(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report.
The northern part of the East African nation of Kenya is hot and gets little rain. The area has been suffering from periods of small amount of rainfalls and droughts, when almost no rain falls. This has been going on for many years. People who live there say the droughts are becoming more severe.
Herders are among those suffering the most. They are people who move with their animals from place to place. But over the past few years, many of the animals have died. The lack of rain has stopped the growth of grasses and other foods the animals eat.
Many of the herders have no animals left, so they are forced to become farmers. In their culture, being a herder brings them power and respect. Farmers are not as respected as herders.
Ali Abdi was a herder. His family was considered wealthy. He had respect from people in his home district of Garissa, in northern Kenya. Mr. Abdi had about 100 goats. He moved when the seasons changed, searching for new places for the goats to eat. But in 2012 and 2013, little rain fell, and Mr. Abdi's world changed.
As the pastures dried up, he says, his animals lost weight, then started to die. By the end of the drought, more than two-thirds of his goats were gone. They were the only way he could feed his family.
Ahmed Sheikh works at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization. He says Mr. Abdi was not the only herder who suffered.
"Most people actually went into destitution. People who had 100 heads of cattle remained with 10, goats the same. The herd size is what makes pastoralism a bit economical, but once the herd size shrinks it becomes really uneconomical."
This year drought has again hit Garissa, so Mr. Abdi made a difficult decision.
Mr. Abdi and about twelve other men and women are trying to grow crops. The group prepared about three hectares of land using long knives.
It was so difficult that some of them thought it would be impossible. But now they are growing fruits and vegetables, including bananas, tomatoes, chilies and lemons.
Some local people criticized Mr. Abdi for choosing to become a farmer.
Mr. Abdi says his wife was unhappy, because in their society a man who farms is considered lowly and poor. This is still true, he says, even though he now makes more money from his farm than he did with his goats.
And that's the VOA Learning English Agriculture Report. I'm Marsha James.
词汇解释
1.herder n. 牧人；（美俚）监狱看守
Coffee was first discovered by a goat herder.
咖啡最先由一位牧羊人发现。
2.pasture n. 草地；牧场；牧草 vt. 放牧；吃草
The farmer laid the big field up for pasture.
农场主把这块大田留作牧场。
3.destitution n. 穷困；缺乏
The people lived in destitution.
民生凋敝。
4.pastoralism n. 牧歌体；田园主义；畜牧；畜牧主义
Pastoralism remains a way of life in East Africa.
畜牧生活仍是东非的一种生活方式。
内容解析
1.The area has been suffering from periods of small amount of rainfalls and droughts, when almost no rain falls.
suffer from 忍受，遭受；患…病；受…之苦
How long have you been suffering from a headache?
你头痛有多久了?
Your son suffers from your excessive shielding.
你的过分袒护，反而害了你的儿子。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
东非国家肯尼亚的北部地区现在炎热少雨，该地区长期以来遭受少雨干旱之苦，几乎没有降雨，这一情况已经持续多年，当地人称干旱正变得越发严重。
牧民们的损失最大，这些人带着牲畜到处流动。但在过去几年，很多牲畜都死了，干旱使得喂养牲畜的野草等食物都停止了生长。
很多牧民们已经没有牲畜了，所以被迫成为农民。在他们的文化中，做牧民能带来权力和尊敬，而农民得不到牧民那样的尊敬。
阿里·阿布迪是位牧民，他家被视为富有者，他在家乡肯尼亚北部加里萨地区很受尊敬。阿里曾有100只山羊，当季节变换时他就迁徙，为山羊寻找食物。但在2012年和2013年，几乎没有降雨，阿里的世界改变了。
他说，由于牧场变干，他的牲畜都瘦了，然后开始死掉。到了干旱结束时，他三分之二的山羊都死了，它们是他唯一能养活家人的东西。
艾哈迈德·谢赫就职于肯尼亚农业与牲畜研究组织，他说遭受损失的牧民不止阿里一家。
“事实上大多数人家都陷入赤贫，以前有100头牛的人家现在只有10头，山羊也是一样。牧群规模能使畜牧业变得经济，但一旦牧群规模缩小，就变得不那么经济了。”
今年加里萨地区又遭遇干旱，所以阿里只得做出艰难的选择。
阿里和其他12名男女开始种植作物，他们用长刀清理出大约3公顷的土地。
这样很不容易，有的人认为这是不可能的，但现在他们开始种植水果和蔬菜，包括香蕉、西红柿、辣椒和柠檬。
一些当地人批评阿里选择成为农民。
阿里说他的妻子不开心，因为在他们的社会中，从事农业者被视为低贱和贫穷，他说现在还是如此，即使他现在从农场挣的钱比养山羊挣得多。
这就是美国之音慢速英语农业报道，我是玛莎·詹姆斯。
