Unit-10-Agriculture新编大学英语第二版第一册课文翻译

Unit 10 AgricultureFarming for the Future[1] Every year, more people face poverty and hunger and more of the earth's resources are ruined. The problems are enormous, but many experts believe that the situation is not hopeless. The solution will require big changes in how we think about agriculture, food, and our planet.[2] First of all, farmers everywhere need to develop methods that are less destructive to the environment. The change from single crop farming to a mixed crop system would be one important step. The planting of several different crops improves the soil and helps prevent erosion. Erosion could also be prevented by planting trees to protect the fields from the wind. Another way farmers could improve the soil is to avoid deep plowing. In fact, only a slight plowing is necessary if proper methods are used.[3] If the soil were treated better, farmers would not need to use chemical fertilizers. They could use natural animal and vegetable products instead. With mixed crops, farmers would need fewer toxic chemical insecticides. They could use biological methods of controlling insects and disease.[4] Farmers could also help save the earth's precious supplies of water and petroleum. To save water, they could plant more water-efficient plants instead of the standard types of wheat or corn. They could also use watering systems that are much less wasteful. To save petroleum, farmers could make use of bio-gas generators which could be fueled by the vegetable and animal wastes of the farms. In less-developed countries, bio-gas generators could reduce the need for firewood and so help save forests, as well.[5] In less-developed countries, the small farmers need help. They need to learn more about crops that are better suited to local conditions. They need to learn how to limit erosion and make the best use of their resources. These farmers will never be successful without land and economic reform. This should be the aim of governments and international agencies. The current industrial and cash crop policies are only making the situation worse.[6] Industrialized countries could use their economic resources to help bring about these changes. They could make some changes in their own policies. At present, much food is wasted in these countries for political reasons. In Europe and in North America, tons of fruit and dairy products are thrown away every year. Eating habits, too, could be changed in these countries. For example, people often eat foods from distant places instead of local foods. The transportation of the imported foods adds to the global pollution problem. People in industrialized countries also eat a lot of meat, especially beef.In fact, a large percentage of the grain grown in these countries is used for feeding cattle. If people in these countries ate less meat, there would be more grain to feed the hungry people of the world.[7] The ideal agricultural system would be sustainable; that is, its level of productivity could be continued indefinitely and the damage to the environment much less. This is a war which must be won because it would have only winners for both farmers and consumers of farm products.未来农耕1 现在面临贫困和饥饿的人一年比一年多，地球资源遭到的破坏也一年比一年严重。

这些问题极为严重，不过许多专家认为情况还没有到令人绝望的地步。

要解决它们就需要我们对农业、食品和整个地球的看法做出重大改变。

2 首先，世界各地的农民都必须研究开发对环境破坏性较小的耕作模式。

重要的一步是把单一作物改为多种作物混合耕种。

种植多种作物能改善土壤，有助于防止水土流失。

通过植树来保护耕地不受风害也能防止水土流失。

农民改善土壤的另一个办法是避免深耕。

实际上，如果方法得当，只需浅耕即可。

3 只要土地耕作比较得当，农民就没有必要使用化肥，而可以使用天然的动植物肥料。

多种作物混合耕种后，就能少用有毒的化学杀虫剂。

农民还可以用生物手段控制病虫害。

4 农民还能帮助节约地球上珍贵的水资源和石油资源。

为了节约水，农民可以多种节水型作物以取代常规的小麦和玉米。

还可以使用更为节水的灌溉系统。

为了节约石油，他们可以利用生物气发电机。

生物气发电机的燃料由农场上的蔬菜和动物的垃圾和粪便提供。

在欠发达的国家里，生物气发电机能减少对木柴的需求，从而也有助于保护森林。

5 在欠发达的国家里，小农场主们需要帮助。

他们需要掌握更能适应当地条件的作物的有关知识。

他们需要掌握怎样控制水土流失和最充分利用自己的资源。

不进行土地和经济改革，这些农场主永远不会成功。

这种改革应该是各国政府和国际机构的目标。

目前施行的这些工业和经济作物政策只是把事情弄得更糟。

6 工业化国家可以用他们的经济资源帮助促成这些变化。

他们还可以对自己的政策作些改变。

目前，这些国家因为政治原因而浪费了很多食品。

在欧洲和北美每年都有成吨成吨的水果和奶制品被扔掉。

这些国家的饮食习惯也可作些改变。

例如，人们常吃那些来自遥远地方的东西，而不吃本地产的。

进口食品的运输加重了全球的污染问题。

工业化国家的人们还食用大量的肉类，尤其是牛肉。

事实上，这些国家所生产的粮食有很大一部分是用来喂牛的。

假如这些国家的人们少吃些肉，就会有更多的粮食提供给世界上正在挨饿的人们。

7 理想的农业体系应当是可持续性的，也就是说，其生产力水平能长期保持下去而对环境的破坏却小得多。

这是一场必须打胜的战斗，因为无论是对农民还是对农产品消费者而言，这场战斗只有赢者。

Dairying and Dairy Products[1] When did people begin using milk from animals? Probably about the time they began domesticating animals - some 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. Meat was certainly the most important food first provided by domesticated animals. But the milk of cattle, goats, sheep, or other animals also became part of people's diets. As agriculture developed, milk and other dairy products, such as butter, cheese, and yogurt, became more and more important in the diet of human beings.[2] For many thousands of years, a large percentage of the population was engaged in agriculture. Families commonly kept a few goats, cows, or sheep on their farms to provide fresh milk and other dairy products. With the coming of the industrial age, however, fewer and fewer people made their living through agriculture. The production of milk and products made from milk slowly became an industry.[3] The development of the dairy industry was closely linked with the development of better crops and animals and with a host of technological changes, such as improved transportation, refrigeration and advancements in milk processing. For example, in earlier times, one of the biggest problems was keeping milk fresh so that it would not spoil. Milk used to be kept cool by putting a container in the shade or in cold spring water near the farm or home. Today it is automatically cooled as soon as it is removed from the cow; it is carried long distances in large refrigerated tanks and then processed and packaged for placement in refrigerated showcases in grocery stores. The production of milk in many countries is now a large, scientifically based, highly mechanized industry.[4] The life of a dairy farmer is usually a rigorous one. Cows must be milked and other chores done seven days a week throughout the year. Hand milking has given way to the use of milking machines, but it must still be done twice a day. Family labor frequently makes up a large part of the labor force, especially on an average-sized farm. The sons and daughters of dairy farmers sometimes learn to put in long days and to carry heavy responsibilities at a young age.[5] Since the middle of the 20th century, there has been a great decrease in the number of dairy farms in the United States and Canada. In general, however, the farms remaining are large, have highly productive cows, and are managed with great skill. These farms represent the survivors in a very competitive business.Future Outlook for Dairy Farming[6] Before the end of the 20th century, a further reduction in the number of dairy farms is likely, as the less competitive farmers are forced to give up dairying [N]. World population, however, is increasing at a rapid rate, and the need for food will obviously increase as well. It is likely, therefore, that milk and milk products will be greatly in demand to help feed a hungry world.[7] Dairy scientists have learned how to increase greatly the productivity of cows. Dairy farmers should thus be in an excellent position to meet the challenges of the future. Important developments in milk processing and the development of new products mean that dairy foods will be more easily stored, transported, and made available to people the world over.乳品业和乳制品1 人们是从何时开始使用动物奶的呢？大约是在8，000 到10，000 年以前，从他们开始驯养动物时起。