VOA慢速英语2009-EXPLORATIONS - 'What Should Americans Eat?' Mich

VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we tell about the reporter and food expert Michael Pollan. Mister Pollan is a professor of journalism¹ at the University of California, Berkeley. He also writes for the New York Times Magazine. But Mister Pollan is best known for his two books about the environmental, industrial, scientific, and moral questions about food.

The main question he asks in his writing is "What should Americans eat?" His research shows that this question is more complex than it seems. Mister Pollan's studies about American food production, farming, health and diet have helped redefine the food debate in the United States.

VOICE ONE:
　
Michael Pollan

In his two thousand six book, "The Omnivore's Dilemma²", Michael Pollan explores what he calls America's national eating disorder³. He looks at how food is grown in the United States and the ways American eat.

The writer begins by investigating the American industrial food chain. He starts in the cornfields of the mid-western United States because most food Americans eat is linked to this plant.

MICHAEL POLLAN: "Corn as a food is wonderful. Corn as an industrial raw material, or as a food product is another matter. One plant by virtue⁴ of its genius and its ability to manipulate⁵ us has conquered our land, our food system, all our animals, and it's even conquered our bodies."

VOICE TWO:

Americans eat corn directly as a vegetable and in cereals⁶ and other foods. But they also eat it in greater quantities indirectly⁷ through corn-fed farm animals and the many starches⁸, alcohols, and sugars made from industrial corn. American farmers grow huge amounts of this corn. To do this, they use dangerous fertilizers and pesticides¹⁰.

VOICE ONE:
　
Farmers in Illinois move fertilizer to a field spreader on a newly harvested cornfield

Mister Pollan shows other ways that the modern farming of corn has harmed the natural environment. In the past, farmers grew many kinds of products. Today, most farmers use all of their land to grow only one crop, such as corn. This has done great harm to the biodiversity of farmlands. The writer shows that industrial farming is unsustainable because it destroys the resources it depends on.

Michael Pollan also explains how federal policies have damaged the American farming system. He explains how huge supply has reduced the price of corn so much that farmers often cannot stay in business growing corn without government payments.

VOICE TWO:

Corn-fed cows on industrial feed lots are another part of this dangerous food chain. The cows are fed corn so that they grow fat more quickly. But cows' bodies were built for eating grass, not corn.

Over time, cows develop health problems because of their living conditions, including their corn diet. So, the cows receive daily amounts of antibiotic¹¹ medicines. People end up eating these chemicals when they eat beef. And, the corn-fed beef they eat contains a less healthy kind of fat than the fat in cows that eat grass.

Petroleum¹² is a big part of this food chain. It takes huge amounts of oil to grow, fertilize⁹ and harvest corn and transport it from farm, to production center, to buyer, to eater. Mister Pollan says about one hundred ninety liters of oil is needed to grow every four-tenths of a hectare of industrial corn.

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VOICE ONE:

The next food system Michael Pollan explores begins with vegetables and a farm bird he buys from a health food store. Food that is organic is grown or raised without chemical insecticides or fertilizers. Historically, the organic food movement began on small farms as a way of rejecting industrial agriculture's increasing dependence¹³ on chemicals.

Today, the organic food market is one of the fastest growing areas of the food industry. To be called organic, producers are required to follow guidelines¹⁴ established by the United States Department of Agriculture.

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Mister Pollan shows that there are different levels of organically produced food. Some big farms grow organic food with methods similar to industrial farms. They follow the rules necessary to be called organic producers. But many of their methods are still not very healthful or sustainable.

Many large organic farms ship their crops all over the world. One could argue that the benefit of organically farmed products is cancelled out by the high amounts of fuel required to transport them to buyers.

VOICE ONE:
　
Members of the Salatin family. Joel Salatin is at lower left.

This leads Mister Pollan to explore small-scale, local organic farming. He visits Polyface farm in the state of Virginia. The owner of this farm, Joel Salatin, has interesting ideas about farming. He describes himself as a grass farmer because grass is the base of the food chain of his farm animals.

Joel Salatin is not interested in having "organic" as a label describing his farm. He and his family have built a farm system of rotational¹⁵ grazing¹⁶ that is based on the biological patterns found in nature. Because they practice sustainable farming, they do not need chemicals for any of the chickens, cows, pigs, and rabbits they raise.

These methods produce healthy animals that are good to eat. And, Polyface refuses to ship food anywhere, so the farm depends only on local buyers. The farm has become an important example of how sustainable farming can remain local, environmentally friendly and productive¹⁷.

VOICE TWO:

Michael Pollan ends his book by discussing an extremely local meal, one he produced himself. He hunted a wild pig, grew vegetables in his garden and searched for wild mushrooms. He says this method of eating is not possible to do everyday. But he shows that the experience is important because it reminds us about the source of the food we eat and its direct relationship to the natural world.

Mister Pollan's food investigations¹⁸ ask readers to think more carefully about the kind of food they eat and the way it is produced. "The Omnivore's Dilemma" also points out the ways in which America's food system should be reformed.

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VOICE ONE:

Michael Pollan's two thousand eight book, "In Defense¹⁹ of Food," continues the subject of eating by discussing diet and health.

He notes that the more Americans worry about nutrition, the more unhealthy they become. Conflicting reports from scientists and advertisements about what foods make people healthy make eating choices even more difficult.

So, Mister Pollan suggests three simple rules: Eat Food. Not too Much. Mostly Plants.

He defines²⁰ "food" as whole, fresh foods that come from nature. He rejects processed food products containing unrecognizable substances.

MICHAEL POLLAN: "The basic idea is to take back control over our eating from the corporations we have allowed to cook for us, because that is really what has happened in the last fifty years. You know, fifty percent of our food dollars go to food prepared outside the home. In the interest of convenience, in the interest of the seductions of food science, we are letting large corporations cook food for us. And we have learned and we see it reflected in the state of our public health, that they don't cook very well."

Mister Pollan shows that Americans could start to reverse²¹ many health problems and begin to build a richer food culture by replacing processed foods with a diet of natural food.

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VOICE TWO:

In October of two thousand eight, Michael Pollan wrote a letter to president-elect Barack Obama which was published in the New York Times Magazine. In the letter, he told Mister Obama that food would play an important part in his administration.

Mister Pollan said food policy was not discussed during Mister Obama's campaign. But he says the new president will have to face it because of its links to health care problems, energy independence and climate change.

VOICE ONE:

Michael Pollan makes several suggestions to the president. He describes the importance of reforming agricultural policies. These policies would support farms to grow diverse crops for local communities. This plan would reduce pollution and America's dependency on oil.

He suggests several ways that the government can change the food system from its centralized organization to a local one. He says such changes would protect America's food sources from possible attack, reduce the spread of food poisoning and improve the economies of rural areas.

VOICE TWO:

Mister Pollan also suggests starting programs to educate children about the importance of eating natural foods.

And, he says that one major way President Obama could show his support for food system reform would be to plant an organic vegetable garden at the White House. This garden could produce healthful food for the president's family and nearby food banks that serve hungry people. Michael Pollan says a White House garden would set a revolutionary example of healthful eating and local farming for the whole country.

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VOICE ONE:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.

1 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

2 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

3 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

4 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

5 manipulate   

vt.操纵，控制，影响，（熟练地）使用

参考例句：

• Primitive man quickly learned how to manipulate tools.原始人很快就学会了使用工具。
• Do you know how to manipulate a computer?你知道如何使用计算机吗？

6 cereals   

n.谷类食品，谷类；麦片粥

参考例句：

• By cereals we mean wheat,oats,rye,barley,and all that.谈到谷物，我们指的是小麦、燕麦、黑麦、大麦之类的东西。
• Wheat and rice are cereals.小麦和水稻是谷类植物。

7 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

8 starches   

n.淀粉( starch的名词复数 )；含淀粉的食物；浆粉v.把（衣服、床单等）浆一浆( starch的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• You should avoid sugars and starches. 你应避免吃糖和含淀粉的食物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Cotton and rayon yarns are most often sized with water-insoluble starches. 棉和人造丝纱多用不溶于水的淀粉上浆。 来自互联网

9 fertilize   

v.使受精，施肥于，使肥沃

参考例句：

• Fertilizer is a substance put on land to fertilize it.肥料是施在地里使之肥沃的物质。
• Reading will fertilize his vocabulary.阅读会丰富他的词汇。

10 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

12 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

13 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

14 guidelines   

n.指导方针，准则

参考例句：

• The government has drawn up guidelines on the treatment of the mentally ill. 政府制订了对待精神病人的指导方针。
• Planners seem a little uncomfortable with the current government guidelines. 规划师似乎不太接受现行的政府指道方针。

15 rotational   

adj.回转的，轮流的

参考例句：

• A synchronous motor drives the measuring bob at a constant rotational speed.同步马达驱动测锤以恒速旋转。
• With some limitations,this is true also of rotational degrees of freedom.在某些限定条件下，这一说法对转动自由度也成立。

16 grazing   

n. 放牧, 牧草 动词graze的现在分词

参考例句：

• There were cows grazing beside the river. 有些牛在河边吃草。
• Cows were grazing on the marshes. 牛群在湿地上吃草。

17 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。

18 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

19 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

20 defines   

规定( define的第三人称单数 )； 使明确； 精确地解释； 画出…的线条

参考例句：

• This name defines us all. 这个名字造就了我们。 来自演讲部分
• The range of incomes over which this happens defines the 'poverty trap'. 发生在这种情况的收入范围，称为“贫困陷阱。”

21 reverse   

v.推翻，颠倒，反向；n.反面，逆境；adj.反向的

参考例句：

• His answer was just the reverse of what I expected.他的回答正好与我期望的相反。
• Please reverse the positions of two pictures.请把两张图片的位置倒转过来。