常春藤解析英語 81 More Bad News全球糧食危機

More Bad News　全球糧食危機

by Matthew Brown

Another global concern comes into view: a food shortage.

糧食短缺引起全球關注。

As if global financial and environmental crisis were not enough, another alarming problem has been developing in the past few years: the food crisis.

_(1)_ In poorer countries, it's an urgent problem, and some parts of the world have already been experiencing food riots. Food prices are an economic issue, and in economics there is usually a lot of disagreement about the causes of problems. Some of the main factors, though, may be as follows.

Weather might be the most significant issue when it comes to current food shortages. _(2)_ To make matters worse, these droughts and other bad weather may be linked with global warming. Another problem is ever-rising oil and energy costs. _(3)_ Emerging economies, countries that were poor but are becoming rich, are using more and more fuel and competing for available resources. As economies around the world change, there is more demand for expensive food such as beef. However, a 100-calorie piece of beef requires 700 calories' worth of grain to be produced. _(4)_ Efforts to make biofuel may also be to blame. Some people argue that it takes far more energy to grow grain to produce biofuel than we can get from the biofuel itself. _(5)_

The food shortage has people pretty worried, but it is only recently that the problem has come to popular attention. For now, most of us will just have to wait and see what kind of solutions might be possible.

(A) If the argument is correct, then perhaps the grain would be better used for food instead.

(B) Over the last few years, the prices of food staples such as wheat, corn, and rice have doubled or tripled.

(C) So this means that beef production uses a lot more grain to produce a lot less food.

(D) Modern farming techniques require a huge amount of energy, and energy is becoming very expensive.

(E) The combination of recent natural disasters, such as the tsunami in Asia and droughts in Australia, Africa, and Central America, has led to very poor crop yields.

原來如此

1. 第一題空格應選 (B)

理由:

a. 空格前的段落說，好像全球的經(jīng)濟與環(huán)境危機還不夠多似的，過去幾年來(in the past few years)還有另一個令人擔憂的問題逐漸成形，那就是糧食危機(the food crisis)。

b. 選項 (B) 的句子則接著表示，過去幾年來(Over the last few years)，小麥、玉米和稻米等糧食產(chǎn)品(food staples)的價格飆高至兩倍或三倍，延續(xù)空格前糧食危機的話題，且兩句中的 in the past few years 與 Over the last few years 亦相呼應，故為正選。

大補丸:

a. over/in/for/during + the last/past + (few/數(shù)字) + week(s)/month(s)/year(s)/decade(s)　　過去……星期∕月∕年∕十年以來(到現(xiàn)在)

例: Video games have changed a great deal over the past ten years.

(電動游戲過去 10 年來有很大的改變。)

b. staple　n. 不可缺少的食物 ; 主食

c. double　vi. 加倍

d. triple　vi. 增至三倍

2.　第二題空格應選 (E)

理由:

a. 空格前的句子表示，說到近來的糧食短缺(food shortages)，也許天氣就是最重要的因素。

b. 選項 (E) 的句子進一步說，結(jié)合近來的許多天災(natural disasters)，像是亞洲的海嘯與澳洲、非洲和中美洲的旱災，均導致作物收成不佳(poor crop yields)，語意連貫。且空格后的主詞為 these droughts(這些旱災)，即指 (E) 項中的 droughts，形成關鍵詞，故 (E) 應為正選。

大補丸:

a. combination　n. 結(jié)合

b. disaster　n. 災害

natural disaster　　天災

c. tsunami　n. 海嘯(= tidal wave)

d. drought　n. 旱災

e. lead to + N/V-ing　　導致……

例: Lack of good study habits can lead to poor grades in school.

(不良的讀書習慣會導致學業(yè)成績不佳。)

f. yield 　n. 產(chǎn)量

3. 第三題空格應選 (D)

理由:

a. 空格前的句子說，另一個問題是持續(xù)攀升的油價與能源價格(ever-rising oil and energy costs)。

b. 選項 (D) 的句子則說，現(xiàn)代的務農(nóng)技術需要大量能源，而能源卻越來越昂貴(energy is becoming very expensive)，語意連貫，且兩句均有關鍵詞 energy(能源)，故選之。

大補丸:

a huge/large amount of + 不可數(shù)名詞　　大量的……

a small amount of + 不可數(shù)名詞　　少量的……

例: A large amount of smoke rose from the chimney.

(那個煙囪冒出了大量的煙。)

4. 第四題空格應選 (C)

理由:

a. 空格前的句子說，生產(chǎn) 100 卡路里的牛肉(beef)需要消耗 700 卡路里的谷物(grain)。

b. 選項 (C) 的句子則進一步說明，這表示牛肉的生產(chǎn)(beef production)是利用較多谷物(more grain)去制造少量食物，兩句均有關鍵詞 beef 與 grain，語意亦連貫，故選之。

5. 第五題空格應選 (A)

理由:

a. 空格前的句子說，有些人爭論(argue)說，為了生產(chǎn)生化燃料而栽種作物所耗費的能源，遠遠多過生化燃料能提供我們的量。

b. 選項 (A) 的句子則說，如果這項論點(argument)屬實，那么也許把谷物拿來當食物反而比較理想，延續(xù)空格前關于制造生化燃料的話題，語意連貫，故選之。

大補丸:

a. argument n. 論點

b. grain n. 谷物

c. instead adv.(反)而，卻

例: She didn't do her homework; she chatted on the Net instead.

(她沒做功課，而是在網(wǎng)上聊天。)

精解字詞詞組

1. As if + S + was/were not enough, S + V　　好像∕仿佛……還不夠似的，……

例: As if fighting with my boyfriend were not enough, I also got kicked off the badminton team.

(好像跟男友吵架還不夠似的，我還被踢出羽球隊。)

2. as follows　　如下所述

例: Concerning this issue, my point of view is as follows.

(關于這個議題，我的看法點如下。)

3. To make matters worse, S + V

= What's worse, S + V　　更糟的是，……

例: My car broke down on the side of the road. To make matters worse, I didn't have my cell phone.

(我的車在路上拋錨了。更糟的是，我身上沒帶手機。)

4. be linked with/to...　　與……相關聯(lián)

例: Chewing betel nuts is linked with mouth cancer.

(嚼檳榔與口腔癌息息相關。)

5. emerginga. 新興的

emerge vi. 出現(xiàn)，露出

emerge from...　　從……出現(xiàn)

例: The children emerged from their hiding place.

(那些小孩子從他們躲藏的地方跑出來。)

6. compete for...　　競爭……

例: All the teams are competing for the championship.

(所有隊伍都在角逐冠軍寶座。)

7. be to blame　　應受譴責;應負責任

例: You are to blame for the mistake.

(你必須為這個錯誤負起責任。)

單字小鋪

1. financial a. 財政的;金融的

2. crisis n. 危機(單數(shù)形)

crises n. 危機(復數(shù)形)

3. alarming a. 令人擔憂的;驚人的

4. urgent a. 緊急的

5. riot n. 暴動

6. economic a. 經(jīng)濟上的

7. economics n. 經(jīng)濟學

8. disagreemen n. 意見不合，爭執(zhí)

9. significant a. 重大的

10. shortage n. 缺少，不足

11. ever-rising a. 持續(xù)上升的

12. economy n. 經(jīng)濟(情況);經(jīng)濟結(jié)構

13. available a. 可利用的，現(xiàn)有的

14. biofuel n. 生化燃料

詞組小鋪

1. when it comes to + N/V-ing　　說到……

2. 數(shù)字 + 單位的所有格 + worth of...　　需要∕價值∕耗費……的……

700 calories' worth of grain　　700 卡路里的谷物

3. come to popular attention　　引起大眾的注意

4. wait and see　　靜觀其變

中文翻譯&標準答案

好像全球的經(jīng)濟與環(huán)境危機還不夠多似的，過去幾年來，還有另一個令人擔憂的問題逐漸成形，那就是糧食危機。

過去幾年來，小麥、玉米和稻米等糧食產(chǎn)品的價格飆高至兩倍或三倍。在較窮困的國家，這是個迫切的問題，而且世界上有些國家已經(jīng)因糧食短缺而發(fā)生暴動。糧食價格是一項經(jīng)濟問題，而在經(jīng)濟學上，對問題的成因通常有很多不同的論點。不過主要的因素可概述如下。

說到目前的糧食短缺，天氣或許是最重大的因素。結(jié)合近來的許多天災，像是亞洲的海嘯與澳洲、非洲、中美洲的旱災，均導致作物收成不佳。更糟的是，這些旱災與其它壞天氣都或許與全球暖化有關。另一個問題是持續(xù)攀升的油價與能源價格?，F(xiàn)代的務農(nóng)技術需要大量能源，而能源卻越來越昂貴。而原本貧窮但逐漸邁向富裕的新興國家，他們使用的能源越來越多，并且一同競爭現(xiàn)有的資源。

正當全球經(jīng)濟情勢改變，像牛肉等昂貴食物的需求也愈來越大。然而，生產(chǎn)一塊 100 卡路里的牛肉卻需要消耗 700 卡路里的谷物。這表示牛肉的生產(chǎn)是利用較多谷物去制造少量食物。致力于生產(chǎn)生化燃料也是罪魁禍首之一。有些人爭論說，為了制造生化燃料而栽種作物所耗費的能源，遠遠超過生化燃料本身能提供給我們的能源。如果這項論點屬實，那么也許拿谷物來當食物反而比較理想。

糧食短缺使人們憂心忡忡，但這問題直到最近才引起大眾的注意?，F(xiàn)在，大多數(shù)人也只能靜觀其變，看哪種解決方式才是可行的。

標準答案: 1. (B) 2. (E) 3. (D) 4. (C) 5. (A)