(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report in Special English.
Poinsettias are the best-selling potted flowering plant in the United States. Red poinsettias are a traditional part of Christmas celebrations, which is why almost all of them are sold at wintertime. The Department of Agriculture estimates that Americans bought $250 million worth of poinsettias last year.
The poinsettia is native to Central America and needs warmth to grow. Bright red poinsettias are the best known. But there are about one hundred different kinds, in colors including white, pink, yellow and purple.
The flowers of the poinsettia are very small. Around the flowers are colorful leaves called bracts. These bracts are what give the plants their beauty.
The poinsettia is named for Joel Roberts Poinsett from South Carolina. In 1825 President John Quincy Adams appointed him as the United States' first minister to Mexico. Poinsett had an interest in plants. He saw the colorful plants growing in the wild. Wild poinsettias can grow up to four meters tall. He liked them so much that he sent some cuttings back to the United States.
The botanical name for the plant is Euphorbia pulcherrima. In Latin, that means "most beautiful euphorbia." There are hundreds of related plants, including rubber trees, trees that produce castor and tung oil, and the cassava, a root crop.
People who are allergic to the latex produced by rubber trees can develop a mild skin rash from poinsettia plants. Babies and pets that chew on poinsettias can get sick. But experts say the plant is not as poisonous as some people think.
In the 1920s, Albert Ecke and his son Paul became interested in the poinsettia's ability to flower in winter. Paul Ecke thought it would be a good plant to display at Christmastime.
They started a farm near Encinitas, California. At first, Paul Ecke, and later his son, grew large plants in fields. Then they sent them to growers by train. Growers would divide the large plants into cuttings, to raise smaller ones in greenhouses until the holidays.
In the 1960s came poinsettias that grew best in containers. The Eckes started to sell cuttings from these new plants. Today Ecke Ranch remains a major supplier in the United States and around the world. In August, Paul Ecke's grandson announced that the company was joining the Dutch-based Agribio Group.
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词汇解释
1.poinsettia n. 一品红；猩猩木；圣诞红
Do you think we should get couple poinsettia for Christmas?
你觉得我们该不该买几盆圣诞红做耶诞节的装饰？
2.euphorbia n. 大戟属植物；大戟色素体
3.cutting n.插枝
Take cuttings from it in July or August.
在7月或8月从它上面剪下插枝。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
一品红是美国最畅销的盆栽花，红色一品红是圣诞节庆祝活动的一部分，因此几乎所有这些花都在冬天出售。农业部估计，美国人去年购买了2.5亿美元的一品红。
一品红产地是中美洲，需要温暖的生长环境，最著名的是亮红色一品红。但一品红大约有100个品种，包括白色、粉色、黄色和紫色。
一品红的花很小，围绕在花周围的是被称为苞片的彩色叶子，这些苞片使得这种花很美。
一品红因南卡罗来纳州的乔尔·罗伯茨·波因塞特而著名，1825年，总统约翰·昆西·亚当斯任命他为美国首位驻墨西哥大使，波因塞特非常喜爱植物，他看到这种色彩鲜艳的花生长在野外，野生的一品红能生长到4米高，他很喜欢就剪了些枝条送回美国。
这种植物的学名为Euphorbia pulcherrima，在拉丁语中的意思是“最美丽的大戟属植物。”大戟属植物有数百种，包括橡胶树、产出麻油和桐油的树，以及木薯这种块根作物。
对橡胶树树胶过敏的人会因为一品红患上轻度皮疹，婴儿和宠物吃了一品红会生病，但专家称这种植物并非像人们想的那样有毒。
20世纪20年代，阿尔伯特·艾克和儿子保罗开始对一品红冬季开花的能力感兴趣，保罗·艾克认为这种植物可以用作圣诞装饰。
他们在加州恩西尼塔斯开了一家农场，最初，保罗·艾克和儿子相继在田里种植这种大型植物。然后用火车运给种植者，种植者将一品红剪成枝条，然后在暖房里培育，直到假日来临。
20世纪60年代一品红在容器里已长了很好了，艾克开始出售这种新植物的枝条。如今保罗·艾克仍是美国和世界各地重要的一品红供应商，8月份，保罗·艾克的孙子宣称该公司将并入荷兰Agribio集团。
