More Rural Research Is Needed

1　Agricultural research funding is vital if the world is to feed itself better than it does now. Dr. Tony Fischer, crop scientist, said demand was growing at 2.5% per year, but with modern technologies and the development of new ones, the world should be able to stay ahead1。

2　“The global decline in investment in international agricultural research must be reversed if significant progress is to be made towards reducing malnutrition and poverty,” he said.

3　Research is needed to solve food production, land degradation2 and environmental problems. Secure local food supplies3 led to economic growth which, in turn, slowed population growth. Dr. Fischer painted a picture of the world’s ability to feed itself in the first 25 years, when the world’s population is expected to rise from 5.8 to 8 billion people. He said that things will probably hold or improve4 but there’ll still be a lot of hungry people. The biggest concentration of poor and hungry people would be in sub-Saharan Afiica and southern Asia in 2020, similar to the current pattern. If there is any change, a slight improvement will be seen in southern Asia, but not in sub-Saharan Afiica. The major inqjrovement will be in East Asia, South America and South-East Asia.

4　The developing world was investing about 0.5%, or $8 billion a year, of its agricultural gross domestic product（GDP）on5 research, and the developed world was spending 2.5% of its GDP. Dr. Fischer said more was needed from all countries.

5　He said crop research could produce technologies that spread across many countries, such as wheat production research having spin-offs for Mexico, China or India6.

6　“Technologies still need to be refined for the local conditions but a lot of the strategic research can have global application, so that money can be used very efficiently,” Dr. Fischer said.

7　Yields of rice, wheat and maize have grown impressively in the past 30 years, especially in developing countries. For example, maize production rose from 2-8 tonnes per hectare between 1950 and 1995. But technologies driving this growth, such as high-yield varieties, fertilisers, and irrigation, were becoming exhausted. “If you want to save the land for non-agricultural activities, for forests and wildlife, you’re going to have to increase yield,” Dr. Fischer said.

詞匯：

funding 為……提供資金，撥專款 moder 調制解調器

malnutrition 營養(yǎng)不良 degradation 降級，（土地）貧瘠化

gross 總的，全部的 domestic 國內的

gross demostic product國內生產總值 spin-off 有用的副產品

strategic 戰(zhàn)略的 application 應用 hectare 公頃

注釋：

1．... but with modern technologies and the development of new ones, the world should be able to stay ahead：……但由于有了現代技術和新技術的開發(fā)，世界應該能夠不斷前進。ones指代前面的technologies。

2．land degradation：土地貧瘠化

3．secure local food supplies：穩(wěn)定的當地糧食供應

4．He said that things will probably hold or improve …：他說情況很可能保持現狀或有所改善……h(huán)old：保持。

5．invest ... on：這是一個固定動詞用法，意思是“把……投資于”。

6．He said crop research could produce technologies that spread across many countries, such as wheat production research having spin-offs for Mexico, China or India：他說糧食研究會開發(fā)出新技術，這些新技術又會傳播到許多國家，例如小麥生產研究的成果已經在墨西哥、中國或印度得到應用。spread across：傳播到。having spin-offs for ...是現在分詞短語，修飾wheat production research。

練習：

1．Paragraph 1 _____

2．Paragraph 3 _____

3．Paragraph 4 _____

4．Paragraph 7 _____

A　The Same or Improved Food Supply Situation in 2020

B　Research Focus on Increased Yield

C　More Research Funding Needed

D　Local Situations Analyzed

E　Increase in Investment on Agricultural Research

F　Sustained Development of Modem Technologies

5．Dr. Fischer claims that agriculture will continue to develop _____.

6．Land can be saved for other purposes _____.

7．The investment can be regarded as efficient _____.

8．The global decrease in investment should be changed _____.

A　if we can drive yield up

B　when Mexico, China and India join in the project

C　if we want to fight against malnutrition and poverty

D　when we use modern technologies and develop new ones

E　when the developed world helps the developing world

F　when strategic research can be utilized worldwide

答案與題解：

1．E　本段談及糧食需求以每年2.5%的速度遞增，所以農業(yè)研究資金的投入至關重要。

2．A　本段引用了費舍的觀點，如果能進行農業(yè)研究，在本世紀第一個25年中，即使世界人口從58億增加到80億，糧食供應的格局和現在大致相同或有所改善。

3．C　本段指出，農業(yè)研究的資金投入還要增加。

4．B　本段的中心思想是提高農作物的單位面積產量。過去30年的實踐證明提高單位面積產量是可能的。

5．D　本題答案的依據是第一段第二句的后半句：... with modern technologies and the development of new ones, the world should be able to stay ahead.

6．A　答案可在最后一段找到。原句是：If you want to save the land for non-agricultural activities, for forests and wildlife, you’re going to have to increase yield ...

7．F　第六段有這么一句話：... a lot of the strategic research can have global application, so that money can be used very efficiently，提示我們，選項F是答案。

8．C　答案可在第二段找到。原句是：The global decline in investment in international agricultural research must be reversed if significant progress is to be made towards reducing malnutrition and poverty ...

譯文：需要進行更多的農業(yè)研究

如果世界人民想比現在吃得更好，農業(yè)研究資金的投入至關重要。農業(yè)科學家托尼·費舍博士說過需要每年增長2.5%，但由于有了現代技術和新技術的開發(fā)，世界應該能夠不斷前進。

他說：“要想在減少營養(yǎng)不良和貧困方面取得巨大的進步，就必須扭轉全球對國際農業(yè)研究投入下滑的趨勢。”

解決糧食生產、土地貧瘠化和環(huán)境污染問題，必須進行研究。穩(wěn)定地當地糧食供應可以促進經濟增長，放慢人口增長速度。費舍博士描繪說，世界有能力在人口由58億增加到80億的頭25年實現糧食供應充足。情況很可能保持現狀或有所改善，但仍會有大批人口處于饑餓當中。2020年貧窮和饑餓人口最大集中地位撒哈拉以南的非洲部分和南非，這與目前情況類似。如果有什么變化的話，也只是在南亞有稍微改善，而不是在撒哈拉以南的非洲。執(zhí)意要改善地區(qū)將是東亞、南美和東南亞。

發(fā)展中國家每年將農業(yè)國內生產總值的大約0.5%（80億美元）用于研究，發(fā)達國家則用2.5%的國內生產總值進行研究。費舍博士說，所有國家都需要更多的資金。

他說糧食研究會開發(fā)出新技術，這些新技術又會傳播到許多國家，例如小麥生產研究的成果已經在墨西哥、中國或印度得到應用。

他說：“技術仍需因地制宜進行改進，但許多戰(zhàn)略性研究可以在全球應用，所以可以非常有效地利用財力。”

在過去30年中，大米、小麥和玉米的產量大幅度增長，尤其是在發(fā)展中國家，例如，1950年到1995年，玉米產量由每公頃2噸增加到每公頃8噸。但是，推動高產的技術，不如高產新品種、化肥以及灌溉，正在消耗殆盡。費舍博士說：|如果你想騰出土地做非農業(yè)用途，保護森林和野生動物，就必須提高單位面積產量。”

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