和谐英语

VOA常速英语:New Corn Variety Boosts Food Security Across Africa

2011-10-06来源:VOA

短语讲解:

1. As one way of boosting food security during these difficult times, scientists in Kenya and across Africa are coming up with maize varieties that are able to produce corn with a minimal water supply.

come up with想出, 提出
例句:I hope you can come up with a better plan than this.
我希望你们能提出一个比这个更好的计划。

2. Tucked away in the corner of farmer Philip Ngolania Makau’s living room sits a floor-to-ceiling silo filled with corn.

tuck away贮藏,收藏,把…放置在隐蔽的地方;使隐藏
例句:The village is tucked away in the hill.
村子隐没在山里。
fill with (使)充〔挤〕满
例句:The sky filled with stars.
满天星斗。

3. What’s unusual about this scene is that, while his neighbors are struggling to put food on the table, Makau’s family has plenty of corn to spare.

put on穿上, 戴上; 把…放在…上
例句:Put the plates gently on the table, they are very delicate.
把碟子轻轻放在桌上, 这些碟子非常易碎。
plenty of很多, 大量的
例句:There is plenty of coal in this area.
这个地区有丰富的煤。

4. The company contracts out about 100 farmers to help the company expand its seed supply.

contract out包出(某事项或某工程)
例句:The city council has already contracted out the work on the new road.
市议会已把这条新路的铺设工作包出去了。

5. “We plant all the different types of varieties - sometimes going up to hundreds - into a field like this," said Dr. James Gethi, the national coordinator of KARI’s maize program.

go up上升, 上涨, 提高, 增加, 增高
例句:The temperature is going up; will the snow melt?
气温正逐渐上升, 雪会融化吗?

6. The breeder seed is passed on to partners such as Dryland Seed Company, who then develops certified seed that can be sold or distributed to farmers.

pass on转给;进入;传授
例句:If you can't do the job yourself, pass it on to someone who can.
如果你自己不能完成这项工作的话,把它交给能做的人去做。

8. Lloyd Le Page, the chief executive officer of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Consortium, a global network of scientists and researchers that works with groups such as KARI, explains that farmers are looking for a range of characteristics in the plant that go beyond the ability to withstand dryness and heat.

look for寻找(某人或某物)
例句:Some birds are looking for food.
有些鸟在寻找食物。
go beyond超出, 超载
例句:You have gone beyond your power.
你的行为已经超出了你的权力范围。

8. The development of drought-tolerant corn is seen as a viable solution to the problem of reduced yields during drought, resulting in food insecurity and famine in severe cases.

result in引起, 导致; 以…为结局
例句:The flood resulted in a considerable reduction in production.
这次水灾造成相当大的减产。