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录音原文 Unit 5 Fascinating Parks Using Language Host: Good moring, listeners. Today is World Food Day, and David Bond from the UNS FAO is here to talk about world hunger. Welcome, David! Please explain what the FAO is and what its aims are. David: Good morning. For those who don't know, FAO stands for Food and Agriculture Organisation.And our aim is simple—to eliminate world hunger, which, according to our latest figures, stands at around 11% of the world's population. Host: So I guess things like droughts, floods, and climate change are all major factors in this. David: Yes, that's right, they can all seriously affect crop production, And another factor is poverty.There is strong evidence to suggest that many people just can't afford to eat well. And it's not just about having enough food to eat; people need to eat enough nutritious food, which often they cannot afford or do not have access to. The FAO believes everyone should have the right to healthy food. Host: And what about war? I've seen many researchers say that it directly leads to mass hunger. David: Absolutely true. Our research indicates that wars can heavily affect food production and transportation, meaning that millions of people have to go hungry. Host: So what can we do to alleviate world hunger? David: Well, the UN is making efforts to reduce climate change, and the FAO runs a project called Climate—smart Agriculture, which helps countries to develop sustainable agriculture. However,every country needs to focus on making new achievements in agriculture, too, which can often benefit the whole world. Like China, for example, whose development of hybrid rice has greatly increased rice production in many other countries. And, of course, global conflict must be eliminated And don't forget that we as individuals can also make a difference: buy food that supports the environment, and never waste food. Host: David Bond, thank you very much. Just a quick message to our listeners: you can find more information on world hunger on the FAO website...
答案 Activity 2 1 FAO stands for Food and Agriculture Organisation. Its aim is to eliminate world hunger. 2 Droughts, floods, and climate change 3 The FAO believes everyone should have the right to get healthy food. 4 The FAO runs a project called Climate Smart Agriculture, which helps countries to develop sustainable agriculture. 5 Every country needs to focus on making new achievements in agriculture too, which can often benefit the whole world. Activity 3 1 B 2 C 3 A Using language Chemical Versus Organic Farming 化学耕作与有机耕作
Chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers have been in widespread use in farming since the middle of the 20th century. When they were first introduced, many farmers welcomed them as a great way to fight crop disease and increase production. Over time, however, what some scientists have found is that their long-term use can sometimes harm both the land and peoples’ health.
自二十世纪中叶以来，化学农药和人工肥料便广泛应用于耕作。引入之初，二者被许多农民视为抵御作物病害、增加产量的好方法，因而颇受欢迎。然而，随着时间的推移，一些科学家发现，长期使用它们有时会危害土地和人类健康。
For example, pesticides can damage the land by killing not only harmful bacteria and insects, but also helpful ones. In addition, these chemicals can stay in the soil and underground water sources for a long time. This affects the crops grown on the land and, in turn, the animals and humans who digest them. Many people worry that these chemicals may make them ill and even cause cancer. In fact, some pesticides like DDT have been prohibited in most countries because of the damage they cause to people and the environment. As for chemical fertilisers, crops grown with them usually grow too fast to be rich in nutrition. They may look beautiful on the outside, but inside there is usually more water than essential minerals, and they often have less flavour as well.
例如，农药在杀死有害细菌和昆虫的同时，也会杀死有益的细菌和昆虫，从而破坏土地。此外，这些化学品会长期残留于土壤和地下水源中。这会影响土里种植的作物。继而影响消化这些作物的人畜。很多人担心这些化学品会致病，甚至引发癌症。事实上，由于对人类和环境有害“滴滴涕”等农药在大多数国家已被禁用。至于化学肥料，用其施肥的作物通常生长过快而营养不足。此类作物外表靓丽，而内里却经常是水分多于必需矿物质，并且往往口感较差。
As an alternative, some farmers have switched to organic farming, and many customers have turned to organic food when they shop at the local grocery. Organic farming is simply farming without using any chemicals. Organic farmers focus on keeping their soil rich and free of disease through natural means. For example, many organic farmers use natural waste from animals as fertiliser. This makes the soil in their fields richer in minerals. It also keeps the air, soil, water, and crops free of chemicals.
作为一种替代方法，有些农民已经转向有机耕作，而且许多消费者在当地食杂店购物时，也转而选择有机食品。有机耕作就是不使用任何化学品的耕作。有机耕作的农民注重通过天然的方法保持土壤肥沃，没有病害。例如，许多有机耕作的农民使用天然的牲畜粪便作为肥料，使农田土壤富含矿物质，也避免化学品进入空气、土壤、水源和作物。
Organic farmers also use many other methods to produce rich soil. They often change the kind of crop grown in each field every year. For instance, they may grow corn or wheat in a field one year, and then grow beans there the next. Why different crops are grown is because they put important minerals back into the ground, making it ready again for the next batch of crops. Organic farmers also plant diverse crops that use different depths of soil to help keep it rich. For example, peanuts grow on the ground's surface, but many other vegetables put down deep roots. The goal of using different organic farming methods is to grow good food while avoiding damage to the environment or to people's health.
有机耕作的农民也采用许多其他方法维持土壤肥沃。他们通常每年更换每块农田种植的作物种类。例如，他们可能一年在田里种植玉米或小麦，第二年改种豆类。种植不同作物的原因，是为了把重要的矿物质重新放回土壤之中，让土壤为下一批作物(的种植)做好准备。有机耕作的农民也种植土壤深度要求不同的多样化作物，以保持土壤肥沃。例如，花生长在土壤表层。而许多其他蔬菜则扎根于土壤深处。采用不同的有机耕作方法，目的在于生产优质食物，同时避免损害环境和人类健康。
Some people would prefer to stop the use of man-made chemicals in agriculture entirely. What keeps them from doing so is the fact that chemical farming serves the high demand for food around the world. Organic farming is nowhere near able to meet that need. Therefore, there is still a long way to find a suitable solution that puts sufficient food on the dinner table while keeping people and the environment as healthy as possible.
有些人宁愿在农业中彻底停止使用人工化学品。他们不能如愿的原因是化学耕作满足了全世界对食物的高需求，而有机耕作还远远不能满足这一需求。因此，想要找到一个合适的解决方案，使人类和环境尽可能保持健康，又让人们有足够的食物可吃，这还有很长的路要走。 |
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