The Rising Cost of Our Daily Bread 粮食价格上涨
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2008年1月07日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2012年2月10日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：190
课文朗读
课文讲解
Around the world, people are paying more for their daily bread and butter. Basic food prices are rising, and the hardest hit are the poor. Those who spend more than 60% of their income on food can no longer afford to eat.
在世界各地，人们得花更多钱才能买到每天所吃的粮食。基本食物价格正在上扬，而受此冲击最大的是穷人。那些必须将所得60%以上花在买食物的人，可能再也负担不起这些开销。
Previously, wealthy countries were producing too much food. Governments were supporting farmers who couldn’t sell all of their produce. Taxes that made imported food more expensive also protected local farmers. This led to excess food production and lowered prices.
以前，富裕国家的食物生产过剩。政府会补贴卖不出农产品的农民。而提高进口食物价格的税务措施，也为当地农民提供保障。此举导致食物生产过多，压低了食品价格。
Recently, the situation has changed. Less government assistance has resulted in reduced production of food. Increasing numbers of droughts and floods are also decreasing crop yields. At the same time, as China and India become wealthier, they are consuming more of the world’s food supply. To make the situation worse, the new biofuel industry is consuming more produce such as corn and sugar crops.
最近，情况已有所不同。政府减少补助，因而降低了食物产量。此外，越来越频繁的旱灾造成农作物歉收。同时，日益富有的中国和印度对食物的需求也越来越大。让这情况更严酷的是，新兴的生质燃料业消耗更多的农产品，像是玉米和糖料作物。
As more food is demanded and less is supplied, prices are soaring. The effects are felt everywhere. However, it is the hungry that are the worst affected. They can’t afford to feed themselves, and helping them has become more expensive too. The United Nations’ World Food Programme has seen its costs rise by 50% over the past five years. The organization expects them to go up by another 35% in the next two years. For those who struggle to get by, these difficult times leave them searching for solutions.
当食物需求增加，供给却减少时，价格就会飙涨。世界各地都可以感受到这个现象。但是，饥民感受最为明显。他们买不起食物充饥，帮助他们所需的成本又比以往更昂贵。过去五年来，联合国世界粮食计划署的食物开销已增加50%。这个组织估计未来两年内这笔开销将再增加35%。那些勉强度日的人得想办法解决吃的问题。
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Vocabulary
单词发音
excess [ˈɛksɛs] adj. 过量的
assistance [əˋsɪstəns] n. 援助，帮助
consume [kənˋsjum] v. 消耗
soar [sor] v. 暴涨
get by (勉强)过活 to succeed in managing; survive
More Information
单词发音
bread and butter 生计，谋生之道 someone's basic income; someone's livelihood — the source of one's food
produce [ˋprɑdjus] n. 产品；农产品
drought [draʊt] n. 旱灾
yield [jild] n. 产量；收获量
biofuel ['baɪofjʊəl] n. 生物燃料（指曾经为活质的燃料，如煤）
leave [liv] v. 使处于某种状态