我们应该少吃米饭吗？⏲️ 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

你好，这里是 BBC 英语教学的《六分钟英语》。

I'm Neil.

我是尼尔。

And I'm Beth.

我是贝丝。

Neil,

尼尔，

what type of foods do you often eat?

你经常吃哪种类型的食物？

Well, basic things to fill me up. 短語動詞

嗯，能让我填饱肚子的基本食物。

That's sort of bread, 語氣意圖

像是面包，

potatoes.

土豆。

Well, food like this,

嗯，像这样的食物，

which is regularly eaten by many people, 語法

被许多人经常食用的，

is known as a staple. 講解

被称为主食。

In Britain,

在英国，

bread is a popular staple,

面包是一种受欢迎的主食，

but for large parts of the world, 短語搭配

但在世界上的大部分地区，

there's another food which is number one, 用詞

还有另一种食物排在第一位，

rice.

大米。

That's right.

没错。

Over half the world's population eats rice as the staple food, 講解

世界上超过一半的人口以大米为主食，

especially in Asia.

特别是在亚洲。

But rice is a very thirsty crop, 習語

但水稻是一种非常“口渴”的农作物，

which needs lots of water to grow,

在生长过程中需要大量的水，

and this is becoming a problem

而这正成为一个问题，

because of droughts and flooding caused by climate change. 語法

因为气候变化导致了干旱和洪水。

In this program,

在接下来的节目中，

we'll be hearing about a pioneering new technique 用詞

我们将听到一项开创性的新技术，

helping farmers to grow rice

帮助农民种植水稻

in the face of a changing climate. 習語

以应对不断变化的气候。

As usual, 表達脈絡

像往常一样，

we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases.

我们将学习一些有用的新单词和短语。

And remember,

请记住，

you can find all the vocabulary from this program on our website,

你可以在我们的网站上找到本期节目的所有词汇，

bbclearningenglish.com.

bbclearningenglish.com。

But first, 表達脈絡

但首先，

I have a question for you, Beth. 短語搭配

我有一个问题要问你，贝丝。

Just now,

刚才，

I mentioned that rice is a very thirsty crop.

我提到水稻是一种非常“口渴”的农作物。

So,

那么，

how much water is needed to grow 1 kg of rice? 語法

种植1公斤水稻需要多少水？

Is it A,

是A，

1,000 to 3,000 L?

1,000到3,000升吗？

B,

B，

3,000 to 5,000 L?

3,000到5,000升？

Or C,

还是C，

5,000 to 7,000 L?

5,000到7,000升？

Um, I'm going to say C,

嗯，我猜是C，

5,000 to 7,000 L.

5,000到7,000升。

Well,

好吧，

we'll find out if that's right at the end of the program. 講解

我们将在节目最后揭晓答案。

Dr. Yvonne Pinto is Director General of the International Rice Research Institute, 文化背景

Yvonne Pinto 博士是国际水稻研究所的总干事，

or IRRI for short, 短語搭配

简称 IRRI，

based in the Philippines. 短語搭配

总部位于菲律宾。

Here,

在这里，

she explains more about the global popularity of rice 短語搭配

她向 BBC 世界服务频道的《食物链》节目

to BBC World Service program The Food Chain.

详细解释了大米在全球受欢迎的情况。

Between 50 and 56% of the world's population 語法

世界上50%到56%的人口

rely on rice as the principal staple. 講解

依赖大米作为主要主食。

Now,

现在，

that's roughly about 4 billion people. 用詞

这大约是40亿人。

And it is one of those commodities that is grown really extensively, 語法

它是那些被极其广泛种植的商品之一，

particularly in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

特别是在南亚和东南亚。

But increasingly, 表達脈絡

但越来越多地，

the appetite for it is growing in continents like Africa, 習語

在像非洲这样的大陆，人们对它的需求正在增长，

and of course,

当然，

there are also Latin American and European rice varieties.

还有拉丁美洲和欧洲的水稻品种。

Rice is a commodity, 用詞

大米是一种 commodity（商品），

a produce that can be bought and sold. 語法

一种可以买卖的农产品。

Like other crops,

像其他农作物一样，

rice has varieties, 用詞

水稻有 varieties（品种），

different types.

不同种类。

For example,

例如，

brown rice,

糙米，

long-grained rice,

长粒米，

or basmati.

或者印度香米。

Much of the research into rice today is focused on making new varieties 短語搭配

今天许多关于水稻的研究都集中在培育新品种上，

that can adapt to the changing environment 短語搭配

使其能够适应不断变化的环境

and grow in conditions of either too much or too little water. 語法

并在水分过多或过少的条件下生长。

Over half the world's population eats rice,

世界上超过一半的人口吃大米，

and there's a growing demand in Africa and Europe too. 短語搭配

而且非洲和欧洲的需求也在不断增长。

So clearly,

所以很明显，

there's an appetite,

全世界对大米有着一种 appetite（需求），

a strong desire,

一种强烈的渴望，

for rice worldwide.

在世界范围内。

So,

那么，

is it possible to grow rice in a more eco-friendly way? 講解

有没有可能以更环保的方式种植水稻呢？

Jean-Philippe Laborde,

Jean-Philippe Laborde，

director of rice company Tilda,

Tilda 大米公司的总监，

thinks the answer lies in a new growing technique called alternate wet drying, 講解

认为答案在于一种叫做 alternate wet drying（交替干湿法）的新种植技术，

or AWD for short.

简称 AWD。

To grow rice,

为了种植水稻，

farmers go through cycles of flooding their fields or paddies, 講解

农民们要在他们的田地或稻田中经历淹水的循环，

which then dry out and need to be flooded again. 短語動詞

然后排干，再重新淹水。

With AWD,

使用 AWD，

measuring pipes are placed 15 cm underground, 語法

在地下15厘米处放置测量管道，

so that farmers can check water levels at any part of the field. 語法

这样农民就可以检查田地任何部位的水位。

Normally,

通常情况下，

rice needs 25 cycles of flooding and drying out to grow,

水稻需要经历25次淹水和干涸的循环才能生长，

but using AWD,

但使用 AWD，

this is reduced to 20 cycles, 短語搭配

这被减少到20个循环，

saving farmers water and reducing methane emissions. 講解

为农民节约了水并减少了甲烷排放。

Here's Jean-Philippe Laborde telling Ruth Alexander,

下面是 Jean-Philippe Laborde 告诉 Ruth Alexander，

presenter of BBC World Service's The Food Chain,

BBC 世界服务频道《食物链》节目的主持人，

how he began his AWD experiment with farmers in India.

他是如何在印度与农民开始他的 AWD 实验的。

We've got last year uh 1,268 farmers on board

我们去年呃有1,268名农民加入，

applying this AWD technique to reduce uh the overall methane emission. 短語搭配

应用这项 AWD 技术来减少呃整体的甲烷排放。

And how did you persuade those farmers to give it a go? 講解

那你是如何说服那些农民去尝试的呢？

That was quite challenging because obviously, 用詞

那是相当有挑战性的，因为很明显，

the main challenge is for farmers the apprehension to lose revenues. 用詞

对于农民来说主要的挑战是害怕损失收入。

They need to see tangible results at the end of the crop 短語搭配

他们需要在作物收成后看到 tangible（切实的）结果，

that they are getting obviously something better.

看到他们显然得到了更好的东西。

Many Indian farmers got on board with Jean-Phillipe's experiment. 習語

许多印度农民 got on board with（参与了）Jean-Phillipe 的实验。

If you get on board with something,

如果你 get on board with 某事，

you agree to a plan of action and get involved.

你就同意了一个行动计划并参与其中。

In other words, 表達脈絡

换句话说，

you give it a go,

你 give it a go（尝试一下），

you try doing something to see if it works. 語法

你尝试做某事看看它是否有效。

As it turned out, 表達脈絡

事实证明，

the new technique produced tangible results,

这项新技术产生了 tangible（切实的）结果，

results which are real and measurable.

真实且可衡量的结果。

Using AWD, 語法

使用 AWD，

the amounts of water and electricity needed to grow rice decreased. 語法

种植水稻所需的水和电的数量减少了。

Methane gas emissions reduced.

甲烷气体排放减少了。

And on top of that, 表達脈絡

最重要的是，

the amount of rice yielded increased. 用詞

大米的产量增加了。

Right,

好的，

Neil?

尼尔？

Isn't it time you revealed the answer to your question? 語氣意圖

现在是不是该揭晓你问题的答案了？

I asked how many liters of water

我问过多少升水

are needed to grow just 1 kg of rice.

被需要用来仅仅种植1公斤大米。

And the answer was 3,000 to 5,000 L.

答案是3,000到5,000升。

So,

所以，

thirsty,

是很耗水，

but not as thirsty as you thought. 語法

但没有你想象的那么耗水。

Okay,

好的，

let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this program, 短語搭配

让我们回顾一下在本期节目中学到的词汇，

starting with commodity. 表達脈絡

从 commodity 开始。

A product like rice that can be bought and sold.

像大米这样可以买卖的产品。

Varieties of something are different types of it.

某物的 varieties 就是它的不同种类。

If there's an appetite for something,

如果对某物有一种 appetite，

there's a strong desire or demand for it.

就说明对它有强烈的渴望或需求。

If you get on board with an idea or a plan,

如果你对一个想法或计划 get on board，

you agree to do something and get involved with doing it.

你就是同意做某事并参与其中。

To give it a go means to try doing something.

To give it a go 的意思是尝试做某事。

And finally,

最后，

the adjective tangible means real and measurable.

形容词 tangible 的意思是真实可衡量的。

Once again,

再一次，

our 6 minutes are up. 習語

我们的6分钟时间到了。

If you've enjoyed this program,

如果你喜欢这期节目，

why not try practicing the new vocabulary you've learned with our worksheets? 語氣意圖

为什么不试试用我们的练习表来练习你学到的新词汇呢？

It's available to download now from our website, 短語搭配

现在可以从我们的网站下载，

bbclearningenglish.com.

bbclearningenglish.com。

And you could also try out the quiz while you're there. 講解

你还可以在那里尝试一下小测验。

Goodbye for now.

暂时再见。

Bye.

再见。

6 Minute English

《六分钟英语》

from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com。