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Researchers have made what they call a “spectacular” finding at the Mount Vernon home of America’s first president: almost 30 bottles of preserved fruit.
研究人员在美国第一任总统的弗农山庄中发现了一个他们称之为 "惊人 "的发现：近 30 瓶水果。
The bottles of cherries and berries were preserved in storage areas in the cellar of George Washington’s home near the Potomac River.
樱桃和浆果的瓶子被保存在波托马克河附近乔治·华盛顿家的地窖的储存区。
Researchers discovered the fruits during an archaeological dig connected to a restoration project.
研究人员在与修复项目相关的考古挖掘中发现了这些水果。
Jason Boroughs is Mount Vernon’s head archaeologist.
贾森·伯勒斯是弗农山庄的首席考古学家。
He said the discovery of so much perfectly preserved food from more than 250 years ago is almost unequaled.
他表示，在250多年前发现保存如此完好的食物几乎是无与伦比的。
“Finding… fresh fruit, 250 years later, is pretty spectacular,” Boroughs told the Associated Press.
“250年后还能找到……新鲜水果，真是太惊人了，”伯勒斯告诉美联社。
Whole pieces of fruit, recognizable as cherries, were found in some of the bottles.
在一些瓶子中发现了完整的水果，可识别为樱桃。
Other bottles held what appear to be gooseberries or currants, though testing is underway to confirm that.
其他瓶子里装的似乎是醋栗或黑醋栗，不过正在进行检测以确认这一点。
Mount Vernon is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which is doing DNA testing on the fruit.
弗农山庄正与美国农业部（USDA）合作，该部门正在对这种水果进行DNA测试。
The USDA is also examining more than 50 cherry pits recovered from the bottles to see if any of them can be planted.
美国农业部还在检查从瓶子中回收的50多颗樱桃核，看是否可以种植。
Benjamin Gutierrez, a USDA plant scientist, said the chances of using a cherry pit to grow a tree are low.
本杰明·古铁雷斯是美国农业部的一名植物科学家，他说，用樱桃核种出一棵树的几率很低。
Seeds preserve best when they are dry, and most of the pits found at Mount Vernon were wet.
种子在干燥时保存得最好，而在弗农山发现的大多数果核都是湿的。
A couple of pits tested at first were not able to be used as seeds.
最初测试的几个坑无法用作种子。
Still, Gutierrez said the bottles are a remarkable find.
不过，古铁雷斯说这些瓶子是一个了不起的发现。
In addition to DNA testing, he said chemical testing may be able to show if spices were used to preserve the fruits.
此外，除了DNA检测之外，他说化学检测或许能够显示出是否使用了香料来保存水果。
Records at Mount Vernon show that George and Martha Washington enjoyed cherries, at least when mixed with the alcoholic drink known as brandy.
弗农山庄的记录显示，乔治-华盛顿和玛莎-华盛顿喜欢吃樱桃，至少在与白兰地这种酒精饮料混合时是这样。
Martha Washington’s recipe for a “cherry bounce” drink survives.
玛莎-华盛顿的 "跳跳樱桃 "饮料秘方流传至今。
And Washington wrote that he took some cherry bounce with him on a trip across the Alleghenies in 1784.
而且华盛顿写道，他在1784年穿越阿勒格尼山脉的旅行中带了一些樱桃白兰地。
These cherries, though, were most likely bottled to be eaten as food, Boroughs said.
但博勒斯表示，这些樱桃很可能是装瓶后作为食物食用的。
The quality of the preservation suggests skilled work.
从保存的质量来看，保存的手法很娴熟。
The kitchen was overseen by an enslaved woman named Doll, who came to Mount Vernon in 1758 with Martha Washington.
厨房由一个名叫多尔的奴隶妇女负责监督，她于1758年与玛莎·华盛顿一起来到弗农山庄。
Boroughs said the slaves were probably responsible for the preservation process and described the work as “highly skilled.”
博勒斯表示，奴隶们可能负责保存过程，并将这项工作描述为“高度熟练”。
He added that if the work was poorly done it “wouldn’t have survived this way.”
他补充说，如果这项工作做得不好，这些水果“就不会以这种方式幸存下来。”
The bottles were found only because Mount Vernon is doing a $40 million restoration project on the house.
这些瓶子之所以被发现，只是因为弗农山庄正在对这座房子进行一项耗资4000万美元的修复工程。
The work is expected to be finished by the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026.
这项工作预计将在2026年美国建国250周年之际完成。
Boroughs said the archaeological dig started because the ground was going to be affected during structural repairs to the house. “We didn’t expect to find all this,” he said.
博勒斯说，这次考古挖掘是因为在对这所房子进行结构修复期间，地面会受到影响。“我们没想到会发现这一切，”他谈道。
Researchers know the bottles date to before 1775 because that is when a building project on the house led to the area being covered over with a brick floor.
研究人员知道这些瓶子的年代可以追溯到1775年之前，因为当时房子的一个建筑项目导致该区域被铺上了砖地板。
Mount Vernon announced back in April, at the start of its archaeological work, that it had found two bottles.
早在4月就宣布，在对弗农山庄的考古工作开始时，就已经发现了两个瓶子。
As the dig continued, the number increased to 35 in six different storage pits.
随着挖掘的继续，在六个不同的储存坑中，这个数字增加到了35。
Six of the bottles were broken, with the other 29 in good condition.
六瓶破了，其余29瓶状况良好。
Twelve held cherries, 16 held the other berries believed to be currants and gooseberries, and one larger bottle held both cherries and other berries.
12个里面装着樱桃，16个装着其他被认为是醋栗和醋栗的浆果，还有一个较大的瓶子里装着樱桃和其他浆果。
Boroughs believes they have now uncovered all the cherries and berries that survived.
博勒斯认为他们现在已经找到了所有保存完好的樱桃和浆果。
“There is a lot of information that we’re excited to get from these bottles,” he said. I’m Andrew Smith.
他表示：“我们很高兴能从这些瓶子中获得很多信息。”
I’m Andrew Smith.
我是安德鲁·史密斯。
