中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
英語學習論壇的“聽力練習區”正式與大家見面啦。歡迎大家來這里練習聽力，交流經驗，共同進步。
本練習區的音頻文件選自英語點津的“聽中國日報”、“VOA常速”、“流行金曲”及“名人演講”等欄目，題材豐富，難度各異，適合不同階段的英語學習者。
英語點津會定期發布音頻材料，大家可以在跟帖中貼出自己聽寫出的音頻文字稿。每個音頻材料的標準文字稿會在帖子發布兩天后公布。
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
Today we have a test for you -- a vocabulary quiz. The words are all related to agriculture. We start with two questions about terms for plants.
Ready? First question: What do we call a plant that lives only one year or one growing season? That kind of plant is called an annual.
You can probably guess the next question. What do we call a plant that produces new growth year after year? Plants that keep growing back are called perennials.
Now we are going to ask some questions about terms for livestock.
What is another name for a male cow? A bull, right? Well, a "bull" can just mean a male cow that has not had its reproductive organs removed. If the animal was castrated as a calf, the name for it is -- what? The answer: a steer.
Next question: What is another name for a young cow? That should be easy. We just said it. A young cow is a calf.
But we have a special name for a young female cow, especially if it has not had a calf yet. What is that name? The answer: a heifer. Maybe you knew that. But can you spell it? This question is just for our radio listeners. Heifer is spelled H-E-I-F-E-R.
Cows, like all mammals, produce milk. There is a medical name for this process. What it is? The answer: lactate. Cows lactate for up to ten months.
In milk, the fat rises to the top. But some people do not like to drink milk that way. So there is a process that is used to reduce the size of the fat particles and mix them all through the milk. What is the name of that process? It's called homogenization.
Milk can be made into cheese. Some people like cheese made with milk from a sheep. Our next question: What do you call a female sheep? The answer: a ewe, spelled E-W-E.
Male sheep have their own name. What is it? Males are called rams.
A lamb is a sheep under a year old. But what do you call the meat from a sheep that is over a year old? Then we call it mutton.
Age also plays a part in terms for horses. For example, a "mare" is generally defined as a female three years or older. But what do you call a female horse that is under three? The answer: a filly.
And the last question: What is the name for a male horse that is under four years old. A young male is a colt.
So how many did you get right? If you want to take this quiz again, you can find it at voaspecialenglish.com or on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English.
And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. I'm Barbara Klein.
（來源：VOA 編輯：陳丹妮）
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