VOA慢速英语:Unwrapping the Genetic Secrets of a Chocolate Bar

followed by，后面是，说明后面的主体位于后面。若是following，则后面的主体是第一位的。

2.Mars depends on those beans for its M&Ms and other chocolate candies.

depend on依赖, 依靠

例句：You can't depend on your parents forever.
      你不能永远依赖你的双亲。

      You may depend on their support.
      你可依靠他们的支持。

3.There's a yield potential of maybe four thousand kilos, ten times what the average is in West Africa.

ten times表示倍数

用英语表达"A 是 B 的 N 倍长（宽，高，大，重等）"，"A 比 B 长（宽，高，大，重等）N 倍" 或"A 的长度（宽度，高度，大
小，重量等）是 B 的 N 倍"，可用下列几种句型。

"A + be + 倍数 + as + 计量形容词原级 + as + B".
This tree is three times as tall as that one. 这棵树是那棵树的三倍高。
His father is twice as old as he. 他父亲的年纪有他两倍大。

"A + be + 倍数 + 计量形容词比较级 + than + B "
The Yangtze River is almost twice longer than the Pearl River.
长江差不多比珠江长两倍。
The dictionary is exactly five times more expensive than that one.
这本字典比那本恰好贵5倍。

"A + be + 倍数 + the + 计量名词 + of + B "
The newly broadened square id four times the size of the previous one.
新扩建的广场是未扩建时的四倍大。

"The + 计量名词 + of + A + be + 倍数 + that + of + B "
The size of the newly broadened square is four times that of the previous one.新扩建的广场为以前的四倍大。

其它
I'm twice/ double his age. 我的年龄是他的两倍。
I've paid five times the usual price for the stamp.
我出了5倍于往常的价格买这枚邮票。
The average income of the staff has been increased by 50 percent compared with last year. 与去年相比，该单位职工的
收入增加了50%.
The price of TVs are twofold( adj. 两部分的, 双重的) down over these years.
近几年来，电视机的价格下降了两倍。

4.A competitor of Mars, Hershey's, supported the gene mapping of the Criollo, a far less common cacao tree. Cirad, a French government research center, led scientists from six countries in creating that genome.

far less比较级的修饰

far用作副词，可用来修饰动词、副词、介词短语、比较级、最高级、以及与 too(太)连用等。如：

Did you drive far? 你开车走了很远吗?

They didn’t walk far. 他们没有走多远。

He is far past fifty. 他大大超过了五十岁。

He worked far into the night. 他工作到深夜。

My friend lives far away [off]. 我的朋友住在很远。

He is far more careful than I am. 他比我仔细得多。

He runs far faster than you. 他比你跑得快得多。

It is far the best film that I’ve ever seen. 那是我看过的最最好的电影。

He was at the station far too early. 他去车站去得太早。

【注】far 可修饰比较级或最高级，但除极个别情况外，一般不能修饰原级，如不能说 far good, far difficult 等。能受 far 修饰的原级形容词主要的有 wrong, short, different 等。如：

This edition is far different from the earlier one. 这个版本与早先那个版本大不相同。

同样地，far 修饰副词，主要用来修饰 away, off, out, back 等表示“位置”的副词，一般不用来修饰 quickly, hardly, recently等原级副词。