VOA标准英语2010年-Food Security in Zimbabwe Improves, Ma

A woman looks happy after receiving bags of food

A new United Nations report finds food security in Zimbabwe has improved significantly, following government efforts to curb¹ the food problem and international funding to subsidize farmers. But, the report finds nearly 1.7 million people in the country still will need food aid next year. The findings are based on a report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program, who sent a joint² food assessment³ mission to Zimbabwe in June.

 

The report is a good news/bad news story. Zimbabwe has had several years of bad harvests. And, the country's critical food shortages worsened in 2008, when food prices soared around the world.

During the pre-harvest season in the early part of 2009, the World Food Program was feeding 5.3 million hungry people in Zimbabwe.

But World Food Program spokeswoman, Emilia Casella, says the number of aid recipients⁴ dipped to fewer than one million people a month last year, thanks to a notable improvement in crop yields.

"There has been a 20 percent increase in the planting area for maize⁵ in Zimbabwe and that is quite significant," Casella says. "It is the biggest amount of maize that was planted in Zimbabwe in the past 30 years. And that is a very encouraging change. It means that Zimbabwe in 2010 has had 1.35 million tons of maize harvested, and that is compared to less than half a million tons in 2008. This improvement is obviously going to help many people in Zimbabwe." 

Nevertheless, Casella says there is still a big shortfall of food in the country. And, the high food prices are affecting the poorest people who cannot afford to buy what they need.

"So, we are anticipating that in the next pre-harvest season in the early part of the coming year, the World Food Program is expecting to have to provide assistance to 1.6 almost 1.7 million people during the lean season in the beginning of 2011," Casella adds. "So, Zimbabwe has shown great improvement, but there is still a great need." 

The report notes the general poverty and chronic⁶ food insecurity in Zimbabwe has led to little diversity in the food people consume. It says the food shortages also have contributed to an increased prevalence of chronic malnutrition⁷ among young children.
 

1 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

4 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

6 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

7 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。