新奇事件簿 孟加拉国洋葱危机

Onions are very important in Bangladeshi cuisine¹. The vegetable is a staple² in the country's cooking. However, many people are finding it difficult to buy onions. There is a shortage of them, which means prices have rocketed. Many Bangladeshis simply cannot afford to buy onions. Bangladesh traditionally imports onions from its neighbour India. Recent heavy monsoon³ rains in India damaged a lot of India's onion harvest. This has made India ban exports to Bangladesh. The price of one kilogram of onions in Bangladeshi markets has risen from US36 cents to around $3.25. This is nearly a ten-fold increase. Bangladesh's opposition⁴ party has called for nationwide protests over the record prices.

洋葱在孟加拉烹饪中非常重要。这种蔬菜是这个国家饮食中的主食。但很多人发现现在很难买到洋葱。洋葱短缺意味着其价格飙升。很多孟加拉人买不起洋葱。孟加拉国都是从其邻国印度进口洋葱。印度最近的雨季大雨破坏了印度的洋葱收成，印度因此禁止向孟加拉国出口洋葱。孟加拉市场上一公斤洋葱的价格从36美分上涨到大约3.25美元，这几乎是十倍的增长。孟加拉反对党呼吁全国人民抗议洋葱高价。

The onion crisis is so serious that even the Prime Minister has stopped using it in her cooking. Sheikh Hasina Wazed said she is using onion alternatives in her dishes. A limited number of onions are on sale in several Dhaka markets at twice their usual price. Hundreds of people queue for hours to buy just one kilo. A 41-year-old English teacher said: "Even if I have to stand another two hours, I will do that. I can save some money. I have never seen onion prices this high." A Dhaka resident said a lot of people in her neighbourhood have stopped eating onions. She said: "It has been 15 days since I bought one kilo of onion." Many street-food sellers can no longer make their onion-based snacks.

孟加拉国洋葱危机非常严重，甚至连总理都不再用它来做饭了。谢赫·哈西娜·瓦吉德表示她在做饭时用其他食物替代洋葱。在达卡的几个市场上，数量有限的洋葱以两倍于平时的价格出售。数百人排了几个小时的队只为买一公斤洋葱。一名41岁的英语教师表示：“即便要再排两个小时的队，我也要买。我可以省一些钱。我从没见过洋葱价格这么高。”一位达卡居民表示她周围很多人都已经不吃洋葱了。她说：“我已经15天没有买一公斤洋葱了。”许多街头小吃摊贩也无法制作他们的洋葱类小吃了。

1 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

2 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。

3 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。