VOA慢速英语2016--疾病威胁世界香蕉供应

AS IT IS 2016-04-24 Disease Threatens World Banana Supplies 疾病威胁世界香蕉供应

A disease called “Panama” is threatening supplies of the world’s most popular fruit – banana.

Two years ago, the United Nations warned that the “Panama disease” could destroy “much of the world’s banana crop.”

Since then, things have not gotten better. A new outbreak was discovered last year in Australia. The disease started in Asia in the 1990s, and later spread to Africa and the Middle East.

World health officials worry the disease could travel to Latin America, one of the top banana producers in the world.

All this is a big concern because bananas are an important source of income and nutrients¹ for millions of people. They are grown in 135 tropical nations.

The United Nations lists bananas as one of the most important foods, along with rice, wheat and corn. In 2011, farmers produced 107 metric tons, the UN said.

The website ultimatesuperfoods.org says bananas also contain serotonin, which it says makes people feel happy.

“No matter who you are, you’ll enjoy the calming effects and positive vibes,” the website says of the banana.

Concern in the banana industry

Randy Ploetz is a professor at the Tropical Research & Educational Center at the University of Florida. Many consider him as America’s top banana expert, or, “top banana.”

As he explained, Panama disease affects the Cavendish banana. The Cavendish is one of more than 500 kinds of bananas. But it is the most popular.

“The industry is waking up to the problem,” Ploetz said. “They are pretty scared.”

He was speaking Thursday by telephone from Miami, Florida, where he is among 1,000 people attending the International Banana Congress.

The meeting was supposed to take place in Costa Rica, but was moved at the last minute.  There were concerns banana growers could spread Panama disease from dirt collected on their shoes, Ploetz said.

Ploetz said reports Cavendish banana production could end are not correct. But if the disease spreads to Latin America, it could hurt the world’s economy along with food supplies for millions of people.

Still, he said there is reason for hope. Scientists in Australia are working on a genetically² engineered banana that might not be at risk of getting Panama disease. But Ploetz wondered if people are ready to accept genetically engineered bananas.

Robert Bertram is chief scientist for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He said bananas are important to many millions of people all over the world.

“In Africa, Asia and tropical America, bananas and plantains are an important food source for more than 100 million people,” he told VOA.

“As a cash crop, bananas are sold in local, regional and international markets,” Bertram said. Banana exports provide jobs and foreign money that producing countries need, he said.

Bertram said USAID is organizing a worldwide effort to stop the growth of Panama disease.

A fungus³, known as TR4, causes the Panama disease.

Before 2013, Bertram said, it was limited to Asia – China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. Since then, it spread to the Middle East – Jordan, Lebanon, Oman and Pakistan and to Africa, in Mozambique.

In the 1960s, the same fungus wiped out the ‘Gros Michel’ banana crop, which at the time was the world’s most popular. The Cavendish replaced it.

John McQuaid, author of “Tasty: The Art and Science of What We Eat” said some people think the Gros Michels “tasted better.”

At Wageningen University in the Netherlands, researchers are looking for Cavendish replacements⁵. Their work is difficult. Researchers said a replacement⁴  will have to resist Panama disease, and survive the shipping⁶ time needed to get bananas to stores thousands of miles away from banana fields.

Words in This Story

banana – n. a long curved fruit with a thick peel that is yellow when it is ripe

outbreak – n. a sudden start or increase of a disease

serotonin -- n. a compound present in blood

vibes – n. feelings

top banana – n. the top person in a field

plantains – n. a greenish fruit that comes from a kind of banana plant and is eaten after it has been cooked

fungus – n. any one of a group of related plants, such as molds, mushrooms, or yeasts⁷, that live on dead or decaying⁸ things

replacement – n. the act of replacing something

1 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》

2 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

3 fungus   

n.真菌，真菌类植物

参考例句：

• Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
• This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。

4 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

5 replacements   

n.代替( replacement的名词复数 )；替换的人[物]；替代品；归还

参考例句：

• They infiltrated behind the lines so as to annoy the emery replacements. 他们渗透敌后以便骚扰敌军的调度。 来自辞典例句
• For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. 对于石油的替代品来说，价格变得无足轻重了。 来自互联网

6 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

7 yeasts   

酵母( yeast的名词复数 )； 酵母菌； 发面饼； 发酵粉

参考例句：

• The basidiospores proliperate in a manner comparable to the multiplication of yeasts. 担孢子以一种可与酵母繁殖相比拟的方式进行增殖。
• Wine yeasts can grow in sweet wines even after bottling. 装瓶以后葡萄酒酵母也能在甜葡萄酒中生长。

8 decaying   

v.（使）腐烂，腐朽( decay的现在分词 )；衰败，衰退，衰落

参考例句：

• The fish and crabs scavenge for decaying tissue. 鱼和蟹搜寻腐烂的组织为食。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云，同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说