VOA慢速英语:Americans love Christmas trees

Americans love Christmas trees. The National Christmas Tree Association says more than 35 million of them were bought last year in the United States.
美国人喜欢圣诞树。国家圣诞树协会表示，去年在美国卖出超过3500万棵圣诞树。

In large American cities, many people buy trees that have already been cut. But many people drive to a tree farm and cut them own tree. Some buy one from a catalogue or online, the tree is then delivered to their home.
在美国的大城市，许多人购买已经砍好的树，但有很多人开车到林场自己去砍。还有些人通过商品目录或上网买一棵，然后快递到家里。

The National Christmas Tree Association represents growers and sellers of most of the farm-grown Christmas trees in the United States. It estimated that 10.9 million artificial trees were sold in 2012, compared to 24.5 million natural trees.
美国圣诞树协会代表美国大多数林场种植圣诞树的种植者和销售商。据估计，2012年美国售出了1090万棵人造树，与之相比，售出的真树为2450万棵。

The group says the average cost of a natural tree was $40, and about $70 for an artificial one.
该协会表示，真树的平均成本为40美元，而人造树则为70美元。

Most Christmas trees are now grown on farms. The trees take six to ten years to grow. In some states, fewer than half of the planted trees survived the weather conditions to become Christmas trees.
大多数圣诞树种在林场，这些树木需要种植6到10年。在一些州，种下的树少于一半能够经受住气候考验成为圣诞树。

To make sure there is always a supply, farmers usually plant one to three new saplings for every tree they cut down.
为了确保圣诞树的供给，农民们通常每砍倒一棵树就种植一到三棵新的树苗。

The Christmas Tree Association says 40 percent of people who bought natural trees last year chose them at a farm and cut the tree themselves. The Association says real trees are better for the environment, that is because as Christmas trees grow, they collect carbon dioxide and other gases while supplying fresh oxygen. The trees also protect water supplies.
圣诞树协会称，去年40%购买真树的人到林场去挑树并亲自砍伐。该协会称，真树更有利于环境，这是因为在圣诞树的生长过程中，它们会吸收二氧化碳和其它气体同时提供新鲜氧气。这些树还能保障供水。

Christmas trees are grown on soil that does not support other crops. Some people throw away their natural tree when the holiday season ends. But many People recycle them. There are many ways to do this.
圣诞树种在不支持种植其它农作物的土壤中。有些人在假日结束后扔掉他们的真树，但很多人会回收利用这些树。有很多方法可以做到这一点。

Christmas trees can be cut up to be used as fertilizer. They can also be cut and used to provent the wearing down of soil. Christmas trees helped many communities near the ocean following tropical Storm Sandy on the eastern coast of the United States. They were placed near large hills of sand to prevent the sand from blowing away.
圣诞树可以切碎被用作肥料，还能被切割后用于防止土壤消蚀。圣诞树帮助美国东海岸邻近大海的很多社区防范热带风暴桑迪。他们被放置在靠近沙滩的大山上，以防止沙子被吹走。

Artificial trees which come mostly from China can be reused for years. Families use them for an average of six to nine years before throwing them away. These trees can remain in a landfill for hundreds of years.
人造树主要来自中国，可以重复使用多年。各个家庭在扔掉它们之前平均使用6到9年。这些人造树放在垃圾填埋场还能存在数百年。