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Christmas trees
圣誕樹
Boughs of jolly
喜樂的枝椏
Farmers and vendors see green in fresh-cut Christmas trees
農戶和商販在新砍的圣誕樹上看到希望
FRANOIS, also known as The Tree Man,
弗朗索瓦，也被人叫做圣誕樹人。
sets up his stand every year on the corner of 102nd Street and Broadway.
他每年都會在紐約102號大街和百老匯大道的街角擺上自己的攤位。
He and the 500 Christmas trees he brings from Quebec have become a fixture in Manhattan's Upper West Side.
他和他從加拿大魁北克市帶來的500棵圣誕樹已經成為了曼哈頓上西區固定不變的風景線。
For up to five weeks he sells the trees by day for 20 to 300, depending on size and quality, sleeping in his van at night.
在最多五周的時間里，白天他會根據樹的大小和質量賣出每棵樹20到300美元不等的價格。晚上他就睡在自己的貨車里。
What he earns is, he says, the icing on the cake of his annual income.
他說，他在這段時間所掙的錢，對于他年收入是錦上添花。
The Tree Man is a small branch of a big business.
圣誕樹所帶來的收入只是這個利潤豐厚商業的一小部分。
According to a survey by the National Christmas Tree Association, a trade group, Americans spent more than 1 billion on 25 mtrees in 2012.
據全美圣誕樹協會20這個貿易集團的一項調查顯示，在2012年，美國人花費了十億美元購買了2500萬棵圣誕樹。
The average price they said they paid was 40.
受訪的美國人稱購買圣誕樹的平均價格為40美元。
But not all Christmas trees are alike.
但不是所有的圣誕樹都是一樣。
People on the East Coast like Fraser firs, with their typical evergreen fragrance.
美國東海岸的人們喜歡弗雷則杉樹，因為其帶有典型的常綠植物的芳香。
Oregon's Grand Fir, which has an orange-like scent, is popular in California.
而帶有柑橘香味的俄勒岡大杉樹則在加利福利亞比較受歡迎。
Many homes can no longer make do with the festive cheer that only one tree brings.
僅僅靠一棵圣誕樹已經不能使很多感受到太多的節日氣氛。
Bob Sedlatschek of Home Depot, a chain store which expects to sell 2.8 mtrees this year, notes that some households are buying several.
來自美國家居公司家得寶的Bob Sedlatschek稱，一些家庭會購置更多的東西。該家居連鎖店今年預計將會售出280萬棵圣誕樹。
Lou Mignone bought five this year, cutting down the last at Maple Row Tree Farm in Easton, Connecticut, where mums and dads wearing Santa hats meander round the lush 200 acres looking for the perfect sapling. About a quarter of buyers like to pick their own at tree farms.
Lou Mignone今年購買了五棵圣誕樹。他砍掉了位于康乃迪克州伊斯頓市的楓樹林場的最后一顆樹。在這個農場上的父母們帶著圣誕帽在200英畝的曠野上四處漫步，希望找到最佳的圣誕樹。大約有四分之一的購買者喜歡在林場里挑選中意的圣誕樹。
Scott Edwards, who owns Maple Row, a former dairy farm in his family for 200 years, makes all his sales in the four weeks before Christmas.
Scott Edwards是楓樹林農場的所有者。楓樹林原先是其家族經營了兩百多年的奶產品生產農場。現在的楓樹林農場的所有銷售額都來自于圣誕節前四個星期的時間。
His is one of 15,000 such farms in America.
在美國還有15000個這樣的農場，
Most are small and family-owned.
其中的大多數都是規模較小，家族所有。
Easton, the Christmas-tree capital of Connecticut, is home to half a dozen, all located within a few miles of each other.
伊斯頓市是美國康乃迪克州的圣誕樹之都，有六個圣誕樹農場位于此地，所有農場距離都不過幾英里。
Every second car leaving the area has a tree or two strapped to its roof.
每一輛二手車離開該地時都會捆一到兩棵樹。
Those who find sawing a fir too laborious and choosing one from a tree seller too time-consuming can turn to technology.
有些人覺得自己動手鋸倒一棵樹太費勁或者覺得從農場主那里挑一棵樹太浪費時間，這些人現在可以用高科技方法解決。
Harry DeLucia and his brother set up a website, nyctrees.com, where New Yorkers can purchase trees grown in New Jersey.
Harry DeLucia和他的兄弟建立了一個網站nyctrees.com，在這個網站上紐約人可以買到來自新澤西的杉樹。
If that is too much bother an artificial tree might be the answer.
如果覺得買真正的樹太麻煩，那么人造樹可能是一個方法。
Rick Dungey, of the NCTA, dismisses the artificial sort as plastic tree-shaped decorations.
美國圣誕樹協會的Rick Dungey對這種人工的圣誕樹非常不屑，認為是樹形的塑料裝飾。
Americans tend to agree, buying more real trees than fake ones.
美國民眾更傾向于買真正的而不是假的樹木來做圣誕樹。
Of 35m sold every year, 70% sprout from the ground.
每年所售出的3500棵樹中，70%的是從土地里生長出來的真樹。
Despite a rise in sales a decade ago, fake trees have lost their sparkle since the financial crisis.
盡管十年之前假樹的銷售有所增加，但是在經濟危機以后假樹已經失去了市場占有率。
But according to the American Christmas Tree Association, a trade group that claims to represent both types of tree, 83% of homes have a fake shrub.
但是美國圣誕樹協會稱，任何組織都會宣稱自己是真樹和假樹的最佳代表，但是83%的家庭所購買的樹都會有假冒的灌木。
They may be less work and serve for many Christmases, but they make greens cringe.
也許這些圣誕樹的作用并沒有那么大，也只是在圣誕節才有價值，但是他們的作用并不僅僅只有裝飾作用。
Once Christmas is over, most real trees are recycled.
圣誕節結束后，許多真正的圣誕樹都會回收再利用。
The needles, however, will periodically turn up on the sitting room floor until Easter.
但是直到復活節前，杉樹上的針葉偶爾將會在客廳的地板上出現。
