VOA标准英语2008年-EU Proposes to Overhaul Farm Subsidies

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
20 May 2008

The European Union's executive commission has unveiled an agricultural reform plan for the 27-member block that aims to overhaul¹ farm funding to better meet current challenges - including global warming and the recent spike² in world food prices. Lisa Bryant has more on the proposals from Paris.

The plan by the European Commission aims to fundamentally change how agricultural subsidies³ are handed out - and to give farmers more flexibility⁴ on what crops and how much they can grow.

In presenting what she called the "health check" in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday, European agricultural commissioner⁵ Mariann Fischer Boel said it aims to modernize⁶ and streamline⁷ agriculture in the 27-member European Union and give farmers greater freedom.

"When we started preparing our health check we were in a completely different time, but recently we have seen prices going up, we have seen new challenges coming up -- energy, climate change," she said. "So I think we are very timely with our new proposal that meets exactly the new requirements of the public."

Among other proposals, the EU plan would reduce subsidies for larger European farms in favor of underwriting smaller rural development projects. It would also move away from traditional subsidies and production quotas⁸ - and eventually scrap⁹ a practice of making farmers set aside 10 percent of their land due to overproduction.

In order to pass, the plan needs the approval of all EU member nations along with the European Parliament. On Monday, EU agriculture ministers meeting in Brussels agreed Europe needs to increase its food production, but that does not mean the new reforms will be adopted.

A number of agricultural ministers oppose dismantling¹⁰ the current system of EU farm subsidies and regulation, which particularly favors countries with large agricultural sectors¹¹, such as Germany and France.

The proposals coincide with a new study by the European Commission looking into reasons for the recent world food price rises. Among other factors, the report blamed high energy costs, increasing demand for biofuels, slowing growth in cereal yields and poor harvests in key countries producing and exporting cereals for the price increases.

1 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

2 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

3 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

5 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

6 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

7 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

8 quotas   

（正式限定的）定量( quota的名词复数 )； 定额； 指标； 摊派

参考例句：

• In fulfilling the production quotas, John made rings round all his fellow workers. 约翰完成生产定额大大超过他的同事们。
• Quotas of the means of production are allocated by the higher administrative bodies to the lower ones. 物资指标按隶属关系分配。

9 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

10 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

11 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》