VOA标准英语2011--UN World Food Security Committee Meets i

UN World Food Security Committee Meets in Rome

 

The U.N. Committee on World Food Security opened its new session in Rome Monday. The meeting follows Sunday’s observance of World Food Day with the theme: Food Prices – from Crisis to Stability.

Actor Jeremy Lyons – the new goodwill¹ ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization – addressed the Rome meeting.

“In our world, billions of dollars are spent on aid and investment. Billions of words are spoken, written, promising² change and a billion people still go hungry every day. Now as a citizen of the world, I find myself asking: why is this?”

Lyons questioned whether it’s a matter of money or the way aid money is spent. He says he wonders whether a whole new approach to combating hunger is needed.

“Now we need to answer these questions urgently because what we do know is that the gap between those who have and those who have not is widening every year,” he said.

Weapon of mass destruction

Severely3 malnourished child from southern Somalia is being held in a makeshift shelter in a refugee camp in Mogadishu, Somalia (File Photo - Sept. 20, 2011).

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said his agency predicts food price volatility⁴ will continue for the foreseeable future.

“The impact of food price volatility falls heaviest on the poorest, especially the urban poor and the landless, who may spend as much as 75 percent of their income on food,” he said.

Food price volatility is blamed in part on growing demand.

Diouf said, “High rates of economic growth in emerging economies have boosted commodity demand. There has also been increasing demand for some agricultural products as feed stock for biofuel production, which has expanded significantly as a result of subsidies⁵ and mandates⁶.”

Meanwhile, World Food Program Executive Director Josette Sheeran called for the political will to end hunger.

“Hunger is a weapon of mass destruction – the deadliest we know. We need leaders who will tackle hunger and stand with life,” she said.

Sheeran said safety nets that were in place in the Horn of Africa mitigated⁷ the effects of the long drought and protected millions of lives. But she says much more could have been done.

Kanayo Nwanze, head of IFAD, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, agreed.

“Still the fact remains⁸ people have died. Children are malnourished. People are suffering. This was a crisis that need not have happened. But it did happen. And unfortunately, it may happen again,” he said.

FAO chief Diouf said greater investment in agriculture can help ensure food security and fight poverty.

“The time has come to take action and implement⁹ policies that will enable all farmers of the world in developing and developed countries alike to face equitable¹⁰ conditions through mechanisms¹¹ that do not distort markets and consequently be able to earn an income suitable for a dignified¹² life,” he said.

The demand for food is only expected to grow, with a world population of nine billion predicted by 2050. The U.N. Committee on World Food Security includes U.N. agencies, NGOs, civil society, financial and trade institutions and others.

1 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 volatility   

n.挥发性，挥发度，轻快，（性格）反复无常

参考例句：

• That was one reason why volatility was so low last year.这也是去年波动性如此低的原因之一。
• Yet because volatility remained low for so long,disaster myopia prevailed.然而，由于相当长的时间里波动性小，灾难短视就获胜了。

5 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》

6 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

7 mitigated   

v.减轻，缓和( mitigate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cost of getting there is mitigated by Sydney's offer of a subsidy. 由于悉尼提供补助金，所以到那里的花费就减少了。 来自辞典例句
• The living conditions were slightly mitigated. 居住条件稍有缓解。 来自辞典例句

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

10 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

11 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。