我們應該少吃白飯嗎？⏲️ 6分鐘英文：英語精讀講義

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

你好，這裡是 BBC 英語教學的《六分鐘英語》。

I'm Neil.

我是尼爾。

And I'm Beth.

我是貝絲。

Neil,

尼爾，

what type of foods do you often eat?

你經常吃哪種類型的食物？

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

嗯，能讓我填飽肚子的基本食物。

That's sort of bread, 語氣意圖

像是麵包，

potatoes.

馬鈴薯。

Well, food like this,

嗯，像這樣的食物，

which is regularly eaten by many people, 文法

被許多人經常食用的，

is known as a staple. 講解

被稱為主食。

In Britain,

在英國，

bread is a popular staple,

麵包是一種受歡迎的主食，

but for large parts of the world, 片語搭配

但在世界上的大部分地區，

there's another food which is number one, 用詞

還有另一種食物排在第一位，

rice.

白米。

That's right.

沒錯。

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

世界上超過一半的人口以米為主食，

especially in Asia.

特別是在亞洲。

But rice is a very thirsty crop, 慣用語

但水稻是一種非常耗水的農作物，

which needs lots of water to grow,

在生長過程中需要大量的水，

and this is becoming a problem

而這正成為一個問題，

because of droughts and flooding caused by climate change. 文法

因為氣候變遷導致了乾旱和洪水。

In this program,

在接下來的節目中，

we'll be hearing about a pioneering new technique 用詞

我們將聽到一項開創性的新技術，

helping farmers to grow rice

幫助農民種植水稻

in the face of a changing climate. 慣用語

以應對不斷變化的氣候。

As usual, 表達脈絡

像往常一樣，

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

我們將學習一些有用的新單字和片語。

And remember,

請記住，

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

你可以在我們的網站上找到本期節目的所有詞彙，

bbclearningenglish.com.

bbclearningenglish.com。

But first, 表達脈絡

但首先，

I have a question for you, Beth. 片語搭配

我有一個問題要問你，貝絲。

Just now,

剛才，

I mentioned that rice is a very thirsty crop.

我提到水稻是一種非常耗水的農作物。

So,

那麼，

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

種植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公升嗎？

B,

B，

3,000 to 5,000 L?

3,000到5,000公升？

Or C,

還是C，

5,000 to 7,000 L?

5,000到7,000公升？

Um, I'm going to say C,

嗯，我猜是C，

5,000 to 7,000 L.

5,000到7,000公升。

Well,

好吧，

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

我們將在節目最後揭曉答案。

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

Yvonne Pinto 博士是國際水稻研究所的總幹事，

or IRRI for short, 片語搭配

簡稱 IRRI，

based in the Philippines. 片語搭配

總部位於菲律賓。

Here,

在這裡，

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

她向 BBC 世界服務頻道的《食物鏈》節目

to BBC World Service program The Food Chain.

詳細解釋了米在全球受歡迎的情況。

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

世界上50%到56%的人口

rely on rice as the principal staple. 講解

依賴米作為主要主食。

Now,

現在，

that's roughly about 4 billion people. 用詞

這大約是40億人。

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

它是那些被極其廣泛種植的商品之一，

particularly in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

特別是在南亞和東南亞。

But increasingly, 表達脈絡

但越來越多地，

the appetite for it is growing in continents like Africa, 慣用語

在像非洲這樣的大陸，人們對它的需求正在增長，

and of course,

當然，

there are also Latin American and European rice varieties.

還有拉丁美洲和歐洲的稻米品種。

Rice is a commodity, 用詞

米是一種 commodity（商品），

a produce that can be bought and sold. 文法

一種可以買賣的農產品。

Like other crops,

像其他農作物一樣，

rice has varieties, 用詞

水稻有 varieties（品種），

different types.

不同種類。

For example,

例如，

brown rice,

糙米，

long-grained rice,

長粒米，

or basmati.

或者印度香米。

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

今天許多關於水稻的研究都集中在培育新品種上，

that can adapt to the changing environment 片語搭配

使其能夠適應不斷變化的環境

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

並在水分過多或過少的條件下生長。

Over half the world's population eats rice,

世界上超過一半的人口吃米，

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

而且非洲和歐洲的需求也在不斷增長。

So clearly,

所以很明顯，

there's an appetite,

全世界對米有著一種 appetite（需求），

a strong desire,

一種強烈的渴望，

for rice worldwide.

在世界範圍內。

So,

那麼，

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

有沒有可能以更環保的方式種植水稻呢？

Jean-Philippe Laborde,

Jean-Philippe Laborde，

director of rice company Tilda,

Tilda 米公司的總監，

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

認為答案在於一種叫做 alternate wet drying（交替乾濕法）的新種植技術，

or AWD for short.

簡稱 AWD。

To grow rice,

為了種植水稻，

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

農民們要在他們的田地或稻田中經歷淹水的循環，

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

然後排乾，再重新淹水。

With AWD,

使用 AWD，

measuring pipes are placed 15 cm underground, 文法

在地下15公分處放置測量管道，

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

這樣農民就可以檢查田地任何部位的水位。

Normally,

通常情況下，

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

水稻需要經歷25次淹水和乾涸的循環才能生長，

but using AWD,

但使用 AWD，

this is reduced to 20 cycles, 片語搭配

這被減少到20個循環，

saving farmers water and reducing methane emissions. 講解

為農民節約了水並減少了甲烷排放。

Here's Jean-Philippe Laborde telling Ruth Alexander,

下面是 Jean-Philippe Laborde 告訴 Ruth Alexander，

presenter of BBC World Service's The Food Chain,

BBC 世界服務頻道《食物鏈》節目的主持人，

how he began his AWD experiment with farmers in India.

他是如何在印度與農民開始他的 AWD 實驗的。

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

我們去年呃有1,268名農民加入，

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

應用這項 AWD 技術來減少呃整體的甲烷排放。

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

那你是如何說服那些農民去嘗試的呢？

That was quite challenging because obviously, 用詞

那是相當有挑戰性的，因為很明顯，

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

對於農民來說主要的挑戰是害怕損失收入。

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

他們需要在作物收成後看到 tangible（切實的）結果，

that they are getting obviously something better.

看到他們顯然得到了更好的東西。

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

許多印度農民 got on board with（參與了）Jean-Phillipe 的實驗。

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.

你就同意了一個行動計畫並參與其中。

In other words, 表達脈絡

換句話說，

you give it a go,

你 give it a go（嘗試一下），

you try doing something to see if it works. 文法

你嘗試做某事看看它是否有效。

As it turned out, 表達脈絡

事實證明，

the new technique produced tangible results,

這項新技術產生了 tangible（切實的）結果，

results which are real and measurable.

真實且可衡量的結果。

Using AWD, 文法

使用 AWD，

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

種植水稻所需的水和電的數量減少了。

Methane gas emissions reduced.

甲烷氣體排放減少了。

And on top of that, 表達脈絡

最重要的是，

the amount of rice yielded increased. 用詞

米的產量增加了。

Right,

好的，

Neil?

尼爾？

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

現在是不是該揭曉你問題的答案了？

I asked how many liters of water

我問過多少公升水

are needed to grow just 1 kg of rice.

被需要用來僅僅種植1公斤米。

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

答案是3,000到5,000公升。

So,

所以，

thirsty,

是很耗水，

but not as thirsty as you thought. 文法

但沒有你想像的那麼耗水。

Okay,

好的，

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

讓我們回顧一下在本期節目中學到的詞彙，

starting with commodity. 表達脈絡

從 commodity 開始。

A product like rice that can be bought and sold.

像米這樣可以買賣的產品。

Varieties of something are different types of it.

某物的 varieties 就是它的不同種類。

If there's an appetite for something,

如果對某物有一種 appetite，

there's a strong desire or demand for it.

就說明對它有強烈的渴望或需求。

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

如果你對一個想法或計畫 get on board，

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

你就是同意做某事並參與其中。

To give it a go means to try doing something.

To give it a go 的意思是嘗試做某事。

And finally,

最後，

the adjective tangible means real and measurable.

形容詞 tangible 的意思是真實可衡量的。

Once again,

再一次，

our 6 minutes are up. 慣用語

我們的6分鐘時間到了。

If you've enjoyed this program,

如果你喜歡這期節目，

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

為什麼不試試用我們的練習表來練習你學到的新詞彙呢？

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

現在可以從我們的網站下載，

bbclearningenglish.com.

bbclearningenglish.com。

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

你還可以在那裡嘗試一下小測驗。

Goodbye for now.

暫時再見。

Bye.

再見。

6 Minute English

《六分鐘英語》

from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com。