英语四级晨读100篇精华版004： global food shortage 全球食品短缺(中英)
4. global food shortage 全球食品短缺
population growth will outstrip increases in food supplies over the next 40 years, leading to massive grain deficits in china. india and africa, and sending food prices soaring all over the world, according to a report released by the influential world- watch institute last week. the institule. a think-tank based in washington dc says the world is close to its human "carrying capacity" . after 40 years of phenomenal agricultural growth, food production is heginning to level off.
颇具影响的世界观察研究所上周公布了一项报告，该报告称，在今后40年间人口增长将超过食品供应的增长，在中国、印度和非洲将会出现大面积的食品短缺，从而引起全球食品价格暴涨。该研究所是设在华盛顿特区的一个智囊团．它宣称世界已经接近了它的人类“承载能力”极限。经过40年农业飞速的增长，粮食产量已经开始渐趋平稳。
"our thesis is we ' re moving into a new period in che world economy,one in which the relationship between population and, food is changing rather drastically," says tester brown, president of the institute co-author of the report with hal kane.
该研究所所长莱斯特·布朗同哈尔·凯恩共同撰写了这个报告，他说：“我们的主题是世界经济正进a-个新的时期，人口与食品的关系正在发生巨大的变化。“
their view is gloomier than that of recent reports from the world bank and che un food and agriculcure or nization which still expect food production to continue increasing, says brown. the institute assum " in crease from in, crease will come as fnnd product food produced per person will begin to fall.
布朗说他们的观点比世界银行和联合国粮农组织最近一份报告要显得悲观一些，他们预料粮食产量会继续增长。研究所认为世界人口会从目前的53亿上升到2030年的89亿。在人口增长的同时，粮食产量趋于平稳，所以人均粮食生产置将会下降。
the amount of grain produced per person each year has already peaked. in 1983 it reached 346 kilograms. by 1993 the figure had fallen t0 303 kilograms per person, and by 2030 it will have dropped to 240 kilograms per person. this is closer co the indian diet. which needs 200 kilograms of grain a year to sustain it. ffian to the american rliet whic.h requires four limes as much.
每年的人均粮食生产量已经达到最高峰，1983年达到了人均346公斤。1993年该数字下降到人均303公斤。而到了2030年，将下降到人均240公斤。这接近于印度人均每年200公斤粮食来维持生活的需要，而美国人均需要是它的4倍。
according to brown ancl kane, seafood catches reached a peak in 1990 at loo million tones. and many fisheries are now in decline. they say die leveling off in food production is caused hy many numher of faccors. first. the world is rearhing the limit of water available for irrigation second, the amount air land being farmed is
shrinking as more countries are industrialized. finally, fertilizers are now so widely used r:hat simply adding more will not bring she dramatic gains productivity seen in the past.
根据布朗和凯恩的报告，海洋捕捞在1990年就达到了1亿吨的极限，许多渔场都在减产。他们认为，粮食产量停滞不前是由许多因素引起的。首先，世界已经达到了灌溉用水的极限：其次，越来越多的国家耕地面积逐渐缩小；最后，目前对于化肥的使用已经非常普遍了，所以单纯的多施化肥并不能带来过去所能看到的产量。
riee production in japan. says brown, has not increased greatly in the past decade.if the educated technologicatly advanced and heavily suhsidized japanese fanners cannot increase productivity, il is reasonable to assume chey have reached the limit of current technology. even advances in biotechnology do not promise to increase crop yields dramatically, he says.
布朗说，过去10年间，日本的水稻产量一点儿也没有增长。如果受教育程度高、技术先进而且政府大量补贴的日本农民都不能提高产量的话，我们完全有理由相信他们已经达到了目前技术的极限。他同时说，即使是先进的生物技术也不能保证提高农作物的产量。
cet4四级词汇：
outstop 超过；越过
deficial 赤字；亏空
think-tank智囊团
gloomy 悲观的；令人沮丧的
fishery 渔场；渔业
subaidize 资助
slem，stem， 给……装上柄
levei （经过涨落后）趋于平稳
cet4阅读单词短语考点：
this is closer co the indian diet. which needs 200 kilograms of grain a year to sustain it. ffian to the american rliet which requires four limes as much.
这接近于印度人均每年200公斤粮食来维持生活的需要，而美国的人均需要是它的4倍。
该句是一个由which引导的非限制性定语从句，其中两个
whieh引导的从句之间存在比较关心，是一个复杂句，可以仿效。