这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
Pieter Hoff used to export lilies and tulips from the Netherlands. He retired from the flower export business seven years ago. Now, he is trying to help people grow trees and plants in the desert -- and save water.
彼得·霍夫过去常常从荷兰向外出口百合和郁金香。七年前，他从花卉出口行业退休。现在，他正试图帮助人们在沙漠中种植树木和作物，以及节约用水。
In many places, much of the freshwater supply is used for irrigation. Yet most of that water may be lost through evaporation into the air. So Pieter Hoff has invented a simple plastic device called the Groasis Waterboxx. He says he got the idea from nature.
在许多地方使用淡水灌溉。然而大部分水分都蒸发到空气中流失。因此彼得·霍夫发明了一种称为Groasis Waterboxx的简单的塑料装置。他表示他从大自然获得这个想法。
PIETER HOFF: "If you look at nature, and I give an example in your own country, if you look to the Rocky Mountains of the Sierra Nevada, you find trees all over the mountains. So trees are actually able to grow on rocks. They have very strong roots."
彼得·霍夫：“如果你仔细研究一下大自然，我可以举一个你所在国家的例子，如果你看一下到内华达落基山脉，你会发现漫山遍野都是树木。所以，树木实际上可以在岩石上生长。他们有着非常强壮的根系。”
Mr. Hoff says the trick is that nature does not dig a hole like we humans do to plant seeds. Nature plants the seeds through birds or animals on top of the soil. Their waste then acts as a cover. It prevents the humidity in the soil from evaporating.
霍夫先生说，这个诀窍就是，大自然并没有像人类播种时那么在地上挖洞，而是通过鸟兽在土壤表层播种。鸟兽的粪便作为覆盖物，防止土壤中水分流失。
The Dutch inventor says he is simply copying that system. The Waterboxx is a round device about the size of a motorcycle tire. It sits flat on the ground with the bottom open to the earth. Seeds or a young planting grow out of a hole in the center.
这位荷兰发明家表示，他只是模拟了这个系统。Waterboxx是一种圆形的设备，大约像摩托车的轮胎那么大。将它平放到地面，底部向土壤开口。种子和幼苗从中间的洞里面长出来。
Some people call the Waterboxx a water battery because of its ability to collect and store water.
有人称Waterboxx为水电池，因为它能收集和储存水。
The cover has deep ridges. These collect rainwater. But the device is designed to collect water even when there is no rain. The cover gets cold during the night and creates condensation.
该覆盖物有很深的脊状结构，用来收集雨水。但是这种设备被设计成即使不下雨也能收集水。夜间，这种设备会变冷，使水冷凝。
The water is collected through two holes and in the holes there is a siphon to carry it to the soil. Pieter Hoff says the nice thing about the siphons is that, once collected, the water is not able to evaporate anymore.
水通过两个小孔收集，小孔中有一个虹吸管将水灌溉至土壤中。彼得·霍夫称这种虹吸管的好处是，一旦收集了水，这些水就不会再蒸发。
The roots of the plant may have to grow several meters deep to reach groundwater. Once growth is established, the box can be removed and used to start another planting. The company also makes a version for one-time use.
植株的根系可以生长至地下数米以获得地下水。一旦生长完成，这个设备就能移除，用于另一个植株的生长。该公司还生产一次性的设备。
Researchers at Mohammed the First University in Oujda, Morocco, tested the Waterboxx for three years in the Sahara. They said close to ninety percent of the trees planted with the device survived. Without it, they said, only about ten percent survived.
摩洛哥乌季达默罕默德第一大学的研究人员在撒哈拉沙漠对Waterboxx进行了三年的测试。他们称，接近90%的用这种设备种植的的树木都成活了。他们还称，没有使用这种设备的树木成活率只有大约10%。
Pieter Hoff says he is now doing experiments with twenty thousand Waterboxxes in countries including Pakistan, Ecuador and the United States. The reusable box now sells for about fifteen dollars.
彼得·霍夫说，目前他正在用2万个Waterboxx在一些国家进行试验，包括巴基斯坦，厄瓜多尔和美国。这种可重复使用的设备现在的售价大约是15美元。