听考研真题|2021年英二阅读2:脱欧就能实现粮食的自给自足,想美事呢?

With the global population predicted to hit close to 10 billion by 2050, and forecasts that agricultural production in some regions will need to nearly double to keep pace, food security is increasingly making headlines.

【生词】agricultural adj.农业的，农用的, 以农业为主的

In the UK, it has become a big talking point recently too, for a rather particular reason: Brexit.

【生词】Brexit n.英国脱欧

【翻译】在英国，这一话题近来也已成为热议焦点，而其原因颇为特殊：即脱欧问题。

Brexit is seen by some as an opportunity to reverse a recent trend towards the UK importing food. 

【生词】reverse vt.& vi.（使）反转, （使）颠倒, 调换

【翻译】对部分人士而言，英国脱欧被视为扭转近期英国进口食品趋势的契机。

The country produces only about 60 per cent of the food it eats, down from almost three-quarters in the late 1980s.

【翻译】该国自产粮食仅能满足其国内消费量的约60%，而这一比例在 20 世纪 80 年代末曾高达近四分之三。

A move back to self-sufficiency, the argument goes, would boost the farming industry, political sovereignty and even the nation’s health.

【生词】sovereignty n.国家的主权, 君权，最高统治权, 独立自主, 主权国家

【翻译】据称，回归自给自足的模式将有助于提振农业产业、增强政治自主权，甚至改善国民健康状况。

Sounds great--but how feasible is this vision?

【翻译】听起来很棒--但这一愿景在现实中是否可行？

According to a report on UK food production from the University of Leeds,UK, 85 per cent of the country’s total land area is associated with meat and dairy production.

【生词】dairy n.牛奶场, 乳品店, 乳品公司; adj.牛奶的，乳制的, 乳品业的

【翻译】根据英国利兹大学发布的关于英国食品生产情况的报告，该国总土地面积的85% 用于肉类和乳制品生产。

That supplies 80 per cent of what is consumed, so even covering the whole country in livestock farms wouldn’t allow us to cover all our meat and dairy needs.

【生词】livestock n.家畜，牲畜

【翻译】该产业满足了全国80%的肉类消费需求；因此，即使在全国范围内普遍建立畜牧养殖场，也无法满足我们全部的肉类和乳制品需求。

There are many caveats to those figures,but they are still grave.

【生词】caveat n.警告，附加说明

grave adj.重大的，重要的, 严重的, n.坟墓，墓穴

    To become much more self-sufficient, the UK would need to drastically reduce its consumption of animal foods, and probably also farm more intensively--meaning fewer green fields and more factory-style production.

【翻译】为了大幅提升自给自足水平，英国需要大幅减少动物性食品的消费量，同时可能还需推行更集约化的农业生产——这意味着减少传统农田面积，转而采用工厂化生产模式。

But switching to a mainly plant-based diet wouldn’t help.

【翻译】然而，转向以植物性饮食为主的饮食结构并无助益。

There is a good reason why the UK is dominated by animal husbandry: most of its terrain doesn’t have the right soil or climate to grow crops on a commercial basis.

【生词】husbandry n.农业, 资源管理，妥善管理

terrain n.地形，地势, 地面，地带, [地理]岩层, （知识的）领域范围

【翻译】英国以畜牧业为主导，这有其充分的原因：该国大部分地区所处的土壤或气候条件并不适合进行商业化农作物种植。

Just 25 per cent of the country’s land is suitable for crop-growing, most of which is already occupied by arable fields.

【生词】arable adj.适于耕种的

【翻译】该国仅有25% 的土地适合进行农作物种植，而其中大部分土地已被用于开垦为耕地。

Even if we converted all the suitable land to fields of fruit and veg--which would involve taking out all the nature reserves and removing thousands of people from their homes -- we would achieve only a 30 per cent boost in crop production.

【翻译】即使我们将所有适宜的土地都改种水果和蔬菜——这将意味着撤出所有自然保护区并将数千名居民迁离家园——我们也仅能实现农作物产量增长 30%。

Just 23 per cent of the fruit and vegetables consumed in the UK are currently home-grown, so even with the most extreme measures we could meet only 30 per cent of our fresh produce needs.

【翻译】目前，英国消费的水果和蔬菜中仅有23% 是本地种植的；因此，即使采取最极端的措施，我们也只能满足 30% 的新鲜农产品需求。

That is before we look for the space to grow the grains, sugars, seeds and oils that provide us with the vast bulk of our current calorie intake.

【生词】grain n.谷粒, 谷物, 细粒