Dairy Goat Production

By Gary Garriott
Broadcast: September 2, 2003
This is Faith Lapidus with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
Goats have provided¹ meat and milk for people longer than sheep or cows. More people use milk products from goats than from cows. There are several hundred million goats in the world. They produce more than four-million tons of milk and more than one-million tons of meat every year.
Goat milk improves the diet of many families around the world. In addition, goats are friendly animals. They can be cared for by children.
There are several ways to help goats produce more and better milk. One way is to give goats high-protein plants like 1)alfalfa, 2)groundnut grasses, and vegetable leaves to eat. The covering of rice is also high in 3)protein. Providing a special diet for goats is better than letting the animals find their own food all the time.
Goats with 4)horns³ seem to survive better in the heat than goats without horns. But all goats should have covered shelters⁵ where they can escape the rain and extremely⁶ hot or cold weather. If a goat shelter⁴ has a metal roof, it should be painted white to reflect heat from the sun. There should be plenty of fresh air inside the shelter.
Goats enjoy exercise and need to move around. When goats are inside a shelter, each adult animal should have at least two-and-a-half square meters of space. When they are outside, a fenced-off area should allow about forty square meters for each animal.
Fences⁸ should be about one-and-a-half meters to two meters high. Some wire fences can be dangerous for young goats. Their horns can become trapped⁹. So make sure the wire fence⁷ is the right height for young goats.
Many of the same methods used to keep cows healthy can also be used with goats. In fact, sometimes young cows cannot drink a lot of their mother's milk because they get sick. Instead, they are given goat's milk to drink.
You can get more information about raising milk-producing goats from Volunteers in Technical Assistance¹⁰. VITA is an organization based in the United¹¹ States. It helps people around the world use science and technology to solve problems. VITA is on the Internet at www.vita.org.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Gary Garriott. This is Faith Lapidus.
注释:
1) alfalfa [Al5fAlfE] n.（植）紫花苜蓿
2) groundnut [5^raundnQt] n.（植）落花生
3) protein [5prEuti:n] n.（生化）蛋白质
4) horn² [hC:n] n.（牛、羊等的）角

1 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

2 horn   

n.号角；警报器；角

参考例句：

• This horn is out of tune.这小号音调不正。
• He played the tune on the horn.他用号吹奏了这首曲子。

3 horns   

n.角( horn的名词复数 )；号；角质；（蜗牛等的）触角

参考例句：

• The young goat was just beginning to grow horns. 这只小山羊刚开始长角。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The blare of horns could be heard in the distance. 可以听到远处传来的号角声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 shelter   

n.掩蔽，掩蔽处，避身处；庇护所，避难所，庇护；vt.庇护，保护，隐匿；vi.躲避

参考例句：

• We took shelter from the rain in a cave.我们在一个山洞里避雨。
• Trees are a shelter from the sun.树木可以遮挡阳光。

5 shelters   

n.居所( shelter的名词复数 )；避难所；（无家可归者或受虐待者的）收容所；遮蔽

参考例句：

• During the blitz we spent the night in underground shelters. 空袭期间，我们在防空洞过夜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wall shelters the garden from the north wind. 围墙给园子挡住了北风。 来自辞典例句

6 extremely   

adv.极其，非常，极度

参考例句：

• The film is extremely good,I just cannot miss it.这部电影太精彩了，我非看不可。
• The old man was extremely difficult to get along with.这个老人极难相与。

7 fence   

n.围墙，剑术；v.用篱笆围住，练习剑术，防护；[计算机]栅栏

参考例句：

• They put a fence around the garden.他们在园子的周围建起了篱笆。
• The thief jumped himself over a fence and escaped.贼纵身跃过篱笆逃走了。

8 fences   

n.栅栏( fence的名词复数 )；（障碍赛马中的）障碍物；买卖赃物者；击剑（术）v.围以栅栏( fence的第三人称单数 )；搪塞；支吾；回避

参考例句：

• It's a pity we didn't mend our fences with the colonel. 可惜我们还没有和上校先生调整好关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He fences well, as she had noticed before. 正如她以前观察到的一样，他善于周旋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 trapped   

adj. 捕获的，被困的，截留的 动词trap的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• Two passengers are still trapped in the wreck. 有两名乘客仍被困在失事的车辆里。
• The thief was trapped by the police in an old house. 小偷被警察困在一所旧房子里。

10 assistance   

n.援助，帮助

参考例句：

• She called and called but no one came to her assistance.她叫了又叫，但没有人来帮。
• He will get the great possible assistance.他将获得尽可能大的帮助。

11 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。