VOA慢速英语2010年-Agriculture Report - World Food Prize

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

This year's World Food Prize will honor two leaders of hunger-fighting groups based in the United States. The winners are David Beckmann of Bread for the World and Jo Luck of Heifer International. They will share the prize of two hundred fifty thousand dollars.

The World Food Prize usually goes to researchers or top policy officials. This is the first time it will recognize the work of nongovernmental groups. The winners were announced last week at the State Department in Washington. The privately¹ supported prize will be awarded in Des Moines, Iowa, in October.

Heifer International provides donated animals and training to farmers in fifty countries. Jo Luck stepped down this year after almost twenty years as chief executive officer. She remains² president until next year. Under her leadership, the group's budget grew from less than ten million dollars to more than one hundred thirty million.

JO LUCK: "People pass on their gifts of not just animals. They pass on those gifts of training and leadership. We have seen cases where we have been gone five and ten years and we go back and they have developed roads and built schools, and they have other communities receiving the animals and the training. You just give them those resources and that training and opportunity, and you cannot hold them back."

She told the story of a woman from a poor village in Zimbabwe. A family member helped send her to school in the United States with earnings³ from a donated milk goat. She received a doctoral degree.

JO LUCK: "That is what a goat did. That is one example. The animal is only the catalyst⁴. That is the beginning of many other things that follow."

David Beckmann became president of Bread for the World in nineteen ninety-one. Before that, he worked on poverty issues at the World Bank. He is an economist⁵ and a Christian⁶ clergyman.

Bread for the World organizes people from religious and non-religious groups to write, call and visit members of Congress. The purpose is to support measures to improve the lives of the poor.

David Beckmann points to big increases in American development assistance.

DAVID BECKMANN: "I think that would not have happened without the advocacy of hundreds of thousands of people and churches that are part of Bread for the World and that keep the pressure on their members of Congress."

The prize committee also credited his efforts with helping⁷ to increase aid to needy⁸ families in the United States.

Norman Borlaug established the World Food Prize in nineteen eighty-six. His work with rice and wheat crops saved millions from starving in Asia and Latin America. The plant scientist and Nobel Peace Prize winner died last year at the age of ninety-five.

And that’s the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson with Steve Baragona. Transcripts⁹ and MP3s of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube at VOA Learning English. I’m Jim Tedder¹⁰.
 

1 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

4 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

5 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

9 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

10 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网