Tuesday, November 11, 2014.doc

Tuesday, November 11, 2014 Purple tea was developed at the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya, Oct. 28, 2014. (Hilary Heuler / VOA) Battered by Low Prices, Kenyan Farmers Turn to Purple Tea 受价格低因素的影响，肯尼亚农民转向种植紫茶 From VOA Learning English, this is the AGRICULTURE REPORT. 这里是美国之音慢速英语的农业报道。 Tea farmers in Kenya are suffering because of low prices for their crop this year. So they have exchanged their tea bushes for a healthy new purple tea that they hope will sell for a higher price. But there may not be a demand for the new kind of tea. 肯尼亚的种茶农户因为作物价格低而遭受损失，因此，他们改变了茶树丛，种植一种更健康的紫茶，他们希望能够卖个更高的价钱。但是对于这种新品种的茶，也许并没有需求市场。 Agricultural workers in green tea fields near Mt. Kenya are gathering the tea leaves. It is beautiful to see. The rows of tea bushes are straight. All appears to be well. But the farmers who planted the bushes are worried. Nelson Kibara is one of them. He has been growing tea in the Kerugoya area for forty years. 肯尼亚山脉附近的绿茶田里，农业劳动者正在采摘茶叶，远看去很漂亮。茶树丛列很笔直，所有这一切看上去都还不错，但是种植茶树丛的农民却在担心。尼尔森·基巴拉就是其中一个，他已经在肯哥亚（Kerugoya）地区种植了40年的茶。 He says the prices this year have been so low that he has made almost no profit. He says he must grow different kinds of tea if he is to survive. 他说今年的茶叶价钱太低了，几乎没有什么利润。要想存活下去，他必须种植一些别的茶。 Mr. Kibara and hundreds of other farmers have been removing some of their tea bushes and planting a new kind of tea developed by the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya. Its leaves are purple and brown. When the tea is boiled the drink has a purple color. 基巴拉和其他数百名农户正在移除他们的茶树丛，种植一种肯尼亚茶研究基地研发的新品种。茶叶是紫色和棕色的。茶煮沸后，呈现紫色。 Medical researchers have studied the health benefits of the new tea. They say it is healthier than black tea and could be sold for a price that is three to four times higher than the price of black tea. But Mr. Kibara says he has not received a higher price for his purple tea crop. 医学研究员已经研究这种新茶的健康益处，他们说这种紫茶比红茶更健康，价格是红茶的三到四倍。但是基比亚说他种植的紫茶还没有较高的收益呢。 He says the market for the tea is unstable. And he is often forced to sell his purple tea f