(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Across the United States, people looking to buy real Christmas trees are either finding reduced choices, higher prices, or both.
在美国各地，想买真正的圣诞树的人要么发现选择减少，要么发现价格更高，或者两者兼有。
The worldwide supply problem has also affected the number of artificial trees, like those made from plastic.
全球供应问题也影响了人造树的数量，比如塑料制成的树。
A combination of severe weather and difficulties getting trees from factories overseas caused what one industry expert called "a double whammy."
恶劣的天气加上从海外工厂获取树的困难造成了一位行业专家所说的“双重打击”。
This means that the situation is bad in two different ways.
这意味着形势在两个不同的方面都很糟糕。
Jami Warner is executive director of the American Christmas Tree Association.
杰米·华纳是美国圣诞树协会的执行董事。
She said, "Growers have been hard hit by floods, fires, smoke, drought, extreme weather conditions."
她说：“种植者遭受了洪水、火灾、烟雾、干旱和极端天气的严重打击。”
Heat and fires in the northwest U.S. in June hurt Christmas tree farms in Oregon and Washington.
6月，美国西北部的高温和火灾损害了俄勒冈州和华盛顿州的圣诞树农场。
Those are the states where most of the trees come from.
这些州是大多数圣诞树的产地。
It takes 10 years for most trees to grow.
大多数树木生长需要10年时间。
So, losing trees to fires and bad weather creates problems that may last for many years.
因此，由于火灾和恶劣天气失去树木会产生可能持续多年的问题。
Even for the trees that do get cut down for sale, there are not enough truck drivers to bring them into city markets.
即使是那些已被砍伐出售的树木，也没有足够的卡车司机把它们运到城市市场。
Dale Pine and Stacy Valenzuela run Crystal River Christmas Trees near Oakland, California.
戴尔·派恩和斯泰西·瓦伦苏埃拉在加利福尼亚州奥克兰附近经营“水晶河圣诞树”。
They normally get trees from Oregon, but a stretch of extremely hot temperatures damaged the crop.
他们通常从俄勒冈州获取树木，但一段时间的极端高温破坏了作物。
Valenzuela called the situation "grim."
瓦伦苏埃拉称形势“严峻”。
She said she talked to suppliers every day to ask for trees.
她说，她每天都与供应商交谈，要收购树木。
She said it has been "a lot of work to get these trees on the ground this year."
她说，“今年要让这些树落地需要做大量的工作。”
A Christmas tree market in Washington, D.C. brought out many customers who live in the area called Capitol Hill.
华盛顿的一个圣诞树市场吸引了许多住在国会山地区的顾客。
The market, held in early December, was two streets away from the U.S. Capitol building.
这个市场于12月初开市，距离美国国会大厦两条街远。
Del Voss organized the sale as a way to raise money for a local community group.
德尔沃斯组织了这次拍卖，目的是为当地社区组织筹集资金。
He charged about $75 for trees that were one meter tall.
他对一米高的树要价约75美元。
Most trees cost over $100.
大多数树木的价格都在100美元以上。
He said he bought the trees at an auction in Pennsylvania about 10 days earlier.
他说，大约10天前，他在宾夕法尼亚州的一次拍卖会上买到了这些树。
In the past, the group purchased trees from a small business that gets trees for community organizations to sell.
过去，该组织从一家小企业购买树木，该企业为社区组织供给树木进行出售。
But this year, that business had no trees available.
但今年，这家企业没有树。
"He was unable to get his trees because of the shortage," Voss said.
沃斯说：“由于树木短缺，他无法得到树木”。
Voss called the auction process where about 40,000 trees were for sale "chaotic."
沃斯称大约4万棵树的拍卖过程是“混乱的”。
He said he paid about $15,000 for 200 trees.
他说，他花了大约1.5万美元买了200棵树。
That is two times more than what he usually pays.
这比他通常付的价钱高出两倍。
Other places in the area have less costly trees, he said, but the ones he sells provide money for the organization.
他说，该地区其他地方的树木价格较低，但他出售的树木为该组织提供资金。
Most people, he said, were happy to pay a little more because the money went to a good cause.
他说，大多数人都愿意多付一点钱，因为这笔钱用在了慈善事业上。
If they thought the price was too high, he told them where they could go to pay less.
如果他们认为价格太高，他会告诉他们在哪里可以花更少的钱买到树。
"We don't want people to have bad feelings about buying a Christmas tree."
“我们不希望人们对买圣诞树有不好的感觉。”
Voss said there are not as many trees this year because of the country's poor economic situation 12 years ago.
沃斯说，由于12年前美国经济状况不佳，所以今年没有那么多树木。
When farmers took out loans to buy and plant young trees, banks did not offer them as much money.
当农民贷款购买和种植幼树时，银行没有给他们提供那么多钱。
In turn, the farmers could not plant as many trees.
反过来，农民种植的树木也就没有那么多。
There was also disease and bad weather that killed the young trees.
还有导致幼树死亡的疾病和恶劣的天气。
Voss said the supply is lower than normal this year--but demand is higher.
沃斯说，今年的供应低于正常水平，但需求高于正常水平。
Many people are choosing to stay home for Christmas because of ongoing concerns about traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
由于对新冠疫情期间出行的持续担忧，许多人选择待在家里过圣诞节。
And they want their own tree to celebrate the holiday.
他们想要自己的树来庆祝圣诞节。
Caroline Tuan works for Balsam Hill, a company that makes artificial trees.
卡罗琳·段在Balsam Hill工作，这是一家制造人造树的公司。
She said her company's trees are made in China.
她说，她公司的树是中国制造的。
She explained that slowdowns at the ports and a lack of truck drivers have made artificial trees 20 percent more expensive this year.
她解释说，港口运输减速和卡车司机的缺乏使得今年人造树的价格上涨了20%。
In addition, there are not as many choices.
此外，选择也没有那么多。
David Cruise went to the Balsam Hill store to buy an artificial tree this year.
今年，大卫·克鲁斯去Balsam Hill商店买了一棵人造树。
He decided it would be better for the environment to buy a tree that would last for a long time.
他认为买一棵能长时间使用的树对环境更好。
"This is really the way to go," he said.
他说：“这确实是一条可行之路”。
Dan McPheeters lives in Washington, D.C.
丹·麦克菲特斯住在华盛顿。
He came to the sale near the U.S. Capitol because places where he bought trees in the past were sold out.
他之所以来到美国国会大厦附近的拍卖会，是因为他过去购买树木的地方已经售罄。
"I grew up with an artificial tree.
“我伴随着人造树一起成长。
I think it makes all the sense in the world.
我认为这在世界上是合情合理的。
But the kids seem to enjoy picking out a tree, and my wife really enjoys it.
但是孩子们似乎很喜欢挑树，我妻子也很喜欢。
So, it's a nice family activity."
所以，这是一项很棒的家庭活动。”
I'm Dan Friedell.
丹·弗里德尔为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
