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CHRISTMAS PLANTS

Voice of America

 
 

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

An evergreen tree is a Christmas tradition in many American homes. The tree is usually a pine or fir dressed with lights and other colorful decorations.
evergreen tree: árbol de hoja perenne; pine: pino; fir: abeto; dressed with: adornado con; colorful: coloridas;

Families might buy a cut tree or go to a tree farm and cut one down themselves. Some people bring a live tree in a pot into their home for the holidays and then put it back outdoors.
might buy: pueden comprar; tree farm: vivero forestal; put it back outdoors: regresarlo al exterior;

Some people rent a Christmas tree. Companies might bring the same live tree to the same family year after year. Or the tree might get planted in a park or someplace else where it could help the environment.
rent: alquilan; the same live tree: el mismo árbol vivo; year after year: año tras año; someplace else: en algún otro lugar; environment: entorno, medio ambiente;

There are some trees that can be reused year after year because they are made of plastic or metal. Or, instead of a tree, some people have a small, sweet-smelling rosemary plant, cut to look like a little Christmas tree.
be reused: ser reutilizados; instead of a tree: en lugar de un árbol; sweet-smelling rosemary plant: romero perfumado; cut to look like: podado imitando;

Another popular evergreen this time of year is the mistletoe plant. It has small berries and leaves that feel like leather. The traditional Christmas mistletoe is native to Europe.
mistletoe plant: planta de muérdago; berries: bayas, frutos; that feel like leather: que al tacto se asemejan al cuero; native to: originario de;

Ancient Druids believed mistletoe had magical powers. The plant can be found growing on apple trees, lindens, maples and poplars. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. It connects itself to a tree and steals nutrients and water.
druids: los druidas (clase social elevada en la sociedad celta); magical powers: poderes mágicos; growing on: creciendo sobre; apple trees: manzanos; lindens: tilos, tilas; maples: arces; poplars: álamos, chopos; parasitic: parásita; steals nutrients: absorbe (roba) los nutrientes;

Today mistletoe is best known as an excuse to steal a kiss at a Christmas party. Kissing is a tradition if two people stand under mistletoe hung in a doorway.
best known as: más famoso por ser; to steal a kiss: robarse un beso; stand under: se paran debajo de; hung in a doorway: colgados del dintel de una puerta;

Another plant that many people connect with Christmas is the poinsettia. Poinsettias are native to Mexico. They can be white or pink, but most are bright red. They are named after the first American ambassador to Mexico. Joel Poinsett liked them enough to send them back to the United States.
poinsettia: flor de Nochebuena (Mexico); estrella federal (Argentina); bright red: rojo brillante; ambassador to: embajador de; to send them back: para llevárselas;

Babies or pets that chew on poinsettias might get sick. But experts say the plant is not as poisonous as some people think.
that chew on: que mastican; might get sick: pueden sentirse descompuestos; as poisonous as: tan tóxica como;

Like millions of other houses, the home of America's first president is decorated for Christmas. George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate is in Virginia.

Visitors can hear stories about what Christmas was like at Mount Vernon in the eighteenth century. The museum where visitors begin their tour is decorated with Christmas trees.
what Christmas was like at: cómo era la Navidad en;  

Yet Mount Vernon would not have had Christmas trees during the late 1700s, when Washington led the country. They did not become popular in the United States until the 1800s.
yet:
a pesar de eso; would not have had: no habría tenido; led: condujo;

Visitors learn that in Washington's time, there was greenery inside the mansion, but that was probably the extent of the decorations.
in Washington's time: en la época de Washington; greenery: vegetación; extent: extensión.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. I'm Bob Doughty.

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