英语听力精选进阶版 6254

Pig Farmers Needed to Satisfy Pork Demand 养猪农户需要满足市场的猪肉需求

Today's Britain is full of TV shows like Fame Academy, which claim to offer young hopefuls an instant passport to fame and riches.

But a very different kind of academy may provide a new generation of Brits with a slower, steadier path to wealth.

A 'pig academy' in the east of England is aiming to train up new pig farmers to help boost local agriculture and meet the UK's growing demand for pork.

Last year consumption of pork products increased by 6,000 tonnes.

Pig running

British consumers value pig welfare

But British farmers have not benefited from this rise in demand. A combination of increasing feed prices, competition from cheaper imports and an outbreak of foot and mouth disease have all eaten into their profits. Pig numbers in the UK have actually almost halved¹ in the last decade.

Now, Fresh Start Pig Academy in Lincolnshire is launching a course which intends to redress² the balance. They say pig husbandry is a growth industry and newcomers are welcome.

For those of you who fancy getting your hands dirty, the course will teach you everything you need to know: from keeping pigs healthy to raising the capital needed to start up.

Pig farmer Anne Longthorp followed her father into the industry and believes that farming pigs is very rewarding work:

"They're great, inquisitive³ animals to work with. Just watching their behaviour – it's really interesting work. There is a lot more to pig farming than people give us credit for. It's very scientific."

So, while most of Britain's young people may continue to dream of overnight stardom, others will hope a more traditional career will help them bring home the bacon.

Glossary 词汇表 

young hopefuls

希望成功的年轻人

instant passport

快速通行证

steadier

更可靠的

boost local agriculture

促进当地农业繁荣

consumption

消费量

feed

饲料

outbreak

爆发

foot and mouth disease

口蹄疫

eaten into their profits

削减、吃掉了利润

halved

减半

redress the balance

修复平衡

pig husbandry

养猪业

growth industry

增长性行业

newcomers

新加入者、新手

getting your hands dirty

亲手去做某事

capital

成本、资本

rewarding

值得的， 有报酬的

inquisitive

好奇的

give us credit for

给予肯定、赞扬

bring home the bacon

挣钱养家

1 halved   

v.把…分成两半( halve的过去式和过去分词 )；把…减半；对分；平摊

参考例句：

• The shares have halved in value . 股价已经跌了一半。
• Overall operating profits halved to $24 million. 总的营业利润减少了一半，降至2，400 万元。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 redress   

n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除

参考例句：

• He did all that he possibly could to redress the wrongs.他尽了一切努力革除弊端。
• Any man deserves redress if he has been injured unfairly.任何人若蒙受不公平的损害都应获得赔偿。

3 inquisitive   

adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的

参考例句：

• Children are usually inquisitive.小孩通常很好问。
• A pat answer is not going to satisfy an inquisitive audience.陈腔烂调的答案不能满足好奇的听众。