Officials in the eastern US state of Maryland have come up with an innovative, cost-saving way to protect the environment： they use goats to mow the grass.
美國東部的馬里蘭州官員想到一個創新、省錢的保護環境方法︰他們用山羊除草。
The State Highway Administration came up with the novel idea while building an 85-million-dollar road bypass near the town of Hampstead after it found that the construction site was home to bog turtles, the smallest turtle in the United States and a threatened species.
該州的公路管理局斥資8500萬美元，在漢普斯戴鎮附近興建一條外環道時，發現該建設據點是牟氏龜的棲地後，突發此奇想。牟氏龜是美國體型最小的烏龜，而且是受威脅的物種。
The traditional method of keeping grass at the side of a highway in trim -- lawn mowers -- was considered but discarded because it could severely disrupt the bog turtles’ habitat and possibly even injure or kill the tiny reptiles, whose shells measure between 7.6 and 11.5 centimeters in length.
傳統以割草機維持公路旁雜草平整的方式雖被考慮，但恐因嚴重干擾牟氏龜的棲地，並可能傷害甚或殺害這種龜殼長約7.6至11.5公分的微小爬蟲類而被摒棄。
Grazing cattle on the land was also pondered, but that idea was ruled out because cows are heavy and might have crushed the tiny turtles. Then, someone thought of the goat option.
放牛吃草也曾被思考過，但因為牛太重，可能壓垮小烏龜而作罷。然後，某位仁兄想到羊的可能性。
"We found a local farmer who has 40 goats that we rent," said David Buck, spokesman for the State Highway Administration.
該州公路管理局發言人巴克說︰「我們找到一名有40頭山羊的農人，並租了那些羊。」
If the two-year, 10,000-dollar pilot project is deemed a success, it will be expanded to other environmentally sensitive regions across Maryland.
如果這項為期兩年、斥資一萬美元的試驗計畫被認為成功，將擴展至馬里蘭州其他環境敏感的地區。
新聞辭典
come up with ︰（針對問題或挑戰）提出、想出。例句︰He could always come up with a reason for them to linger another month.（他總能想出個理由來讓他們再待上一個月。）
trim︰名詞指修整、調整。例句︰It’s a long time for him to get into trim.（他花了很長的時間才穿著就緒。）in（good）trim指整齊、狀況佳，out of trim則是失衡。
pilot︰當形容詞指（小規模）試驗性的。例句︰The local government is trying a pilot farming scheme.（地方政府正在嘗試一個小規模試驗性的農耕計畫。）
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