VOA慢速英語(yǔ):Christmas Trees Are Not the Only Hot Plants This Time of Year

By VOA

2010-12-20

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

An evergreen tree is a Christmas tradition in many American homes. The tree is unusually a pine or fir dressed with lights and other colorful decorations.

Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto  Poinsettias are named for the first American ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinset

Families might buy a cut tree or go to a tree farm and cut one down themselves. Some people bring a live tree in a pot into their home for the holidays and then put it back outdoors.

Some people rent a Christmas tree. Companies might bring the same live tree to the same family year after year. Or the tree might get planted in a park or someplace else where it could help the environment.

There are some trees that can be reused year after year because they are made of plastic or metal. Or, instead of a tree, some people have a small, sweet-smelling rosemary plant, cut to look like a little Christmas tree.

Another popular evergreen this time of year is the mistletoe plant. It has small white berries and leaves that feel like leather. The traditional Christmas mistletoe is native to Europe.

Ancient Druids believed mistletoe had magical powers. The plant can be found growing on apple trees, lindens, maples and poplars. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. It connects itself to a tree and steals nutrients and water.

Today mistletoe is best known as an excuse to steal a kiss at a Christmas party. Kissing is a tradition if two people stand under mistletoe hung in a doorway.

Another plant that many people connect with Christmas is the poinsettia. Poinsettias are native to Mexico. They can be white or pink, but most are bright red. They are named after the first American ambassador to Mexico. Joel Poinsett liked them enough to send some back to the United States.

Babies or pets that chew on poinsettias might get sick. But experts say the plant is not as poisonous as some people think.

Like millions of other houses, the home of America's first president is decorated for Christmas. George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate is in Virginia.

Visitors can hear stories about what Christmas was like at Mount Vernon in the eighteenth century. The museum where visitors begin their tour is decorated with Christmas trees.

Yet Mount Vernon would not have had Christmas trees during the late seventeen hundreds, when Washington led the country. They did not become popular in the United States until the eighteen hundreds.

Visitors learn that in Washington's time, there was greenery inside the mansion, but that was probably the extent of the decorations.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. I'm Bob Doughty.

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

這里是美國(guó)之音慢速英語(yǔ)農(nóng)業(yè)報(bào)道。

An evergreen tree is a Christmas tradition in many American homes. The tree is unusually a pine or fir dressed with lights and other colorful decorations.

一棵常青樹(shù)是許多美國(guó)家庭的圣誕傳統(tǒng)，通常是松樹(shù)或杉樹(shù)，用彩燈和其它各式飾品打扮裝飾。

Families might buy a cut tree or go to a tree farm and cut one down themselves. Some people bring a live tree in a pot into their home for the holidays and then put it back outdoors.

人們可以購(gòu)買(mǎi)一棵砍下來(lái)的樹(shù)，或自己去林場(chǎng)砍一棵。有些人會(huì)在圣誕期間在家里擺放一棵盆栽的活樹(shù)，圣誕過(guò)后再將其搬回戶(hù)外。

Some people rent a Christmas tree. Companies might bring the same live tree to the same family year after year. Or the tree might get planted in a park or someplace else where it could help the environment.

還有些人會(huì)去租一棵圣誕樹(shù)。圣誕樹(shù)租賃公司會(huì)每年給他們送去同一棵活樹(shù)。這種樹(shù)平時(shí)種在公園，或種在其他對(duì)環(huán)境有利的地方。

There are some trees that can be reused year after year because they are made of plastic or metal. Or, instead of a tree, some people have a small, sweet-smelling rosemary plant, cut to look like a little Christmas tree.

還有些樹(shù)是用塑料或金屬做成，可以年復(fù)一年的重復(fù)使用?；蛘?，有些人會(huì)用一棵小卻很香的迷迭香，剪成一顆小圣誕樹(shù)的形狀。

Another popular evergreen this time of year is the mistletoe plant. It has small white berries and leaves that feel like leather. The traditional Christmas mistletoe is native to Europe.

每年這個(gè)時(shí)候的另一種流行的常綠植物是槲寄生(mistletoe)植物。它有白色的小漿果和革質(zhì)的葉子。傳統(tǒng)圣誕槲寄生源自歐洲。

Ancient Druids believed mistletoe had magical powers. The plant can be found growing on apple trees, lindens, maples and poplars. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. It connects itself to a tree and steals nutrients and water.

古人德魯伊認(rèn)為槲寄生具有神奇魔力。蘋(píng)果樹(shù)、菩提樹(shù)、楓樹(shù)和楊樹(shù)上都能找到槲寄生植物。槲寄生是一種寄生植物，寄生在其他樹(shù)上并攝取其營(yíng)養(yǎng)和水分。

Today mistletoe is best known as an excuse to steal a kiss at a Christmas party. Kissing is a tradition if two people stand under mistletoe hung in a doorway.

今天，槲寄生更多因圣誕晚會(huì)上的接吻借口而知名。如果兩個(gè)人站在門(mén)口掛著的槲寄生下，這兩人接吻便是一項(xiàng)傳統(tǒng)。

Another plant that many people connect with Christmas is the poinsettia. Poinsettias are native to Mexico. They can be white or pink, but most are bright red. They are named after the first American ambassador to Mexico. Joel Poinsett liked them enough to send some back to the United States.

一說(shuō)到圣誕，人們就聯(lián)系起的另一種植物是圣誕紅(poinsettia，又名一品紅)。圣誕紅源于墨西哥，這種植物有白或粉 紅色，但大部分是鮮紅色。它得名于首位美國(guó)駐墨西哥大使喬爾·波因塞特(Joel Poinsett)。波因塞特特別喜歡這種植物將一些圣誕紅送回了美國(guó)。

Babies or pets that chew on poinsettias might get sick. But experts say the plant is not as poisonous as some people think.

嬰兒或?qū)櫸锍粤耸フQ紅后可能會(huì)生病。但專(zhuān)家們表示，這種植物并非人們想象的那么毒性大。

Like millions of other houses, the home of America's first president is decorated for Christmas. George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate is in Virginia.

像數(shù)百萬(wàn)其他房子一樣，美國(guó)首任總統(tǒng)(喬治·華盛頓)的故居也披上了圣誕盛裝。華盛頓故居弗農(nóng)山莊位于弗吉尼亞州。

Visitors can hear stories about what Christmas was like at Mount Vernon in the eighteenth century. The museum where visitors begin their tour is decorated with Christmas trees.

游客們可以聽(tīng)到18世紀(jì)弗農(nóng)山莊圣誕相關(guān)情形的故事。游客們從披著圣誕盛裝的故居開(kāi)始參觀(guān)。

Yet Mount Vernon would not have had Christmas trees during the late seventeen hundreds, when Washington led the country. They did not become popular in the United States until the eighteen hundreds.

然而弗農(nóng)山莊在18世紀(jì)晚期華盛頓領(lǐng)導(dǎo)美國(guó)時(shí)可能并沒(méi)有圣誕樹(shù)。直到19世紀(jì)圣誕樹(shù)才開(kāi)始在美國(guó)流行。

Visitors learn that in Washington's time, there was greenery inside the mansion, but that was probably the extent of the decorations.

參觀(guān)者了解到，在華盛頓時(shí)候，房子里會(huì)放上綠色植物，但這可能才是真正的裝飾程度。