环球英语—805：The Pomegranate: A Great Fruit

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Hello, and welcome to Spotlight. I'm Adam Navis.
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And I'm Ruby Jones. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Today's Spotlight is all about one of the oldest fruits that people eat. But which kind of fruit are we talking about?
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It is round - usually about the size of an orange. The top of it is shaped like a crown!
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This fruit grows on small trees with shiny leaves and bright red flowers. These trees can live for up to two hundred [200] years.
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The skin of this fruit is hard, thick and dark red in colour. You cannot eat this skin. But you can eat the seeds inside - and there are hundreds of them!
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This fruit is native to the country of Iran. However, people now grow it in warm countries all over the world - from parts of South Asia to the west coast of North America.
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Its Latin name is "Punica Granatum". It means ‘apple with many seeds'.
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So, what is the modern English name of this strange fruit? That's right - it is the pomegranate!
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In many cultures, the pomegranate is a symbol of new life, marriage and fertility. And pomegranates appear in many ancient stories and writings. Here is Marina Santee to tell us about one story about pomegranates from ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks believed in many gods. This story is about some of them. It is a myth.
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Hades was the king of the dead. He had no wife. And he was lonely in his dark kingdom under the earth. So Hades made a visit to the world above. There he saw a beautiful girl called Persephone. Immediately, he fell in love with her. But he knew that she would not want to live in his kingdom because it was a dark, frightening place. So, he kidnapped her and took her back to his kingdom as quickly as he could. Persephone's mother was the goddess of the harvest. The loss of her daughter filled her with great sadness. She refused to let anything grow on the earth while her daughter was not with her. People on earth then went hungry. Not one of their crops grew. Then Zeus, the chief god, intervened. He sent a messenger to Hades to persuade him to release Persephone. Finally, Hades agreed. But he tried one last trick to keep Persephone. There was a law in the underworld. Anyone who ate food from there had to remain forever. So, Hades tempted Persephone with some sweet, red pomegranate seeds. Persephone could not resist! So she ate some of the seeds. Then she was trapped - she had to stay with Hades! However, Hades and Persephone's mother came to an agreement. Persephone would stay in the underworld for four months of the year. And during that time, nothing would grow on the earth. Then, Persephone could return to her mother. The earth would once more produce plants and crops. Animals would give birth to their young - spring would come!
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The pomegranate is a very healthy fruit! Some food experts even call it a super food. Why? Well, pomegranates contain a lot of folic acid. This is especially healthy for pregnant women. They also contain a high level of anti-oxidants. These natural chemicals can help to strengthen the body's defence system. The demand for the fruit seems to be increasing as people try to take better care of their health. But could this demand for pomegranates also help solve one country's drug problem?
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Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Lines and lines of white and purple poppies wave gently in the soft wind. These flowers look beautiful. But their produce is deadly. After the flowers fall off, they leave behind large seed pods. Inside each pod is a milky liquid. This is opium - a strong drug that can deaden people's senses. Farmers in Afghanistan sell this opium to drug traders. These dealers then purify the opium until it becomes the illegal drug, heroin. This is one of the most powerful illegal drugs in the world. And farmers can make a good profit from growing opium poppies.
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However, one man is hoping to fight the drug trade in Afghanistan - with pomegranates! James Brett is a British businessman. In 1999, he travelled to Pakistan on business. There, he tasted his first drink of pomegranate juice. James enjoyed it very much. And, he was sure that such a drink would be very popular back in Europe. So he helped to start a company that sold a pomegranate drink called, "Pomegreat". One of his concerns was the supply of pomegranates for the drink. Could he find enough? He discovered that Afghanistan was famous for having some of the best pomegranates in the world. So, in 2007, James visited the country on a business trip. During his visit James saw a farmer working in an opium poppy field. James decided to talk to him. James explains:
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"I talked to the farmer about the effects of heroin. And I asked him if growing pomegranates instead could be possible. He explained how he lived and why he grew opium. I explained how it was possible to change this situation. He agreed with what was said."
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James Brett made a business plan. His idea was to replace the opium plants in the area with pomegranate trees. He then presented his plan to the tribal leaders of Nangarhar. And they agreed - pomegranates were better than poppies! And so, The POM 354 project was born. In March 2009, farmers planted one hundred thousand [100,000] baby pomegranate trees in Nangarhar area. And the plan is to continue planting more pomegranate trees right across other areas of Afghanistan.
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The concern now is to find people or organisations who will provide money while the trees are growing. It will take five years before the first fruits appear. So, the farmers need money to support their families during that time. This will cost about twelve dollars a year for each tree. After that five year period, James Brett is sure that the trees will make a profit. He hopes that the farmers will make two or three times more money than from any opium crop.
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The Nangarhar farmers will have to wait and see if James Brett is right. Until then, the pomegranate continues to be a symbol of new life and hope - this time for the people of Afghanistan!