DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Growing Crops With Less Water
生态农业的发展前景 英语作文
生态农业的发展前景英语作文Ecological Agriculture: Prospects for Sustainable Development.In an era characterized by environmental degradation and growing food insecurity, ecological agriculture emerges as a beacon of hope, offering a sustainable and resilient approach to food production. This holistic farming system hinges upon the principles of biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and natural pest regulation, minimizing reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that have adverse impacts on ecosystems and human health.Environmental Benefits.Ecological agriculture plays a crucial role in safeguarding ecosystems. By promoting biodiversity, it creates habitats for a wide range of species, enhancing the stability and resilience of agricultural landscapes. This includes beneficial insects, pollinators, and soilorganisms that contribute to pest control, soil fertility, and nutrient cycling. The absence of synthetic chemicals reduces water and soil pollution, protecting waterways, and aquifers.Moreover, ecological agriculture practices such as crop rotation, cover cropping, and agroforestry improve soil health. By increasing organic matter content and fostering microbial activity, soils become more fertile, retain water better, and resist erosion. This not only enhances crop yields but also contributes to carbon sequestration, mitigating climate change.Social Benefits.Ecological agriculture supports rural communities by creating sustainable livelihoods for small-scale farmers.It promotes local food production, reducing dependency on imports and fostering food sovereignty. By relying less on external inputs, ecological farmers save on production costs and increase their resilience to market fluctuations.Furthermore, ecological agriculture fosters social equity by promoting fair trade practices and supporting indigenous farming knowledge. It empowers farmers to make informed decisions about their land and resources,fostering a sense of autonomy and stewardship.Economic Benefits.Although ecological agriculture may require higher investment in labor and knowledge, it can be economically viable in the long run. By reducing reliance on expensive synthetic inputs and improving soil health, ecological farmers can achieve comparable or even higher yields over time.Moreover, ecological agriculture products often fetch premium prices in the market due to their perceived environmental and health benefits. Consumers are increasingly seeking sustainably produced food, providing a growing market for ecological farmers.Challenges and Opportunities.Despite its many advantages, ecological agriculture faces challenges, including:Transition costs: Farmers converting to ecological agriculture may experience lower yields in the initial stages due to the reduced use of synthetic inputs. Financial assistance and technical support are needed to ease this transition.Pest and disease management: Ecological agriculture relies on biological controls and crop diversity to manage pests and diseases. Research and innovation are crucial to enhance the effectiveness of these natural methods.Consumer awareness: Consumers need to be educated about the benefits of ecological agriculture to create demand for sustainably produced food.Overcoming these challenges requires collaboration among governments, research institutions, farmers, and consumers. By providing incentives for ecologicalagriculture, investing in research and development, and empowering consumers to make informed choices, we can unlock the full potential of this sustainable and resilient farming system.Conclusion.Ecological agriculture offers a transformative pathway towards a sustainable and equitable food system. By embracing ecological principles, we can protect ecosystems, support rural communities, and enhance food security for future generations. While challenges lie ahead, thebenefits of ecological agriculture far outweigh the costs, making it an imperative for a thriving and sustainable future.。
农田减产雅思小作文
农田减产雅思小作文英文回答：Crop yield reduction is a serious issue that affects farmers worldwide. There are several factors that can lead to a decrease in agricultural productivity. One of the main causes is climate change. Changes in temperature andrainfall patterns can disrupt the growth and development of crops, resulting in lower yields.For example, in recent years, many regions have experienced prolonged droughts, which have severely impacted crop production. Without sufficient water, plants cannot grow properly and may even die. This has led to a decrease in the overall yield of crops such as wheat, corn, and rice.Another factor that contributes to crop yield reduction is the prevalence of pests and diseases. Insects, weeds, and pathogens can damage crops and reduce theirproductivity. Farmers often have to use pesticides and herbicides to control these pests, but excessive use can have negative effects on the environment and human health.Furthermore, soil degradation is also a significant factor in crop yield reduction. Over time, intensive farming practices can deplete the soil of essential nutrients and organic matter. This can lead to poor soil structure and fertility, making it difficult for crops to obtain the necessary nutrients for growth.In addition to these factors, inadequate access to modern farming technologies and practices can also contribute to crop yield reduction. Farmers who lack access to improved seeds, fertilizers, and machinery may struggle to achieve high yields. This is particularly true in developing countries where small-scale farmers often face limited resources and support.中文回答：农田减产是一个严重的问题，影响着全球的农民。
农业未来的变化英语作文
The future of agriculture is a topic that has garnered significant attention as the world grapples with the challenges of feeding a growing population while also addressing environmental concerns.As a seasoned observer of agricultural trends,I have witnessed firsthand the remarkable transformation that is taking place in this vital sector.One of the most striking changes in agriculture is the integration of technology.Modern farming has moved beyond traditional methods to embrace precision farming techniques.This involves the use of GPS systems,drones,and sensors to monitor crop health and soil conditions. For instance,farmers can now use satellite imagery to identify areas that require more water or fertilizer,ensuring that resources are used efficiently and sustainably.Another significant development is the rise of vertical farming.This innovative approach to agriculture involves growing crops in stacked layers,often within urban environments.By utilizing vertical space,vertical farms can produce a large quantity of food with a fraction of the land typically required for traditional farming.This is particularly beneficial in densely populated areas where land is scarce.The use of genetically modified organisms GMOs in agriculture is another area that has seen considerable growth.GMOs have the potential to increase crop yields,enhance nutritional content,and make plants more resistant to pests and diseases.While there are debates surrounding the safety and ethical implications of GMOs,their role in addressing food security cannot be overlooked.Agricultural practices are also becoming more sustainable.There is a growing emphasis on reducing the environmental impact of farming,with many farmers adopting organic methods that avoid the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.This not only benefits the environment but also produces healthier food for consumers.In addition to these technological and methodological changes,the future of agriculture is also being shaped by societal trends.As consumers become more healthconscious and environmentally aware,there is a rising demand for locally sourced,organic,and ethically produced food.This has led to the growth of farmers markets and communitysupported agriculture CSA programs,where consumers can directly support local farmers and access fresh,highquality produce.Moreover,the role of women in agriculture is gaining recognition.In many parts of the world,women are taking on leadership roles in farming communities,contributing to the development of more inclusive and sustainable agricultural practices.Their involvement is crucial in addressing the unique challenges faced by women in agriculture,such as access to land,credit,and training.The future of agriculture is also being influenced by climate change.As weather patterns become more unpredictable,farmers are adapting their practices to ensure crop resilience.This includes selecting crop varieties that can withstand extreme weather conditions and implementing watersaving techniques such as drip irrigation.In conclusion,the future of agriculture is one of innovation,sustainability, and adaptability.As the world faces the dual challenges of feeding a growing population and preserving the environment,the agricultural sector must continue to evolve and embrace new technologies and practices.By doing so,it can play a crucial role in building a more sustainable and foodsecure future for all.。
人教版初三英语动名词作表语单选题40题
人教版初三英语动名词作表语单选题40题1.Her hobby is ____ books.A.readingB.to readC.readsD.read答案解析：A。
动名词reading 在句中作表语，表示习惯性的爱好。
B 选项to read 通常表示具体的某次动作，而不是长期的爱好；C 选项reads 是谓语动词形式，不能作表语；D 选项read 也是谓语动词形式，不能作表语。
2.His job is ____ cars.A.repairingB.to repairC.repairsD.repair答案解析：A。
动名词repairing 作表语，说明他的工作性质是修理汽车。
B 选项to repair 有具体去做某事的含义，不是表示工作的长期性质；C 选项repairs 是谓语动词形式，不能作表语；D 选项repair 也是谓语动词形式，不能作表语。
3.My favorite activity is ____ basketball.A.playingB.to playC.playsD.play答案解析：A。
动名词playing 作表语，表示最喜欢的活动是打篮球这个长期的行为。
B 选项to play 通常指具体的某次去玩篮球；C 选项plays 是谓语动词形式，不能作表语；D 选项play 也是谓语动词形式，不能作表语。
4.Their habit is ____ early.A.getting upB.to get upC.gets upD.get up答案解析：A。
动名词getting up 作表语，表明他们的习惯是早起这种长期的行为。
B 选项to get up 通常表示具体某次起床动作；C 选项gets up 是谓语动词形式，不能作表语；D 选项get up 也是谓语动词形式，不能作表语。
5.Her dream is ____ a famous singer.A.becomingB.to becomeC.becomesD.become答案解析：A。
农业发展英语作文
农业发展英语作文Agriculture is the cornerstone of human civilization providing the essential food and raw materials for our survival. As the worlds population continues to grow the importance of agricultural development becomes increasingly significant. This essay will explore the various aspects of agricultural development including modern farming techniques the role of technology and the challenges faced by the agricultural sector.Modern Farming TechniquesModern farming techniques have revolutionized the way we produce food. These techniques include precision agriculture which uses GPS and other technologies to monitor and manage crop growth soil conditions and water usage. This allows farmers to optimize their resources reduce waste and increase yields. Another modern technique is vertical farming which involves growing crops in vertically stacked layers. This method is particularly useful in urban areas where land is scarce and it can significantly reduce the environmental impact of traditional farming.Role of TechnologyTechnology plays a crucial role in agricultural development. From genetically modified crops that are resistant to pests and diseases to drones that monitor crop health and automate irrigation systems technology is making farming more efficient and sustainable. The use of artificial intelligence in agriculture is also on the rise with AI algorithms helping to predict crop yields manage pests and even optimize harvesting times. Challenges in Agricultural DevelopmentDespite the advancements the agricultural sector faces several challenges. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues with unpredictable weather patterns affecting crop cycles and yields. Soil degradation and water scarcity are also significant concerns as they directly impact the productivity of farmland. Additionally the agricultural sector must contend with the need to produce more food with fewer resources as the global population continues to increase.Sustainable Agricultural PracticesTo address these challenges sustainable agricultural practices are essential. This includescrop rotation which helps maintain soil fertility and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Organic farming which avoids the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers is another sustainable practice that is gaining popularity. Moreover agroforestry which integrates trees into farmland can improve soil health provide habitat for wildlife and contribute to carbon sequestration.Education and TrainingLastly education and training play a vital role in agricultural development. By equipping farmers with the knowledge and skills to adopt modern farming techniques and sustainable practices we can ensure that agriculture continues to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of society.In conclusion agricultural development is a multifaceted endeavor that requires the integration of modern techniques technology and sustainable practices. By addressing the challenges and embracing innovation we can work towards a future where agriculture not only feeds the world but does so in a way that is environmentally responsible and socially equitable.。
英语作文-农业科学研究和试验发展行业的农产品加工与农副产品利用
英语作文-农业科学研究和试验发展行业的农产品加工与农副产品利用Agricultural science research and experimental development in the field of agricultural product processing and utilization of agricultural and sideline products play a crucial role in ensuring food security, promoting sustainable agriculture, and fostering rural development. In this article, we delve into the significance, advancements, and future prospects of this vital sector.The agricultural sector has undergone significant transformations over the years, driven by technological advancements and evolving consumer demands. Agricultural science research and experimental development have been instrumental in enhancing the efficiency, quality, and sustainability of agricultural production and processing. One of the key areas of focus has been on the development of innovative techniques for agricultural product processing and the utilization of agricultural and sideline products.Advancements in agricultural science have led to the emergence of various technologies and methodologies for processing agricultural products. From traditional methods like drying and fermentation to modern techniques such as freeze-drying and irradiation, researchers have continually explored new avenues to improve the shelf life, nutritional value, and safety of agricultural products. Additionally, the utilization of by-products and residues from agricultural production has gained traction, leading to the development of value-added products and biofuels.Moreover, agricultural science research has contributed to the optimization of processing techniques to minimize post-harvest losses and reduce resource wastage. Through the integration of automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence, processing facilities have become more efficient and cost-effective, ensuring higher yields and better product quality. Furthermore, advancements in biotechnology have enabled the development of genetically modified crops with enhanced nutritional profiles andresistance to pests and diseases, thereby improving the raw material base for agricultural product processing.In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on sustainable agriculture and circular economy principles in agricultural science research and experimental development. Researchers are exploring innovative approaches to reduce the environmental footprint of agricultural production and processing, such as utilizing renewable energy sources, implementing zero-waste practices, and adopting eco-friendly packaging materials. Additionally, there is a concerted effort to promote the use of organic and natural ingredients in food processing to meet consumer preferences for healthier and environmentally friendly products.Looking ahead, the future of agricultural product processing and utilization of agricultural and sideline products holds immense promise. With ongoing advancements in technology, biotechnology, and sustainability practices, the sector is poised for further growth and innovation. However, it is essential to address challenges such as food safety concerns, regulatory constraints, and market access barriers to fully harness the potential of agricultural science research and experimental development in this domain.In conclusion, agricultural science research and experimental development play a pivotal role in driving innovation and sustainability in the field of agricultural product processing and utilization of agricultural and sideline products. By leveraging technological advancements and adopting sustainable practices, the sector can contribute significantly to food security, economic development, and environmental conservation. As we continue to navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing world, investing in agricultural science research and experimental development remains imperative for a resilient and prosperous agricultural sector.。
(完整版)英语单项选择题-词汇篇-答案详解(最新整理)
二、词汇题（650题）1. The manager asked his secretary if it was possible for her to ______ the investment plan within five days.A) work out B) make outC) take out D) set out2. She called me up______ she received my letter.A) promptly B) immediatelyC) quickly D) properly3. Leaning a foreign language is a question of learning new skills, or a question of ______ new knowledge.A) obtaining B) gainingC) achieving D) acquiring4. Scientists have found new uses for some ______ such as mercury and lead.A) stuff B) mattersC) substances D) materials5. This book is ______ as it is the only one ever signed by the author.A) special B) uniqueC) rare D) unusual6. Ann’s boss is always finding ______with her the way she does things.A) error B) mistakeC) fault D) flaw7. Mozart began to ______ poems and taught literature at the age of 20.A) compose B) makeC) write D) create8. The young doctor treated his ______ with great patienceA) clients B) clerksC) consumers D) customers9. If a person talks about his weak points, his listener is expected to say something in the way of ______.A) discouragement B) persuasionC) encouragement D) confirmation10. His superior is often caught ______ by his smart questions dealing with transactionsA) up B) outC) on D) up with11. The accused man was found not guilty and was ______.A) excluded B) dischargedC) driven D) dismissed12. The lawyer really didn’t know how to ______ the problem.A) tackle B) copeC) deal D) dispose13. A witness in a murder trial is ______ to know the facts in the case.A) assumed B) resumedC) consumed D) assured14. Gettysburge was the ______ of the most important battle in the American civil war.A) view B) sceneC) sight D) landscape15. She claimed she was ______ to a social position high above those of the commons due to her noble birth.A) entitled B) givenC) granted D) assumed16. It was ______ for Mary to wear a T shirt at the press conference.A) out of question B) out of placeC) out of order D) out of practice 5117. At the end of her trial, she was ______ to three years’ imprisonment.A) found B) convincedC) sentenced D) condemned18. If you have a ______ to make about the quality, we are willing to help you.A) dislike B) discomfortC) discontent D) complaint19. Although I had told them not to keep me waiting, they made no ______ to speed up the deliveries.A) trial B) attemptC) action D) progress20. John’s black eye gave ______to rumours that he had been in a fight.A) rise B) reasonC) suspicion D) impulse21. It seemed as if all of a ______ the animal had smelt danger in the air.A) sudden B) momentC) minute D) once22. The patient’s condition is now ______; if he can’t get proper treatment, he will die.A) vital B) urgentC) emergent D) critical23. When the maid was questioned about the missing nacklace, she firmly ______ having seen it before.A) rejected B) refusedC) denied D) ignored24. The two countries have always been on good ______ with each other.A) friendship B) relationsC) connection D) terms25. Mr. Wang wants to get his decayed tooth ______ this afternoon.A) repaired B) mendedC) filled D) cured26. The engineer ______ a rare disease when he was working in Africa.A) took B) sufferedC) caught D) infected27. After the music had ______ there was a moment of absolute silence.A) died out B) died offC) died away D) died down28. Fred’s good nature makes him the most ______ boy in the school.A) well-known B) favorableC) preferable D) popular29. What he described as a ____ detail, I thought, was the most important part of the plan.A) common B) plainC) mere D) flat30. Without the friction between their feet and the ground, people would ____ be able to walk.A) in no time B) by all meansC) in no way D) on any account31. There is pressure on the British Government to ____ the number of immigrants permitted to settle in the U.K.A) confine B) decreaseC) restrain D) limit32. The tourist is prevented from entering a country if he doesn’t have ______ passport.A) an operative B) a validC) an effective D) an efficient33. According to the psychoanalyst Signumd Freud, wisdom comes from the ____ of maturity.A) achievement B) accomplishmentC) fulfilment D) establishment34. The board of the company has decided to ____ its trade to all parts of the world.A) enlarge B) expandC) stretch D) extend35.Accuracy and preciseness are vital in academic ____.A) circus B) cyclesC) circles D) circuits36．In many societies, a person who fails to conform to conventional behavior is likely to be ____ by others.A) avoided B) neglectedC) retreated D) ignored37. We are now living in an age where every mind feels the ____ of the new ideas.A) impact B) impulseC) impression D) shock38. John’s news report covering the conference was so ____ that nothing had been omitted.A) concrete B) integratedC) comprehensive D) abstract39. I thought you might be interested to hear about a ____ phenomenon which I had observed. It was really peculiar.A) revealed B) brilliantC) scarce D) curious40. I hope Mrs. Smith will take my recent illness into ____ when judging my examination.A) account B) regardC) count D) observation41. The lawyer asked the witness to ______ the facts just as he remembered them.A) setting down B) setting outC) putting across D) putting away42. ____ of money prevented us from finishing the research work this year.A) Expense B) LackC) Limit D) Short43. Tall-growing crops should be planted where they will not shade or ____ with the growth of smaller crops.A) interrupt B) interfereC) disturb D) distract44. The farmers are more anxious for rain than the people in the city because they have more at ____.A) danger B) stakeC) loss D) threat45. The famers in the mountain area bring their ______ to town early each Saturday morning.A) products B) outputC) manufactures D) produce46. The lady was detained by the police at the airport because his passport was found to be ____.A) an artificial one B) an unnatural oneC) an untrue one D) a false one47. The ____ of the book, with the text on the left and the notes on the right, makes pleasant reading.A) layout B) systemC) pattern D) style48. In the long-distance race, Marvin took the lead , and ______ it till the end of the race..A) obtained B) maintainedC) persisted in D) insisted on49. Experts say walking is one of the best ways for a person to ______ healthy.A) preserve B) stayC) maintain D) reserve50. It is natural for young people to be critical of their parents ____.A) at a time B) between timeC) at times D) at the time51. Normally he is rather _____ but sometimes he talks freely about himself.A) sociable B) reservedC) serious D) peaceful52. Please give my ______sincere regards to all the members of your family.A) honest B) sincereC) true D) hopeful53. With night falling we employed a guide to ______ us on our way up the mountain.A) take B) guideC) conduct D) lead54. Current hiring policies in China seek to ____ equal employment opportunities for women and minority groups.A) continue B) confirmedC) provide D) presented55. The mechanic examined the car engine ______ but could find nothing wrong with it.A) exactly B) completelyC) thoroughly D) throughout56. After giving birth to children, many women now take active part in sports and ______ of different kinds.A）matches B) gamesC) races D) events57. Your grandfather is rather tired so do not ______ your visit.A) postpone B) lengthenC) delay D) prolong58. He has recently got an interesting ______ in a textile factory.A) work B) jobC) profession D) employment59. Only thoroughly unpleasant people leave the ______ of their picnics to spoil the appearance of the countryside.A) remains B) restC) container D) content60. Papers clips, drawing pins and safety-pins were ______ all over the floor.A) delivered B) scatteredC) separated D) sprayed61. The neighbors do not consider him quite ______ as most evenings he awakens them with his drunken singing.A) respective B) respectedC) respectable D) respectful62. The autumn air felt ______ so she went to fetch a coat.A) cool B) chillyC) cold D) fresh63. The melting of the snow has caused flooding by _____ riversA) increased B) expandedC) overgrown D) swollen64. Make sure you ______ your food properly before you swallow it.A) have B) eatC) chew D) bite65. The leather goods failed to _____ the required standard and were sent back to the shop.A) live up to B) face up toC) come up to D) give way to66. With an eighty-hour week and little change of enjoyment, life must have been very ______ for the nineteenth-century factory workers.A) weary B) anxiousC) dark D) dreary67. Peter wants to rent a flat, ______ , one reasonably near his company.A) eventually B) in factC) if possible D) really68. One of the tigers has got ______. Warn everyone of the danger.A) lose B) looseC) loosened D) lost69. Free medical treatment in this country covers sickness of mind as well as ______ sickness.A) usual B) regularC) ordinary D) average70. Now my parents live partly on their pension and partly on the ______ of their savings account.A) income B) wagesC) interest D) salary71. Every day thousands of ______ fly the Atlantic for negotiations with American firms.A) merchants B) dealersC) businessman D) tradesmen72. He ______ spends his holidays in the mountains though occasionally he goes to the seaside instead.A) usually B) invariablyC) rarely D) always73. Before you ______ down other people, it is as well to consider your own faults.A) turn B) bringC) run D) send74. Though it was only a ______fever, the doctor gave me an injection.A) mild B) smallC) weak D) faint75. This was one of many horrible crimes they ______ against Chinese people.A) make B) performC) commit D) achieve76. As a result of the radio ______ for help for those who lost their homes in the earthquake, over a million pounds has been raised.A) appeal B) callC) program D) demand77. An ambulance must have priority as it usually has to deal with some kind of ______.A) urgency B) dangerC) crisis D) emergency78. The brain needs a ______ supply of blood.A) continual B) constantC) continuous D) lasted79．The explorer ____ all the way to the source of the river by boat.A) drove B) rodeC) travelled D) followed80. Remember not to ______ your stomach by eating too much rich food.A) hurt B) destroyC) harm D) upset81. The kindergarten is half empty as a serious epidemic of measles has broken ______.A) up B) outC) in D) down82. To our amazement, both his health and his business ______ within a year.A) fell B) sankC) dropped D) collapsed83. The old couple were ______ to hear that their son had been sentenced innocent.A) relieved B) relaxedC) released D) relayed84. Tom failed in the physics exam, it ______ him right because he had not studied for the semester.A) served B) taughtC) got D) put85. The country is well-known for its impressive mountainous ______ .A) views B) scenesC) scenery D) nature86.The _______ in which a child grows up may have an effect on his development.A) condition B) atmosphereC) surroundings D) environments87. These figures can not be ______ with the results obtained in previous experiments.A) constant B) consistentC) conventional D) convenient88. It is frightening to think that the cruel murderer is still ______.A)as follows B) in placeC) at intervals D) at large89. As the cloud is drifted away, an even higher peak became ______ to the climbers.A) in sight B) visibleC) obvious D) clear90. They were required to ______ the house to the way it might have looked on the 1930s.A) repaired B) builtC) recovered D) restored91.The rise in the price of raw material will _____ the market.A) affect B) effectC) confirm D) depress92. A historical novel is a form of ______, which may include many facts.A) legend B) taleC) myth D) fiction93. All of us had been exhausted but felt considerably ______ after a meal and a rest.A) relieved B) refreshedC) recreated D) renewed94. It is really impolite to ______ when someone is speaking to you on the phone.A) hold up B) give upC) hang up D) hang on95. I was sorry to see that you were ______ me as if I had been a criminal.A) regarding B) treC) thinking D) considering96. Since many students like to fin an apartment near the University, there are very few _____ apartments in the area.A) free B) emptyC) bare D) vacant97. The invention of the train enabled many more people to travel ______.A) independently B) freelyC) readily D) free98. Our compass and maps proved ______ to us in the walking tours.A) valuable B) worthC) profitable D) valueless99. As one of the four ______ of the company he often had to attend important policy meetings.A) directors B) bossesC) presidents D) governors100. Under the Constitution, government can not interfere ______ the private lives of citizens.A) in B) intoC) with D) of101. There was a short______ after the second act of the play.A) gap B) pauseC) break D) interval102. The city government has planned to ______ the two islands with a bridge.A) connect B) contactC) combine D) unite103. I can’t advise you what to do; you must use your own ______.A) opinion B) justiceC) thought D) judgement104. By that time, Li siguang had already risen to ______ in the geographical circle in the world..A) elevation B) prominenceC) phenomenon D) significance105. The fundamental ______, which govern all physical processes, are also related to many everyday occurrences.A) rules B) regulationsC) principals D) principles106. Negotiations about fixing the ______ between the two countries are still going on.A) border B) boundaryC) edge D) frontier107. It is difficult to express it in ______ of science.A) words B) termsC) expressions D) vocabulary108. It is said that great men often have great ______.A) errors B) mistakesC) faults D) flaws109. His wife earns a high ______ as an account.A) salaries B) wagesC) incomes D) savings110. Some famous experts and engineers have been called in to plan ______ for boating , tennis, refreshments and children’s games in the projected town park.A) equipment B) instrumentsC) implement D) facilities111. Canadians use their cars for nearly 90 per cent of all personal ______.A) trips B) voyageC) travels D) journey112. Would you mind repeating what you said, I didn’t quite ______.A) catch at B) catch onC) catch up D ) catch out113. It gave me a strange feeling of excitement to see my name ______.A) in print B) in pressC) for publication D) out of the newspaper114. To my great delight, I read in your February ______the letter to the Editor written by my uncle.A) issue B) copyC) magazine D) printing115. It is said that old people do not like having their daily ______ upset.A) custom B) habitC) routine D) practice116. Anyone who has spent time with children is aware of the difference in the way boys and girls respond to ______ situations.A) similar B) sameC) alike D) likely117. Though Mr. Ker is not a professional writer, he has became an ______ member of the Writers’ Association.A) honor B) honoredC) honorary D) honorable118. It is absolutely ______ that our team will win the game.A) exact B) sureC) right D) certain119. The beauty of the mountain is more than I can describe. I’m sure whoever sees it will ______ its charm.A) yield to B) appeal toC) stick to D) draw to120. The new secretary has written a remarkable ______ report in a few pages but with all the details.A) concise B) clearC) exact D) precise121. The foreigner reads the Chinese article remarkably well, with a clear ______ agreeable voice.A) delicious B) sincereC) distinct D) distant122. We made plans for a visit but ____ difficulties with the car prevented it.A) frequent B) subsequentC) inefficient D) insufficent123. They have the ____ rights for the sale of Ford cars in this town.A) flexible B) virtualC) essential D) exclusive124. It is a ____ error for people to fancy others in their own position.A) general B) commonC) usual D) ordinary125. The difference is only very ____; we can hardly see it.A) slight B) delicateC) light D) careful126. It is the practice of the local club to give ____ performances during the summer.A) desperate B) dangerousC) dramatic D) domestic127. He told me his digestive trouble is cured ____ and all.A) for long B) for lifeC) for ever D) for good128. Today’s newspaper ______ that there will be campaign for find raising.A) writes B) reportsC) tells D) states129. Your socks ______ your shoes, they look very well together.A) fit B) suitC) match D) correspond130. The speaker talked about sports in general and about football in ______.A) peculiar B) specialC) particular D) unusual131. As it is possible now to import food from distant countries, people today have a more ____ diet than their ancestors.A) various B) variety.C) varied D) variable132. Never use such ____ language in front of your children.A) strong B) forcefulC) heavy D) rigid133. Although the area is very poor now, its _____ wealth is great.A) practical B) possibleC) potential D) powerfu134. The ____ length of a meter is 40 inches; the exact length is 39.37 inches.A) appropriate B) approximateC) nearby D) strict135. Someone shouted “fire” but it was a ____ alarm and there was no danger.A) untrue B) wrongC) false D) fierce136. You must obtain ______ from the landowner to fish in the river.A) right B) freedomC) permission D) allowance137. That ____ instrument can record even very slight changes.A) tender B) tenseC) delicious D) delicate138. The boss failed to carry out some of the provisions of the contract, and now he has to ______ the consequences.A) answer for B) apply forC) run into D) blame on139. Government institutes of statistics are usually ____ the birth rate and the death rate, and the collection and interpretation of other official statistics.A) familiar with B) concerned withC) consistent with D) communicating with140. All units of measurement are ____, because space, time, weight, and other dimensions are not naturally divided into units.A) virtual B) beneficialC) artistic D) artificial141. At that time, the people of this area were ______ to every kind of danger: flood, starvation, disease and war.A) supposed B) proposedC) opposed D) exposed142. Success in diving requires not only skill and balance but also ____ alertness and concentration.A) nervous B) manualC) mental D) mortal143. Economic progress is closely bound up ____ educational development.A) with B) fromC) at D) to144. Her grandfather’s condition looks very serious and it is doubtful if he will ______.A) pull out B) pull backC) pull up D) pull through145. Mrs. Mawson is becoming increasingly ____. Last week she locked herself out of her house twice.A) unconscious B) forgetfulC) senseless D) mindless146. it is ______ to insure your jewellery and valuables separately from your house contents.A) probable B) valuableC) advisable D) considerable147. My house is very ____ for getting to work as it is only a few minutes from the station.A) reliable B) availableC) suitable D) convenient148. _____ aids are ictures that help you to understand something.A) visual B) visibleC) video D) virtual149. One should not be ____ to traffic regulations.A) forgetful B) unconsciousC) inconsiderate D) indifferent150. This copy is ______ with the ones you bought last week.A) identical B) parallelC) equivalent D) equal151. Seen from the top of the mountains, it looks ____ glorious at sunrise.A) fairly B) justlyC) practically D) perfectly152. The liquid was heated until the temperature ____ 1000 C.A) arrived B) reachedC) achieved D) attained153. He’s ______ too pleased with himself.A) fairly B) ratherC) very D) quite154. Kerry and his two sisters each had three cookies, and when they went out, hardly ____ cookies were left.A) any B) someC) ever D) few155. The basketball match will be televised ____ from the Worker’s Stadium.A) alive B) livelyC) live D) life156. One car ran too fast and ____ missed hitting the other one.A) slightly B) narrowlyC) nearly D) closely157. Half the planet always faces the sun, while the other half is ____ dark.A) clearly B) consequentlyC) continually D) continuously158. She tried to explained that she was going to pay him forty pounds without _____ next week.A) miss B) failC) failure D) disappointment159. I know Zoe______ but I have never actually spoken to him.A) by sight B) with sightC) in sight D) on sight160. Kent would like to rent a flat, modern, comfortable and ____ in a quiet environment.A) before all B) first of allC) after all D) above all161. This is a photograph of Lucy taken a few years ____ by her father.A) previously B) preciselyC) primarily D) primitively162. Some ____ good luck brought us nothing but trouble.A) seemingly B) satisfactorilyC) uniformly D) universally163. With the civil war lasting for several years, the people of the country are longing for ______ peace.A) previous B) practicalC) permanent D) periodical164. She made a ______ mistake of giving him her telephone number.A) mortal B) fatalC) critical D) incurable165. It is very convenient for a businessman to carry a _____ computer when they go on business trip.A) mobile B) flexibleC) movable D) portable166. Automobile production of the present time has been increased ____.A) greatly B) highlyC) infinitely D) much167. Our company’s business has been ______ quickly in the recent years.A) enlarged B) extendedC) expanded D) broadened168. It is agreed that a good teacher should _____ as well as teach.A) amuse B) instructC) dedicate D) entertain169. The article is so badly written that I can hardly ______ what the writer is trying to say.A) find out B) fill outC) think out D) figure out170. Paula likes to walk through the woods ____. Her brother prefers to walk with a companion.A) to herself B) by herselfC) by herself D) in itself171. It is amazing that a small child of 3 or 4 years of age can sing a song without______ understanding its meaning.A) fully B) really wellC) entirely well D) very much172. The international situation has been growing ____ difficult for the past few years.A) simply B) mainlyC) potentially D) increasingly173. The essay is a model of style, whether considered ____ or in part.A) as the whole B) on the wholeC) in whole D) on whole174.You have done your best to _____ him in correcting his mistakes.A) guide B) assistC) help D) favor175. He came all the way to China for promoting friendship ____ for making money.A) other than B) more thanC) better than D) rather than176. Jack is the only person in the office who has been drinking ____.A) heavily B) stronglyC) deeply D) seriously177. She knows little of mathematics, and ____ of chemistry.A) none the less B) even moreC) still less D) still more178. He made an excellent speech, and everything he said was ______.A) at this point B) to the pointC) beside the point D) off the point179. At age 16, he _____ his mother could do anything.A) considered B) supposedC) claimed D) assumed180. For five miles ______ the road is bordered with apple orchards.A) on end B) without endC) to the end D) to this end181. No longer are contributions to computer technology confined to any one country; ____ is this more true than in Europe.A) little B) hardlyC) seldom D) nowhere182. Countless revolutionary martyrs have ____ down their lives in the interest of the people.A) lain B) laidC) lied D) lay183. After a careful investigation, the committee has decided to ____ the run-down city hall.A) replace B) renovateC) remove D) revise184. In a typhoon, winds ____ a speed greater than 120 kilometers per hour.A) retain B) assembleC) attain D) accomplish185. He always takes full ______ of the mistakes made by his rivals.A) interest B) advantageC) benefit D) profit186. It ____ him more than what was reasonable to have his watch repaired.A) cost B) consumedC) wasted D) spent187. The patient could no longer ____ between illusion and reality.A) compare B) contrastC) separate D) distinguish188. Jean doesn’t ______ her roommates and there are often disagreements between them.A) get on with B) take toC) put up with D) go on with189. The _____ estimate of grains in gross national product suggested a fast recovery from economic recession.A) primary B) introductoryC) preliminary D) previous190. Airline seats should be ______ at least a fornight before you want to travel.A) book B) buyC) occupy D) preserve191. You can see these apples ______ in size from small to medium.A) alter B) differC) change D) vary192. The bus driver ____ himself badly in the traffic accident.A) injured B) damagedC) hurt D) harmed193. Every year a national plan outlines and ____ special problems for research.A) assigns B) assistsC) designs D) delivers194. Mr. Maxwell always takes a ______ with him to clean the windscreen of his car.A) cloth B) clothesC) clothing D) stuff195. When you apply for your passport to be renewed, you have to send a ____ photograph.A) up-to-date B) fashionableC) recent D) modern196. Peter came in and ______ something in Daddy’s ear.A) shouted B) utteredC) screamed D) whispered197. The meal was excellent; the pears were particularly ______.A) flavored B) deliciousC) tasteful D) desirable198. She was extremely lucky; when her great-uncle died, she ______ a fortune.A) came by B) came overC) came into D) came about199. Advertising costs are no longer in reasonable ______ to the total cost of the product.A) relationship B) matchC) measure D) proportion200. The noise was so faint that only those with excellent ______ were aware of it.A) ear B)listeningC)hearing D) ears201. Some teenagers are said to harbor a generalized resentment against society, which ____ them the rights and privileges of adults, although physically they are mature.A) rejects B) deniesC) deprives D) declines202. It won’t ______ to postpone the matter for a few days.A) pain B) acheC) harm D) hurt203. It was in the Far East that I ______ a liking for shellfish.A) achieved B) realizedC) acquired D) required204. The secretary went through the typescript carefully to ______ all errors from it.A) abandon B) eliminateC) discharge D) desert205. The oral composition gave the student an opportunity to through speech first.A) showed B) expressedC) displayed D) revealed206. Jean asked her elder sister to ______ the holes in the pocket of her trousers.A) fill B) fixC) mend D) repair207. The judges have decided who the prize winners will be, and will ______the names at the closing ceremony tomorrow.A) declare B) nameC) claim D) announce208. They gazed at the stars______ in the lake.A) shaded B) reflectedC) shadowed D) refreshed209. The mayor refused to ______ on the rumor that he had voted against the new housing project..。
VOA慢速英语011.Development Report
001.Increasing Food Security in Dry Areas of the Middle EastThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.Agricultural experts have launched a land and water management project in the Middle East. The project seeks to increase food security in dry areas. Researchers say the water availability in some of the areas has dropped well below the internationally recognized standard.Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank, Syria and Yemen are all taking part in the project. It is part of a larger ten-year effort called the Water and Livelihoods Initiative. The project is also expected to increase household income for farmers in the areas.The United States Agency for International Development provided one million dollars for the Water and Livelihoods Initiative. Scott Christianson is an agricultural development advisor with U.S.A.I.D. He helped develop the project while working for the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas. He says the countries taking part in the project were all carefully selected.SCOTT CHRISTIANSON: "They all share a socio-economic and cultural heritage that's fairly homogeneous. We feel that it's going to maximize our opportunity for trading of knowledge that we will generate in the project."Research by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas and its partners has already proven to be successful. New irrigation methods are expected to double wheat production while using one-third of the water required for full irrigation. Experts say the new methods also increase crop production up to five times more than crops that depend on rainfall only.The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas will provide technical support for the project. Officials from the International Water Management Institute and the International Food Policy Research Institute are also taking part in the effort.Each team will be joined by experts from local research institutions, universities and government agencies.SCOTT CHRISTIANSON: "We have good partnerships among the countries within each agro-eco system so that through this twinning they can learn lessons from each other and work together effectively through time."Scott Christianson and other officials met in Amman, Jordan last week. They attended an international conference on food security and climate change in dry areas. Nearly one-fourth of the world's people live in these areas.Officials say more must be done to deal with water shortages in agriculture. If not, they say, the future of food security, economic development and social stability in dry areas will be put at risk.And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by June Simms. I'm Steve Ember.002.Breathing Easier: The Art of Stove Making27 January 2010More than three billion people are at risk from indoor air pollution because of the heating or cooking fuels they use. Most live in Africa, India and China. They use biomass fuels like wood, crop waste, animal waste or coal. These solid fuels may be the least costly fuels available. But they are also a major cause of health problems and death.For more than thirty years, the Aprovecho Research Center has been designing cleaner, low-cost cooking stoves for the developing world. Dean Still is the director of the group which is based in the United States. He notes a World Health Organization estimate that more than one and a half million people a year die from breathing smoke from solid fuels.DEAN STILL: "And half of the people on planet Earth every day use wood or biomass for cooking. These are the people on Earth who have less money, and the richer people use oil and gas. It's been estimated that wood is running out more quickly than oil and gas. And so it is very important for the poorer people to have very efficient stoves that protect their forests and that protect their health."Every year Aprovecho holds a "stove camp" at its testing station in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Engineers, inventors, students and others come together to design and test different methods and materials for improving stoves.Over the years, the group has made stoves using mud, bricks, sheet metal, clay, ceramics and old oil drums. Most of the stoves look like large, deep cooking pots. They have an opening at the bottom for the fire and a place on top to put a pot.In the late nineteen seventies, Aprovecho produced a popular stove called the Lorena. The Lorena was very good at reducing smoke and warming homes. But new tests years later found that it was not very efficient. The Lorena used twice as much wood as an open fire, and took much longer to heat food.Since then, Dean Still says they have experimented with countless other designs.DEAN STILL: "Our goal is to make a very inexpensive stove -- let's say five dollars -- that makes very, very little smoke, so it's safe for health, diminishes global warming and diminishes deforestation. And so it's an ongoing problem to work on."Aprovecho has now partnered with a stove manufacturer in China. The company is making Aprovecho's first mass produced stoves. They are said to use forty to fifty percent less wood than an open fire, and produce fifty to seventy-five percent less smoke. A company called StoveTec is selling them through its Web site for less than ten dollars. Dean Still says that more than one hundred thousand have been sold so far.003.Steps Urged to Prevent Snakebites, Improve TreatmentsThis is the VOA Special English Health Report.This is the VOA Special English Development Report.Snakes bite an estimated five and a half million people worldwide each year. Experts say tens of thousands of people die from venom poisoning.An untreated or incorrectly treated bite might require the removal of a bitten foot, for example, or an arm. Each year around four hundred thousand amputations are the result of snakebites.Last year, for the first time, the World Health Organization added snakebites to its list of "neglected tropical diseases." This recognition aims to bring greater attention to the problem.Scientists know of about three thousand kinds of snakes. About six hundred of them are venomous. These are most often found in rural areas in tropical climates.Asia and Africa have the highest number of snakebites -- together about four million a year. Latin America and islands in the South Pacific follow.The highest number of victims are agricultural workers. Snakebites are also common among fishermen, hunters and children. Many victims live in areas with poor or non-existent health care systems and where antivenom treatments are often not available.Antivenom is the only cure. But experts say antivenom technologies and their use need to be improved. Problems include a shortage of manufacturers and the high cost of treatment.Also, there is a widespread lack of knowledge among local health workers about how to use antivenoms. The treatments can cause dangerous and even deadly reactions if not used carefully.Antivenom contains proteins from animals such as horses or sheep. The animals are injected repeatedly with one or more different snake venoms to produce immunity.The Lancet medical journal recently published a series of reports on snakebite prevention and treatment. David Warrell at the University of Oxford in England co-wrote one of them. He praised efforts by the W.H.O. to establish common practices for the production, regulation and control of antivenom. But he says more must be done.The authors say community education programs could help prevent snakebites by teaching people how to avoid them. They also suggest actions like providing protective boots to wear while working in fields, and not sleeping on the ground.Also important is providing information about where dangerous snakes are most likely to live and when they are most active.004. New Vaccine Joins Campaign to End PolioTThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.The World Health Organization has begun to use a new vaccine against polio. Officials say it will become a major tool in the campaign to end a disease that mainly affects children under age five.The new formulation is known as B.O.P.V. , or bivalent oral polio vaccine. It was used for the first time in December in a polio immunization campaign in Afghanistan.Carol Pandak is with the PolioPlus program of the service organization Rotary International. She explains that health workers have been using what are called trivalent vaccines in some places. These are areas like Afghanistan where more than one kind of polio virus exists.There are three types of polio virus. The trivalent vaccine is least effective against type three, more effective against type one and highly effective against type two. As a result, few new casesof type two have been reported since nineteen ninety-nine.This has led to greater use of monovalent vaccines to protect against either type one or type three polio. But Carol Pandak says the monovalent vaccine is not enough in areas with both.CAROL PANDAK: "You address the type one, and the type three cases go up. You address the type three, and the type one cases go up."Rod Curtis at the World Health Organization in Geneva says the new bivalent vaccine solves this problem.ROD CURTIS: "The beauty of the bivalent vaccine is that it is able to attack both types of wild polio virus in one dose."Carol Pandak says tests found the new vaccine to be thirty percent more effective than the trivalent vaccine.More than thirty new cases of polio were reported in Afghanistan last year. About half were type one and the others type three. Rod Curtis says that shows the importance of the new vaccine targeting both viruses at once. Officials say similar vaccination campaigns are planned this year in India, Nigeria and Pakistan.Intensive vaccination campaigns have reduced the number of new polio cases reported worldwide to fewer than two thousand a year. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative says the number has fallen by ninety-nine percent since nineteen eighty eight.Polio is highly infectious. One victim in two hundred suffers permanent paralysis, usually in the legs. Five to ten percent of those victims die when their breathing muscles fail.005. Solar-Powered Pumps Aid African FarmersThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.A new study in West Africa shows how farm irrigation systems powered by the sun can produce more food and money for villagers. The study in Benin found that solar-powered pumps are effective in supplying water, especially during the long dry season.Sub-Saharan Africa is the part of the world with the least food security. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that more than one billion of the world's people faced hunger last year. Around two hundred sixty-five million of them live south of the Sahara Desert. Lack of rainfall is one of their main causes of food shortages.Jennifer Burney from Stanford University in California led the study. The research team helped build three solar-powered drip irrigation systems in northern Benin.Between thirty and thirty-five women used each system to pump water from the ground or a stream. Each woman was responsible for farming her own one hundred twenty square meters of land. They also farmed other land collectively.The solar-powered irrigation systems produced an average of nearly two metric tons of vegetables per month. During the first year, the women kept a monthly average of almost nine kilograms of vegetables for home use.They sold the surplus produce at local markets. The earnings greatly increased their ability to buy food during the dry season which can last six to nine months.People in the two villages with the systems were able to eat three to five more servings of vegetables per day. But making the surplus available at markets also had a wider effect.The study compared the villages with two others where women farmed with traditional methods like carrying water in buckets. The amount of vegetables eaten in those villages also increased, though not as much.The researchers note that only four percent of the cropland in sub-Saharan Africa is irrigated. Using solar power to pump water has higher costs at first. But the study says it can be more economical in the long term than using fuels like gasoline, diesel or kerosene. And solar power is environmentally friendly.The study appears this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.006. New Treatment for Sleeping SicknessThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.The World Health Organization is using a new combination of drugs to treat human African trypanosomiasis disease, also known as sleeping sickness. The drugs nifurtimox an eflornithine will be given out in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.Officials from the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative say the new treatment has fewer side effects. It is also more effective and less costly than the drugs traditionally used. In addition, the new treatment reduces the number of injections needed. And it shortens the amount of time patients must spend in the hospital.Sleeping sickness threatens millions of people in thirty-six countries in Africa. Most live in poor rural areas. The disease is caused by the trypanosoma parasite. It is spread to humans through the bite of infected tsetse flies.Common signs of sleeping sickness include fever, headaches, extreme tiredness and pain in the muscles and joints. Early identification of the disease may be difficult because many infected people do not show any immediate symptoms.Over time, the parasites invade the central nervous system. The disease causes sleep disorders, mental confusion, personality changes, speech problems, seizures and coma. If left untreated, sleeping sickness kills.The World Health Organization estimates that about sixty thousand people are currently infected with the disease. It develops in two different forms. Trypanosoma gambiense is responsible for ninety percent of the reported cases of sleeping sickness. People infected with this form may develop the disease over many years without any major symptoms. The disease develops more quickly over a few weeks or months in people infected with trypanosoma rhodesiense.Until now the drug melarsoprol was used to treat patients in the advanced stage of sleeping sickness.But the drug requires many painful injections several times a day for several weeks. It also causes bad side effects, some of which can be deadly.In Uganda, a new study has confirmed earlier research linking the spread of sleeping sickness to infected farm animals. The writers of the study have called for stronger rules requiring cattle to be treated before being sold at market. The study was published in the Public Library of Science.007. Bringing Light to Homes in Poor CountriesThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.More than one and a half billion people around the world live without electricity. Finding better ways to bring light to the poor is the goal of researchers like David Irvine-Halliday.In the late nineteen nineties, the Canadian professor was working in Nepal when his return flight was canceled. A delay gave him time to take a fourteen-day hiking trip in the Himalayas.As he tells it, one day he looked in the window of a school and noticed how dark it was. This is a common problem for millions of children around the world -- and not just at school, but also at home.Many families use kerosene oil lamps. There are many problems with these lamps. They produce only a small amount of light. They are dangerous to breathe. And they are a big fire danger, causing many injuries and deaths each year.Kerosene costs less than other forms of lighting, but it is still costly in poor countries. Professor Irvine-Halliday says many people spend well over one hundred dollars a year on the fuel.When he returned to Canada, he began researching ways to provide safe, clean and affordable lighting. He began experimenting with light-emitting diodes, LEDs, at his laboratory at the University of Calgary in Alberta. As a professor of renewable energy, he already knew about the technology.Light-emitting diodes are small glass lamps that use much less electricity than traditional bulbs and last much longer.Professor Irvine-Halliday used a one-watt bright white L.E.D. made in Japan. He found it on the Internet and connected it to a bicycle-powered generator. He remembers thinking it was so bright, a child could read by the light of a single diode.In two thousand, after much research and many experiments, he returned to Nepal to put the systems into homes. His Light Up the World Foundation has now equipped the homes of twenty-five thousand people in fifty-one countries.DAVID IRVINE-HALLIDAY: "The one-time cost of our system -- which consists of a small solar panel, a little motorcycle-sized battery and a couple of LED lamps, which basically live forever, as well as the solar panel -- is less than one hundred dollars. So, one year of kerosene would pay for a solid-state lighting system."Now his aim is to develop a lower-cost lighting system. In January, David Irvine-Halliday is leaving the University of Calgary. He has also decided to give up leadership in the Light Up the World Foundation to start a company in India.And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by June Simms with Rosanne Skirble. I'm Christopher Cruise.008. Increase in Illegal Killing of Rhinos in Africa, AsiaThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.A new report says the illegal killing of rhinos for their horns is increasing in Africa and Asia.Rhinoceros poachers are killing an estimated two to three of the rare animals each week.Experts say demand in Asia -- especially Vietnam and China -- currently drives most trade in rhino horns from southern Africa. The horns are often used to make traditional medicines, or handles for dagger knives.The report is from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and an organization known as Traffic.Most African rhino poaching is in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Experts found that two hundred ten rhinos were illegally killed in South Africa in the last three years.The estimate for Zimbabwe is two hundred thirty-five. The situation threatens gains made in its rhino populations in the nineteen nineties. In the last two years, only six people were found guilty of poaching charges out of forty-one arrested.In two thousand one, sixty-eight percent of African rhino horns entering illegal trade were recovered. By this year, nine out of ten were heading to Asian markets without interference.The report says poaching and illegal horn trade has increased in South Africa even with new measures against it.Adding to the problem, poachers today are more skilled at killing rhinos, and not only with guns. They also use quieter methods, like veterinary drugs, poison and crossbows.An international agreement on protecting endangered animals and plants provides for sport hunting of white rhinos in Africa. But the horns often enter illegal markets.Not all the news is bad, however. The report notes that rhino populations are increasing in some areas. These include both white rhinos and black rhinos in the wild in Africa.Africa had an estimated seventeen thousand white rhinos and four thousand black rhinos as of two years ago. Current estimates for Asia are around three thousand rhinos. But even with poaching, growth is reported in some areas of India and Nepal.Wildlife activists are urging governments to do more to fight rhino poaching.The report was presented to the organization known as CITES. CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The next conference of countries that are parties to the agreement is in March in Doha, Qatar.009. Looking for New Ways to Fight MalariaThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.Scientists continue to seek better weapons against malaria. Each year the number of cases is in the hundreds of millions worldwide. Around a million people die, most of them in Africa. Economic losses from the disease amount to an estimated one percent of the African economy each year.George Dimopoulos is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.GEORGE DIMOPOULOS: "Forty-two percent of the earth's population live in areas where malaria transmitting mosquitoes exist. All of these people are in risk of being infected with malaria. The sad thing is that the majority of people that are killed by malaria are children because there immune system is not strong enough to ward off this infection."Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium. The organism is injected into peoplethrough the bite of infected mosquitoes. Malaria can be treated, but in many areas the parasites have become resistant to different drugs.George Dimopoulos and his team are studying ways to make mosquitoes resist infection by the parasite. There are hundreds of kinds of mosquitoes in the world. Most do not spread malaria. Some have immune systems that kill Plasmodium.GEORGE DIMOPOULOS: "We are particularly interested in these type of immune reactions that are responsible for killing the malaria parasite. Because we think once we understand how they work, we could be able to manipulate the mosquito genetically and convert mosquitoes that can transmit malaria into mosquitoes that cannot transmit malaria."The researchers have developed a way to make genetic changes in the three mosquito species known to spread malaria. The changes cause their systems to attack the parasite, blocking its development. Other researchers are working on ways to spread these genetically modified insects among mosquito populations.Professor Dimopoulos says there is still a long way to go, but current malaria research is highly promising.A new vaccine is in final testing. So far it has proven effective at preventing the disease in half of those vaccinated -- which is more than ever before.And at the Malaria Institute at Macha in Zambia, researchers are developing an easier way to identify malaria. The test uses saliva instead of blood to diagnose the infection.Current efforts in malaria control are mainly based on the use of insecticide sprays and treated bed nets. But George Dimopoulos says malaria needs to be attacked with drugs, with vaccines, with bed nets -- with whatever researchers can find.GEORGE DIMOPOULOS: "Malaria needs to be attacked with multiple weapons. There is not one magic bullet to control this disease."010. Some Tips for Cold Storage of FoodsThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.Before refrigerators were invented, the next best thing was an ice box. But another way to keep food fresh is to use an evaporative cooler. A common design is a tall box with several shelves inside to hold the food. The shelves are pieces of metal with many small holes through them. The sides of the box are covered with pieces of thick cloth.Containers of water are placed at the top and bottom of the cooler. The ends of each piece of cloth lie in the water so the cloth stays wet.The cooler is put outdoors, but not in the sun. Air will pass through the wet cloth. The inside of the box will stay several degrees cooler than the outside air temperature. And this may be cool enough to keep foods fresh, at least for a short time.Some foods can make you sick if they are stored in conditions that are not cold enough to prevent the growth of harmful organisms. Freezing can keep some foods in good condition for months after the growing season. Yet foods can be damaged if they are kept too cold.The British development group Practical Action says the best way to prepare foods for storage is at harvest time while still in the field.Use a sharp knife and place the harvested items on a clean surface or directly into storagecontainers. Do not put them on the ground.Use clean water to remove dirt, and keep the water clean. Usually it is better not to remove outer leaves from fruits and vegetables before storage. Without the leaves, food can become dry.Fruits and vegetables must be cool from field heat before they are put into storage. But cooling them in water can spread fungus throughout the food. A better idea is to harvest foods either early or late in the day, then leave them to cool naturally.Some fruits and vegetables must be stored at zero to four degrees Celsius. Any colder, and they might be damaged. Some foods need to be stored at four to eight degrees, and some need to be stored above eight degrees for best results.Wet the fruits and vegetables so they do not become too dry. The best time to do this is before storage. Cover the items in plastic once they reach the right "critical temperature" for storage. Most fruits and vegetables need the relative humidity in storage to be kept between eighty-five and ninety-five percent.Finally, leave space between the food containers and the walls of the cold storage area so air can flow. Keep the space clean. And try not to open the doors too often.011. Results of UN Food Summit Seen as DisappointingThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.Last week, the United Nations held a World Summit on Food Security. But the three-day meeting in Rome produced only limited measures to fight rising hunger. The U.N. World Food Program says more than a billion people -- one in six worldwide -- do not get enough food to be healthy.The troubled world economy is not the only cause of recent increases. The poorest countries continue to face high food prices, which have fallen elsewhere. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says more than thirty nations continue to need emergency food assistance.Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the food crisis has forced millions of families into poverty and hunger. He said six million children die of hunger every year. And he warned that food security is closely connected to the issue of climate change.BAN KI-MOON: "At a time when the global population is growing, our global climate is changing. By twenty fifty we will need to grow seventy percent more food. Yet weather is becoming more extreme and unpredictable."The delegates in Rome promised to continue efforts to reduce by half the number of hungry people by two thousand fifteen. But critics pointed out that world leaders made a similar promise more than ten years ago.Several countries promised to increase aid for agriculture, to help developing nations become more independent.Still, critics deplored a lack of greater action. Leaders from more than sixty countries were in Rome. But Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was the only leader from a major industrial nation in the Group of Eight. An official from Kenya, Adam Barre Duale, said it showed a lack of unity in the fight against hunger.ADAM BARRE DUALE: "We need both the developed world and the developing countries to come together and to give and support a global initiative in the war against hunger."The Food and Agriculture Organization says more than forty billion dollars a year needs to be invested in agriculture to defeat world hunger. The growing problem has affected developing countries, but also industrialized nations.The government estimates that forty-nine million people in the United States were "food insecure" last year. That means their households, at some time during the year, had difficulty providing enough food for all members because of a lack of resources. Almost fifteen percent of all households were in that situation. And the Agriculture Department says the numbers may be even higher this year.012. Project Finds New Homes for Unwanted Bikes From USThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.Americans bought an estimated eighteen and a half million bicycles last year. Some bikes never get much riding. Mostly they gather dust. But a project based in Washington is putting unwanted bikes from the United States to good use in developing countries.Keith Oberg is the director of Bikes for the World.KEITH OBERG: "Everybody has an old bicycle, and it is usually not ridden. It sits there in the garage, or basement or shed, going to waste."Stephen Popick recently had two bikes to donate.STEPHEN POPICK: "I brought in two mountain bikes that my wife and I have ridden for the past ten years. My bikes wouldn't fetch a nice price and wouldn't be worth trying to sell, but they could be useful to somebody else."Bikes for the World collects bicycles and delivers them at low cost to community programs in developing countries. It shipped more than five thousand bikes during the first eight months of this year. Last year it shipped about ten thousand three hundred.The bicycle recycling program is one of the largest in the United States. It is a sponsored project of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.Bikes for the World began in two thousand five. Since then it has shipped more than forty thousand bikes to communities in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, says director Keith Oberg.KEITH OBERG: "We work currently with partners in seven countries actively -- in Uganda, Ghana. We're talking to an organization that we would like to ship to in Liberia. We have shipped to Namibia and the Gambia in the past. And in Central America we ship to Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and we are talking to two organizations in El Salvador."Bikes for the World partners with nonprofit groups in the United States to collect unwanted bikes. Then it works with nonprofits in the other countries to get the bikes to organizations and individuals that need them the most.For example, the Bicycle Empowerment Network Namibia uses the bikes to provide transportation for health workers. That makes it possible for them to visit more patients each day. The organization also has bicycle ambulance services to transport the sick.The Bicycle Empowerment Network also provides training and support to help local。
农业发展的英文作文
农业发展的英文作文英文：Agriculture is a crucial industry that provides food and resources for people all over the world. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in sustainable agriculture practices that prioritize environmental conservation and social responsibility.One example of sustainable agriculture is organic farming, which avoids the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and instead relies on natural methods to maintain soil health and control pests. Another example is agroforestry, which combines trees with crops or livestock to create a more diverse and resilient ecosystem.However, there are still many challenges facing the agriculture industry, such as climate change, water scarcity, and food waste. To address these challenges, we need to continue to innovate and invest in new technologiesand practices that promote sustainable agriculture.For example, precision agriculture uses data and technology to optimize crop yields and reduce waste.Vertical farming allows for year-round crop production in urban areas, reducing the need for long-distance transportation and minimizing food waste.Ultimately, the goal of agriculture development should be to ensure food security for everyone while alsoprotecting our planet and promoting social equity.中文：农业是一个至关重要的产业，为全世界的人们提供食物和资源。
DEVELOPMENT REPORT - World Population by 2050
DEVELOPMENT REPORT – World Population by 2050By Jill MossBroadcast: August 30, 2004This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Development Report.New research shows that Earth will have more than nine thousand million people by two thousand fifty. The world population is currently estimated at six point four thousand million.The research is from the Population Reference Bureau, a private group based in Washington. It says most growth will take place in developing countries in Africa and western Asia.India is expected to pass China as the world’s most populated nation. By the middle of the century, the report says, India will have over one and one-half thousand million citizens, an increase of fifty percent.China currently has one point three thousand million people. The Population Reference Bureau says the population should increase about ten percent by two thousand fifty.Most industrial nations will see a drop in their populations. The only big exception is expected to be the United States. The report says the United States will remain the third biggest nation. The population is close to three hundred million now. It is expected to reach four hundred twenty million. The report says this will be because of immigration and low death rates among babies.Between now and two thousand fifty, Niger is expected to be the fastest growing country. The biggest decrease is expected in Bulgaria.The study is based on information from governments and the United Nations. Researcher Carl Haub wrote the report. He examined infant death rates, life expectancy, birth rates and the age structure of nations. The study also considered family planning use and, for the first time, rates of AIDS.Mister Haub says most growth will take place in countries with young populations and traditionally large families. He points to Nigeria and Japan as two nations that are moving in opposite directions in terms of population.In Nigeria, almost half the people are under the age of fifteen. Few are over sixty-five. Nigerian women generally give birth about six times during their lives. By comparison, the average Japanese woman has one child. And today about twenty percent of Japanese are over the age of sixty-five.Mister Haub expects the Japanese population to decrease by twenty percent. He estimates that the population of Nigeria will increase by more than one hundred twenty percent by the middle of the century.This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. This is Gwen Outen.Email this article to a friendPrinter Friendly Version。
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Broadcast date: 3-23-2009 / Written by Jerilyn Watson
From /voanews/specialenglish/ This is the VOA Special English Development Report. Scientists are working to develop crop plants that can reduce the amount of water used for agriculture. Almost sixty percent of the world's freshwater withdrawals from rivers, lakes and other water resources go toward irrigating fields. Scientists are using biotechnology as well as traditional breeding methods to develop water-saving crops to feed a growing world. Thomas "Tommy" Carter is a plant scientist in North Carolina. He works for the Agricultural Research Service in the United States Department of Agriculture. He leads Team Drought, a group of researchers at five universities. They have been using conventional breeding methods to develop and test soybeans that can grow well under dry conditions. Tommy Carter started working on drought-resistant soybeans in nineteen eighty-one. His research has taken him as far as China, where soybeans have been grown for thousands of years.
Thomas Carter
Farmers in the United States, however, have grown soybeans for only about a century. Tommy Carter says the soybeans they grow are for the most part genetically similar. More differences, or diversification, could better protect crops against climate changes that can reduce production. Those changes include water shortages which could increase from global warming. The Agriculture Department has a soybean germplasm collection, a collection of genetic material passed from one generation to the next. Members of Team Drought studied more than two thousand five hundred examples from the collection. They looked at ones from the ancestral home of soybeans, Asia. They searched for germplasms that could keep plants from weakening and wilting during hot, dry summers in the United States. Tommy Carter says they found only five. But these slow-wilting lines, he says, produce four to eight bushels more than normal soybeans under drought conditions. The yield depends on location and environment. Scientists are also working on other plants that either use less water or use it better, or both. For example, companies like Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta have been developing corn with reduced water needs. Monsanto expects to be ready in a few years to market its first corn seeds genetically engineered to resist drought. And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. You can find transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reports -- and write comments -- at . I'm Steve Ember.
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