VOA慢速英语2013 对肉类、牛奶和鸡蛋的需求不断增长

 

AS IT IS 2013-09-16 Growing Demand for Meat, Milk and Eggs 对肉类、牛奶和鸡蛋的需求不断增长

Hello there, and welcome to As It Is -- VOA’s daily show for people learning American English!

I’m Christopher Cruise in Washington.

Today on our program, we hear about a group that works to reconnect people to the land and to honor local farmers.

“The food has been absolutely wonderful. I totally appreciate hard work, because now that you see everything they have to do to take care of the animals and make sure they're well cared for.”

But first, we explore how the growing worldwide demand for food is changing the way the food we eat is being produced.

Global Meat Demand Spurs Transformation¹, Backlash 

Demand for meat, milk and eggs is growing around the world. To meet that demand, the way these products are produced is changing. The change is from small farms to large, industrial operations. This has already happened in the United States. But not everyone is happy with the change. As a result, there is also a growing demand for products grown locally on small farms.

Karen Leggett reports.

In Clinton, North Carolina, some old buildings are all that remain from the days when James Lamb raised hogs³ next to his home. He saw that small farmers were having trouble competing with companies that own large farms.

“They had better consistency⁴, better pork quality, better genetics. So after college, in ’98, I decided⁵ to try to modernize⁶.”

He stopped raising hogs in small buildings and built two industrial-sized hog² barns. Each of them holds 1,500 hogs.

Nearly all pigs are raised this way in the United States now. The government says the efficiency of large-scale production in a controlled environment has helped reduce the price of a pork chop by nearly 20 percent since 1998.

These efficient and intensive production methods are being used around the world. Many experts say that is a good thing as the demand for meat grows. But livestock⁷ expert Carolyn Opio points out that the land, water and feed required to produce it are limited.

“If we are to produce within the constraints⁸ that we are facing today, efficiency, I think, is very, is key.”

Ms. Opio is with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

But the results of efficiency are not always necessarily good. The waste from thousands of confined animals can pollute waterways and produce greenhouse gases. And some health experts are concerned about the antibiotics⁹ and other chemicals being put in the animals’ feed. Others criticize the conditions in which the animals are kept.

So today, a growing number of people are like Kevin Summers in Amissville, Virginia, and returning to small-scale farming.

“In order to feed the world, I think this is a better way. It’s a, you know, it’s a cleaner way. It’s a more humane¹⁰ way.”                      

More Americans today say they want to know where their food comes from. Some might like the way Kevin Summers raises his hogs.

“I can see the entire process unfold before my eyes and know that they had a good life and were healthy and happy.”

The hogs eat damaged apples and old pumpkins¹¹. This reduces food waste. But this kind of farming also means higher prices. Even so, Kevin Summers says he believes it would still be possible to meet global demand this way.

“And it would just involve people making the choice to buy this kind of food and say that, ‘I care about something other than just the cost.’”               

Serving Farm-Fresh Meals -- At the Farm

“Farm to table” is the name of a movement that encourages people to eat locally grown food. The farm-to-table idea has become more popular in recent years. But there is also a group that brings “table to farm.” This traveling group is called Outstanding in the Field. It says its mission is to reconnect people to the land and to honor local farmers by creating a sort of restaurant without walls.

Karen Leggett has more on the group, and its founder¹², Jim Denevan.

“Just even those out with the new table.”

Jim Denevan got the idea for this kind of “culinary adventure,” as he calls it, ten years ago. He recently prepared tables for more than a hundred people at Briars Farmstead in Virginia. He and his eight-member crew arrived the night before. Chefs from a local restaurant prepared the dinner.

“The mission of Outstanding in the Field is to bring people closer to where food comes from and hear the stories directly from the farmer, walk around and get to know places like this, which are important, I think.”

?Jim Denevan’s brother is a farmer and he himself is a former chef. He thought the idea of a meal served right at the farm made sense, though not everyone agreed.

“But I wanted to make the idea work, so I decided to cross the country -- I went all the way across the United States and set the table in farms and ranches¹³ and on beaches, and all the places where food comes from.”

Guests bring their own plates to the meal. When they arrive, the farmer shows them around.

“These are free-range chickens. We want them to eat as much pasture as possible because that’s the magic.”

Matt Szechenyi and his family operate Briars Farmstead.

“This type of event connects us with a lot of enthusiastic people, people that will -- we can form relationships with in the future. And this type of small farm business thrives on relationships.”

The tour of the farm ends at the dinner table. The meats in this five-course meal come from Matt Szechenyi’s farm. The vegetables and other ingredients come from nearby farms. Guests and local farmers sit together.

Annoica Ingram came with a friend.

“The food has been absolutely wonderful. I totally appreciate hard work, because now that you see everything they have to do to take care of the animals and make sure they're well-cared-for.”

We hope you enjoyed the program.

1 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

2 hog   

n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占

参考例句：

• He is greedy like a hog.他像猪一样贪婪。
• Drivers who hog the road leave no room for other cars.那些占着路面的驾驶员一点余地都不留给其他车辆。

3 hogs   

n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人

参考例句：

• 'sounds like -- like hogs grunting. “像——像是猪发出的声音。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• I hate the way he hogs down his food. 我讨厌他那副狼吞虎咽的吃相。 来自辞典例句

4 consistency   

n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度

参考例句：

• Your behaviour lacks consistency.你的行为缺乏一贯性。
• We appreciate the consistency and stability in China and in Chinese politics.我们赞赏中国及其政策的连续性和稳定性。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

7 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

8 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

10 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

11 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

12 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

13 ranches   

大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They hauled feedlot manure from the ranches to fertilize their fields. 他们从牧场的饲养场拖走肥料去肥田。
• Many abandoned ranches are purchased or leased by other poultrymen. 许多被放弃的牧场会由其他家禽监主收买或租用。