评论
打印
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil. And I’m Rob.
你好。这里是BBC英语六分钟。我是尼尔。我是罗伯。
Do you know where the food on your plate comes from?
你知道你盘子里的食物是从哪里来的吗?
Many people just assume that shops will always be ready with a cheap and plentiful supply.
许多人只是想当然地认为，商店总是会准备好廉价而充足的商品。
But recently a lack of certain foods in the UK, a situation known as a food shortage, has left supermarket shelves empty of everyday items like eggs, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
但最近，英国出现了一种被称为食物短缺的情况，导致超市货架上的鸡蛋、西红柿和黄瓜等日常用品被悉数抢空。
Some see these food supply problems, which were caused by unusually cold weather combined with rising energy prices, as a warning not to take a reliable supply for food for granted.
一些人认为，这些由异常寒冷的天气和不断上涨的能源价格造成的粮食供应问题是一个警告，不要把可靠的粮食供应视为理所当然。
Like many countries, the UK imports much of its food from abroad, and for years has enjoyed a stable and affordable supply.
像许多国家一样，英国是从国外进口大部分食品的，多年来一直享有稳定和可负担的供给量。
But with changes in the world economy, inflation, and the effects of climate change, how much longer will this continue?
但随着世界经济的变化、通货膨胀和气候变化的影响，这种情况还会持续多久?
In this programme, we’ll be finding out, and as usual, learning some useful, new vocabulary as well.
在本期节目中，我们将找出答案，并像往常一样学习一些有用的新词汇。
A reliable food supply is essential.
可靠的食物供应是必不可少的。
In fact, there’s an English expression about the dangers of not having enough food for everyone: ‘we are only nine meals away…’ but, ‘away from’ what, Neil?
事实上，有一个英语表达是关于没有足够食物给每个人的危机的:“我们离……只有九顿饭”但是，“离”什么呢，尼尔?
Is it: a) a revolution? b) anarchy? or c) famine?
是a)一场革命? b)无政府状态? 还是c)饥荒?
I guess the expression goes: we’re only nine meals away from revolution.
我想这句话是这么说的:我们离革命只有九顿饭了。
OK. I’ll reveal the answer later on.
好的。稍后我将揭晓答案。
Besides difficulties in importing food, some countries are also producing less food than they used to.
除了进口粮食困难之外，一些国家的粮食产量也比以前减少了。
In the UK, many farmers are selling their apple orchards to housing developers rather than struggle with increasing production costs.
在英国，许多农民宁愿把自己的苹果园卖给房地产开发商，也不愿与不断增加的生产成本作斗争。
Here’s Adam Leyland, editor of The Grocer magazine, speaking with BBC Radio 4’s, The Food Programme.
以下是《杂货商》杂志编辑亚当·利兰在接受BBC广播4台《食品节目》采访时说的话。
The forecast is for the lowest levels of production since records began.
该预测是有记录以来的最低产量水平。
And when you think about how much investment there has been in glasshouses and polytunnels since 1985 in a way that's transformed UK supply, quite frankly, the fact that this is what's being forecast is extraordinary.
想想自1985年以来，有多少投资是给了玻璃温室和塑料大棚，这在某种程度上改变了英国的食品供应，坦率地说，这是预测的非同寻常的事实。
Adam says that British food production is at its lowest since records began – a phrase used to mark the point in the past when people started writing down an account of something rather than just remembering it, so that the information could be used in the future.
亚当说，英国的粮食产量正处于有记录以来的最低水平——这个短语用来标记过去人们开始把事情记录下来的时间点，而不仅仅是记住它，这是为了将来使用这些信息。
Production is decreasing despite improvements in how food is grown, especially the use of glasshouses and polytunnels.
尽管粮食的种植方式有所改进，特别是玻璃温室和塑料大棚的使用，但产量仍在下降。
A glasshouse is a large greenhouse–a building with glass sides used for the commercial growing of fruit and vegetables.
玻璃温室是一种大型温室——一种有玻璃外墙的建筑，用于商业种植水果和蔬菜。
A polytunnel is a similar structure but made using plastic instead of glass.
塑料大棚是类似的结构，但用塑料代替玻璃制成。
However, it’s not only Brits who are worrying about the production and supply of their food - changes are happening all around the world.
然而，不仅仅是英国人担心食物的生产和供应——世界各地都在发生变化。
When global demand for food outgrows supply, countries start competing with each other.
当全球粮食需求超过供应时，各国就开始相互竞争。
According to Oxford University’s, Professor Charles Godfrey, an expert on the global food system, we’re now living in a less connected, less collaborative world, a world which he says is ‘de-globalising’.
牛津大学的全球食品系统专家查尔斯·戈弗雷教授认为，我们现在生活在一个联系越来越少、合作越来越少的世界里，他说这个世界正在“去全球化”。
Deglobalisation involves sourcing food nearer to home - domestically or from neighbouring countries.
去全球化涉及到在离国家更近的地方采购食品——在国内或从邻国采购。
While this sounds positive, Professor Godfrey is worried that deglobalisation makes it harder to supply food to parts of the world which cannot produce enough for themselves.
虽然这听起来很积极，但戈弗雷教授担心，去全球化会使世界上那些无法自给自足的地区更难获得食物。
Here, he shares his concerns with BBC Radio 4’s, The Food Programme.
在这里，他在BBC广播4频道的食品节目中分享了他的担忧。
We think that in the next 30 or 40 years we will probably see global demand for food rising 30 to 50 percent, and I think a question is:
我们认为在未来30或40年我们可能会发现全球粮食需求增加了30 - 50%，我认为问题是：
should the UK be stepping up to help meet that demand, given that we have a very sophisticated home agriculture… or you could argue completely the opposite, that we live in a country where we are very depauperate for biodiversity - perhaps we should produce less food here and use our land more for biodiversity.
考虑到我们国内的农业非常复杂，英国是否应该帮助满足这一需求…或者你可以完全相反地认为，我们生活在生物多样性发育不全的国家——也许我们应该产生更少的食物，并为了生物多样性更多地使用土地。
My view is that if we plan our land use in a canny way, one can produce more food, and one can increase the biodiversity in the country.
我的观点是，如果我们以一种精明的方式规划我们的土地使用，可以生产更多的食物，也可以增加这个国家的生物多样性。
Professor Godfrey thinks only a globalised food system can successfully feed the world population.
戈弗雷教授认为，只有全球化的粮食体系才能成功地养活世界人口。
Countries that can produce food should be stepping up to meet demand.
能够生产粮食的国家应该加紧努力以满足需求。
If you step up to a situation, you start taking responsibility for doing something to improve things.
如果你迈向一种情形，意思就是你开始承担责任，去做一些事来改善情况。
We need a balance between growing food and maintaining the Earth’s biodiversity – the number and variety of plants and animals living on earth.
我们需要在种植粮食和维持地球的生物多样性(即生活在地球上的植物和动物的数量和种类)之间取得平衡。
Depending on their circumstances, countries could use their land either to grow food or to promote biodiversity, but Professor Godfrey thinks both are possible if we are canny – an adjective meaning clever and quick-thinking.
根据具体情况，各国可以利用土地种植粮食或促进生物多样性，但戈弗雷教授认为，如果我们足够精明，这两者都是可能的。精明是一个形容词，意思是聪明和思维敏捷。
Feeding the world is an urgent global challenge with serious consequence, as mentioned in that English expression, so… maybe it’s time you revealed the answer to your question, Rob.
养活世界是一项紧迫的全球性挑战，后果严重，正如刚才那个英语表达所提到的那样，所以，罗伯，也许是时候揭晓问题的答案了。
Yes. I asked you to finish the saying, ‘We’re only nine meals away from…’.
是的。我让你完成这个句子，“我们离……只有九顿饭。”
And I guessed it was ‘nine meals away from revolution’?
我猜是“离革命还有九顿饭”?
Which was the wrong answer, I’m afraid.
恐怕你的回答是错的。
Actually, the saying goes ‘we’re only nine meals away from anarchy’.
事实上，俗话说“我们距离无政府状态只有九顿饭”。
I really hope not, but just in case let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned starting with food shortage – a situation where not enough food is produced.
我真的希望不会这样，但以防万一，让我们从food shortage开始回顾一下我们学过的词汇，它的意思是没有足够食物生产的情况。
The phrase, since records began shows the point in the past when people started keeping written accounts of events, rather than just remembering them.
since records began这个短语表明，在过去，人们开始用文字记录事件的时间点，而不仅仅是记住它们。
A glasshouse is a large greenhouse – that’s a building with glass sides used for growing food.
glasshouse是一种大型温室，是一种有玻璃外墙用来种植食物的建筑。
If you step up to a situation, you start taking responsibility to act to improve things.
如果你step up to a situation，你就开始承担责任，采取行动去改善情况。
Earth’s biodiversity is the variety of plants and animals living in the natural environment.
地球的biodiversity是指生活在自然环境中的各种植物和动物。
And finally, the adjective canny means clever and quick-thinking.
最后，形容词canny的意思是聪明和思维敏捷。
Once again, our six minutes are up. Goodbye for now! Bye bye!
六分钟又到了。再见了！ 拜拜！
