VOA标准英语2008年-G8 Promises Help for African Agriculture

Leaders from the world's largest industrial nations are promising¹ more food aid and agricultural assistance for Africa to help ease the impact of rising food costs. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports from the Group of Eight summit in Japan where some non-governmental organizations say increasing demand for biofuels is partly to blame for higher food prices.
　
G8 leaders exchange talks at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in Toyako, Japan, 08 Jul 2008

G8 leaders say they are concerned that the steep rise in global food prices could push millions of people back into poverty.

So they have pledged more than $10 billion in food aid since the first of the year and are calling on other donors² to join them in providing seeds and fertilizers for the upcoming planting season.

G8 leaders say they will support improvements in agricultural infrastructure³ including irrigation, transportation, storage, distribution, and quality control while assisting in the development of food security early warning systems.

At their summit on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, G8 leaders promised to work with the International Monetary⁴ Fund to help food-importing countries and vowed⁵ to boost investments in African agriculture to double the production of key food staples⁶ within ten years.

Global food prices were a big part of talks between G8 leaders and heads of state from South Africa, Algeria, Ethiopia, Senegal, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Ghana.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says 37 countries are most affected⁷ by rising food prices. Twenty one of them are in Africa.

Charles Abani is with the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, a coalition⁸ of groups campaigning to raise living standards in the developing world.

"Families are forced to make choices between food and education, food and health, and this crisis really exacerbates⁹ the situation on the ground," he said.

Rising world food prices are the result of a number of factors including higher transportation costs, drought, and increased demand from a growing middle class in China and India. There is also more land under cultivation¹⁰ for biofuels, including ethanol.

The non-governmental organization ActionAid says biofuels are responsible for as much as one-third of the recent increase in food prices. ActionAid's Carol Kayira says that is bad for Africa.

"Africa is being earmarked as the source of biofuels in the future, that Africa would develop if they implement¹¹ the biofuels or if they grow biofuels," she said. "And for us in Africa, we are saying no. First of all, we need more research on biofuels. Secondly¹², we are saying we are already having difficulties to produce our own food to feed ourselves, so if you come in Africa and then you are taking out the basic resources that we require for food for biofuels, you are making the problem worse."

G8 leaders say they will ensure that the sustainable production of biofuels is compatible with food security, in part, by accelerating the development of biofuels from non-food plant materials and waste.

Joseph Suuna is the general secretary of the advocacy group PELUM, which promotes ecological¹³ land use management. He says growing demands for biofuels in the developing world are disrupting African agriculture.

"As a global community, irrespective of whether the immediate¹⁴ people who are dying may be in Africa, this is your problem as much as it is an African problem," said Sunna. "Just as a tsunami¹⁵ in Asia is an African problem is an American problem, so is anything to do with food in Africa."

In their statement on food security, G8 leaders vowed to form a global partnership¹⁶ on agriculture and food involving developing country governments, donors, the private sector¹⁷, and civil society.

The World Bank says increases in the price of wheat, rice, and maize¹⁸ cost developing countries more than $320 billion last year. Oxfam International says food inflation has wiped out five percent of the Gross Domestic Product of Mozambique and Eritrea, and ten percent of GDP in Senegal, Haiti, and Sierra Leone.

 

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

5 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

6 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

9 exacerbates   

n.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的名词复数 )v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Stripping the land in these ways allows faster surface runoff and exacerbates flooding. 这些做法终将使土地裸露、地表径流加快，从而加重了洪水的威胁。 来自辞典例句
• This policy exacerbates the gap between rich and poor. 这项政策加剧了贫富差距。 来自互联网

10 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

11 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

12 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

13 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

14 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。

15 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

16 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

17 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

18 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。