VOA慢速英语:Surviving a Drought: A Farmer's Old-Fashioned Lessons

1. The storm brought rain to some of the areas suffering from the country's worst drought in half a century.

suffer from 因(疾病)而痛或不舒服;因...而更糟;受...之苦
例句：I often suffer from unaccountable headaches. 
我常莫名其妙地头疼。 

2. Instead of crop insurance, he protects himself by growing other kinds of crops in addition to corn and soybeans.

Instead of 代替
例句：I should take my rest now instead of later. 
我现在就得休息，而不是一会。
in addition to 除...之外(还)
例句：In addition to French, he has to study Japanese.
除了法语外,他还得学日语。

3. If one crop doesn't do well, maybe the other one will make up for the difference.

make up for 补偿
例句：Nothing can make up for what they have suffered.
什么也不能补偿他们所受的痛苦。

4. Matt Liebman says his research shows that all farmers can learn from Dick Thompson.

learn from 从...中吸取教训
例句：We should learn from his mistakes.
我们应该从他的错误中接受教训。