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.

　　词汇：

　　funding / ’fʌndɪŋ/ n.为……提供资金，拨专款

　　moder / ’məʊdem/ n.调制解调器

　　malnutrition / ,mælnju:’trɪʃən/ n.营养不良

　　degradation / ,degrə’deɪʃən / n.降级，(土地)贫瘠化

　　gross / grəʊs / adj.总的，全部的

　　domestic / də’mestɪk / adj.国内的

　　gross demostic product国内生产总值

　　spin-off n.有用的副产品

　　strategic / strə’ti:dʒɪk / adj.战略的

　　application / ,æplɪ’keɪʃən/ n.应用

　　hectare / ’hektɑ:(r), -teə(r) / n.公顷

　　注释：

　　1.... but with modern technologies and the development of new ones, the world should be able to stay ahead：……但由于有了现代技术和新技术的开发，世界应该能够不断前进。ones指代前面的technologies。

　　2.land degradation：土地贫瘠化

　　3.secure local food supplies：稳定的当地粮食供应

　　4.He said that things will probably hold or improve …：他说情况很可能保持现状或有所改善……hold：保持。

　　5.invest ... on：这是一个固定动词用法，意思是“把……投资于”。

　　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：他说粮食研究会开发出新技术，这些新技术又会传播到许多国家，例如小麦生产研究的成果已经在墨西哥、中国或印度得到应用。spread across：传播到。having spin-offs for ...是现在分词短语，修饰wheat production research。

　　练习：

　　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

　　答案与题解：

　　1.E　本段谈及粮食需求以每年2.5%的速度递增，所以农业研究资金的投入至关重要。

　　2.A　本段引用了费舍的观点，如果能进行农业研究，在本世纪第一个25年中，即使世界人口从58亿增加到80亿，粮食供应的格局和现在大致相同或有所改善。

　　3.C　本段指出，农业研究的资金投入还要增加。

　　4.B　本段的中心思想是提高农作物的单位面积产量。过去30年的实践证明提高单位面积产量是可能的。

　　5.D　本题答案的依据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　第六段有这么一句话：... a lot of the strategic research can have global application, so that money can be used very efficiently，提示我们，选项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 ...

　　需要进行更多的农业研究

　　如果世界人民想比现在吃得更好，农业研究资金的投入至关重要。农业科学家托尼·费舍说过需求每年增长2.5%，但由于有了现代技术和新技术的开发，世界应该能够不断前进。

　　他说：“要想在减少营养不良和贫困方面取得巨大的进步，就必须扭转全球对国际农业研究投入下滑的趋势。”

　　解决粮食生产、土地贫瘠化和环境污染问题，必须进行研究。稳定的当地粮食供应可以促进经济地长，放慢人口地长速度。费舍博士描绘说，世界有能力在人口由58亿增加到80亿的头25年实现粮食供应充足。情况很可能保持现状或有所改善，但仍会有大批人口处于饥饿当中。2020年贫穷和饥饿人口昀大集中地为撒哈拉以南的非洲部分和南亚，这与目前情况类似。如果有什么变化的话，也只是在南亚有稍微的改善，而不是在撒哈拉以南的非洲。主要改善地区将是东亚、南美和东南亚。

　　发展中国家每年将农业国内生产总值的大约0.5%(80亿美元)用于研究，发达国家则用2.5%的国内生产总值进行研究。

　　费舍博士说所有国家都需要更多的资金。他说粮食研究会开发出新技术，这些新技术又会传播到许多国家，例如小麦生产研究的成果已经在墨西哥、中国或印度得到应用。

　　他说：“技术仍需因地制宜进行改进，但许多战略性研究可以在全球应用，所以可以非常有效地利用财力。”

　　在过去30年中，大米、小麦和玉米的产能大幅度地增长，尤其是在发展中国家，例如，1950年到1995年，玉米产量由每公顷2吨均加到每公顷8吨。但是，推动高产的技术，比如高产新品种、化肥以及灌溉，正在消耗殆尽。费舍博士说：“如果你想腾出土地做非农业用途，保护森林和野生动物，就必须提高单位面积产量。”

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（责任编辑：何莹莹）