VOA慢速英语20060410a

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - African Farmland Found to be Severely¹ InfertileBy Jill Moss³

Broadcast: Monday, April 10, 2006

This is Shep O'Neal with the VOA Special English Development Report.

A new report says seventy-five percent of farmland in southern Africa has lost nutrients⁵ needed to grow crops. The highest rates of nutrient⁴ loss are in Guinea, Congo, Angola, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. More than sixty kilograms of nutrients per hectare are being lost each year. The study also warned that food imports to Africa would need to increase if immediate⁶ action is not taken.

The international nonprofit organization I.F.D.C. released the report at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York City last month. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo headed the event. He called on African leaders, aid groups and farming organizations to support a meeting in Nigeria in June to discuss Africa's soil crisis.


Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo at a Rockefeller Foundation news conference, March 30.

The meeting would discuss ways to increase agricultural productivity across Africa. These include reductions in nutrient mining, limits on cutting of trees, less use of infertile² grassland⁷, and better farming methods that protect the environment. The meeting also would aim to increase the use of natural and manufactured chemical fertilizers in Africa.

Lack of rain is also harming soil fertility in Africa. The World Meteorological Organization says dry weather conditions in East Africa will continue in April. Several of the worst affected⁸ areas have recorded their driest months since nineteen sixty-one. The United Nations warns that more than eleven million people in the area urgently need food assistance.

The World Food Program has launched a new program that could help pay for a possible humanitarian⁹ emergency in Ethiopia this year. The U.N. agency has purchased an insurance agreement that will pay money if rainfall does not reach a certain level this year. The insurance policy is reported to have cost nine hundred thirty thousand dollars. It was awarded to a French insurance company.

The company will pay the World Food Program about seven million dollars if rainfall between March and October in Ethiopia is below a certain level. The money would be used to get emergency aid more quickly.

James Morris heads the World Food Program. He says the insurance program could help change the way governments think about emergency aid.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. I'm Shep O'Neal. Our programs are online at www.unsv.com.

1 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

2 infertile   

adj.不孕的；不肥沃的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• Plants can't grow well in the infertile land.在贫瘠的土地上庄稼长不好。
• Nobody is willing to till this infertile land.这块薄田没有人愿意耕种。

3 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

4 nutrient   

adj.营养的，滋养的；n.营养物，营养品

参考例句：

• Magnesium is the nutrient element in plant growth.镁是植物生长的营养要素。
• The roots transmit moisture and nutrient to the trunk and branches.根将水分和养料输送到干和枝。

5 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 grassland   

n.牧场，草地，草原

参考例句：

• There is a reach of grassland in the distance.远处是连绵一片的草原。
• The snowstorm swept the vast expanse of grassland.暴风雪袭击了辽阔的草原。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。