VOA双语新闻 WFP: China Ends Need for Food Aid

The World Food Program has made its last shipment of grain to China - a sign that the country's drive over the past 30 years to feed itself has paid off. But, there still are worries about China's harvest.

世界粮食计划署向中国运送了最后一批援助粮食，证明中国过去30年里，为自己养活自己做出的努力已经收到了成效。尽管如此，外界还是对中国的粮食收成感到担心。

The final load of World Food Program wheat for China arrived by ship Thursday at the southern port of Shenzhen.

世界粮食计划署运往中国的最后一批粮食星期四抵达深圳的港口。

The 43,000 tons of Canadian grain was the last of nearly $1 billion worth of WFP aid sent to China since 1979.

这批4万3千吨的加拿大谷物是1979年以来世界粮食计划署先后向中国提供的总价值近10亿美元的粮食援助的最后一批。

But after more than 25 years of economic reforms, China no longer needs help from the United Nations' food agency. Instead, it is expected to increase its own contributions to the WFP.

经过25年多的经济改革，中国已经不再需要联合国粮食计划署的帮助，而且还会增加对粮食计划署的捐赠。

However, bad weather over the past few years and a shrinking amount of arable¹ land have sparked concerns about the size of China's harvest in the coming years.

然而，过去几年的恶劣天气和可耕地面积的缩小，让外界对中国来年的收成好坏感到担心。

Qin Gang is a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry². On Thursday, he expressed caution about China's ability to donate more food.

中国外交部发言人秦刚星期四表示，中国不大可能大幅度增加粮食外援。

"China is a developing country," he said. "We are not rich. We can only do what is within our power to progressively increase the contributions to the U.N. World Food Program."

他说：“中国还是个发展中国家，我们也并不富裕，所以我们将根据自己的能力，力所能及地逐步向世界粮食计划署提供捐助。”

Douglas Broderick is the WFP representative in China. He says that China's experience in lifting millions of people out of dire³ poverty and hunger can help other countries.

世界粮食计划署驻中国代表道格拉斯·布罗德里克说，中国政府帮助数百万人民摆脱贫穷和饥饿的经验，可以帮助其它国家。

"We have a global mandate⁴ to respond to and alleviate⁵ hunger," he said. "And China, with their experience and ability to respond to hunger and lead, many, many millions of people out of hunger - we're natural partners together."

他说：“我们在全球范围内的任务，就是要减少饥饿。中国有打击饥饿的经验，让成百上千万的人摆脱饥饿，使我们很自然地成为合作伙伴。”

While China manages to feed its people, it still is struggling to close the income gap between its urban workers and rural families.

中国养活了自己的人民，还在致力于缩小城乡之间的收入差别。

Although the country's eastern cities are home to a rapidly growing middle class - and boast designer boutiques and fleets of foreign cars - more than 700 million rural residents still struggle to earn a living.

虽然中国东部城市已经出现了迅速成长的中产阶级，而且到处是时装商店和进口汽车，但是中国农村的七亿人口还在为生计而挣扎。
 

1 arable   

adj.可耕的，适合种植的

参考例句：

• The terrain changed quickly from arable land to desert.那个地带很快就从耕地变成了沙漠。
• Do you know how much arable land has been desolated?你知道什么每年有多少土地荒漠化吗？

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

4 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。

5 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。