeds.

Whether or not you dig up your soil also influences weed growth. Lying in soil are millions of weed seeds just waiting to be awakened¹² by light and air.

Using any or all of the methods will not permanently¹³ stop weed growth. Instead, your goal is simply to limit their growth in the garden.

I'm Pete Musto.

Words in This Story

gardener(s) – n. someone who grows and takes care of the plants in a given area of ground

organic – adj. of, relating to, or obtained from living things

decomposition – n. the act of something such as dead plants and the bodies of dead animals slowly being destroyed and broken down by natural processes and chemicals

reflective – adj. causing light, sound, or heat to move away

drip – v. to let small amounts of a liquid fall

irrigation – n. the act of supplying something, such as land, with water by using artificial means, such as pipes

1 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

2 organic   

adj.有机的，有机物的；有组织的

参考例句：

• Organic farming is expanding everywhere.有机农业正在各地迅速发展起来。
• The organic fertilizer shall keep the soil in good heart.这有机肥一定会使土壤保持肥沃。

3 inorganic   

adj.无生物的；无机的

参考例句：

• The fundamentals of inorganic chemistry are very important.无机化学的基础很重要。
• This chemical plant recently bought a large quantity of inorganic salt.这家化工厂又买进了大量的无机盐。

4 decomposition   

n. 分解, 腐烂, 崩溃

参考例句：

• It is said that the magnetite was formed by a chemical process called thermal decomposition. 据说这枚陨星是在热分解的化学过程中形成的。
• The dehydration process leads to fairly extensive decomposition of the product. 脱水过程会导致产物相当程度的分解。

5 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 decomposes   

腐烂( decompose的第三人称单数 )； （使）分解； 分解（某物质、光线等）

参考例句：

• The debris slowly decomposes into compost. 这些垃圾慢慢地分解成了堆肥。
• Plastic is a substance that hardly decomposes in the nature. 塑料是一种在自然中极难降解的物质。

8 somewhat   

pron.一些，某物；adv.多少，几分

参考例句：

• The cake we made was somewhat of a failure.我们做的蛋糕不大成功。
• The two office buildings are somewhat alike in appearance.这两座办公楼在外形上有点相似。

9 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

10 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

11 drip   

n.滴，点滴；水滴；乏味的人；v.滴下，漏水

参考例句：

• I hate this sort of drip.我讨厌这种无聊的闲话。
• A drip of water fell from the tap.从龙头滴下一滴水。

12 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。