VOA常速英语2008年-Economic Stresses, Biofuel Production Add to Fo

By Mil Arcega
Washington
28 April 2008
 

The World Food Program warns that rising food prices could turn into a global crisis unless the world acts quickly.  The U.N. food agency has issued an urgent appeal to the international community for immediate¹ aid to help developing countries unable to cope with food shortages and high prices. There also are calls to limit the increasing use of biofuels, which some believe is partly responsible for the developing crisis in food markets. VOA's Mil Arcega reports.

In some countries, families are now spending as much as 80 percent of their total income on food. It is a situation that has led to a rising tide of anger.

In the Middle East, bread is in dangerously short supply. In the Caribbean, food riots recently brought down the government of Haiti. And in parts of Asia, military troops now guard precious rice.

Greg Barrow works for the U.N.'s World Food Program. "There is a perfect storm that has emerged over this issue [due to] a combination of factors - high fuel prices, high food commodity prices driven by the growth of economies in China and India," he says.  "Then this phenomenon of biofuels production, where fields that were once used to produce grain for human consumption are now producing grain for fuel."

Agricultural research experts say reversing the U.S. government's mandate² to increase the use of biofuels could help ease the pressure on food prices.

Nicholas Minot at the International Food Policy Research Institute says many other factors are also to blame for the sharply higher food prices, including the weak U.S. dollar.

"In addition, you have some supply shortages," notes Minot. "Drought in Australia has limited the available wheat on the world markets and the number of exporters in response to the higher prices have restricted exports.  Ukraine was restricting wheat exports, and Vietnam and India are restricting rice exports.  So all of these factors are reducing the amount of grains that are available on the world market."

Around the world, that means at least 850 million people could go hungry.  "The world's misery³ index is rising - a silent tsunami⁴ that respects no borders.  Most don't know what hit them," says Sheeran Josette Sheeran, the World Food Program's executive director.

The U.N. food agency has issued an urgent appeal for $755 million in food aid.  It is also calling on world leaders to find ways to help farmers in developing countries grow more crops.

Minot says the outcome could be disastrous⁵ if the world does not act quickly.  "Prices could continue to increase, and we could face situations of famine, particularly if food aid budgets are not increased," he adds.

Wheat prices have started to decline, but the price of rice - the staple⁶ food for half of the world's population - has more than doubled since last year.  All told, the U.N. says global food prices have increased more than 80 percent in the last three years.

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

3 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

4 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

5 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

6 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。