环球英语 — 368：Vertical Farms

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
It is a simple fact that everyone needs to eat. However, we live in a world of limited resources². We already face an unequal spread of our food resources. Some people have plenty of food to eat, and other people do not.
Voice 2
Right now the Earth is home to about six billion [6,000,000,000] people. And, that number will grow over the coming years. Many people are concerned that, in the next fifty [50] years, we will not have enough food for everyone. Many more people may have to go without food.
Voice 1
This concern is especially true for people living in cities. Cities only cover about two percent of the Earth’s surface. But, cities use about seventy-five [75] percent of the Earth’s resources, including food. That is because more than half of the Earth’s population lives in or near a city. And experts believe that number will rise to eighty [80] percent within the next fifty [50] years. So providing food for these fast-growing cities may become difficult in the future.
Voice 2
That is why many experts are working to solve the food problem today! One idea is to build vertical³ farms in cities. Instead of expanding across land, these farms would be in buildings. And they would expand up! Today’s Spotlight is on vertical farms.
Voice 1
Imagine standing⁴ in the middle of a city. There are tall buildings all around you. But one building is different. It is made mainly of glass. This building has twenty-one [21] levels. Through the glass you can see plants. On each level there are many different kinds of plants. This is a special building for growing food. It is a vertical farm.
Voice 2
The vertical farm idea started with Doctor Dickson Despommier. He is a professor of public health and microbiology. He believes that vertical farms are good for several different reasons. The first reason is space. Vertical farms save space.
Voice 1
Doctor Despommier claims that each square kilometer produces more in a vertical farm. He says that one square kilometer in a vertical farm can grow the same amount of food as four to six square kilometers outside. Farmers usually grow their crops on the ground - spread over a large area. But vertical farms grow their crops stacked⁵. They are on many different levels, one on top of the other. This saves a lot of space. Dr⁶. Despommier hopes that this space could be used for other things. For example, he hopes that people will plant new trees.
Voice 2
Second, in vertical farms, crops can grow all year long. The weather inside the buildings would be controlled. Weather is important for farms. Bad weather can destroy crops. In a vertical farm, farmers would not have to worry about bad weather, drought⁷, or natural disasters.
Voice 1
Also, many farmers must worry about insects destroying their crops. So, they often use harmful chemicals to kill the insects. But, these chemicals can sink into the ground. They can reach our drinking water and poison⁸ it. But, vertical farms are closed to insects. So, farmers would use fewer chemicals. In fact, all of the food grown in vertical farms could be completely⁹ organic¹⁰. It could be free of chemicals and disease¹¹.
Voice 2
Third, vertical farms will operate within a closed system. That means¹² that the food is grown, transported and eaten within the same city. People living in cities often have to buy food that has travelled a great distance. That is because the food was grown outside of the city. Food travels by truck, by train and by plane to reach big cities. All of this travel produces a lot of air pollution and waste. Vertical farms will help the environment by reducing this pollution and waste.
Voice 1
Vertical farms will help the environment in other ways too. This is the fourth reason why vertical farms are a good idea. Vertical farms will use technology to reduce waste in energy use. For example, vertical farms will use solar panels¹³ on the sides of the buildings. This technology uses energy from the sun. The solar energy will help to grow the crops. In this way, vertical farms will not use much electricity.
Voice 2
Vertical farms will also recycle and reuse¹⁴ water. Normal farms require large amounts of water for growth¹⁵. But most of the water is lost into the ground. It cannot be reused¹⁶. But vertical farms can use technology to recycle any extra water. Farmers can use the water again and again.
Voice 1
Finally, vertical farms will help the environment by saving¹⁷ and using methane¹⁸ gas. Plants produce methane gas. This gas is partly responsible¹⁹ for global²⁰ warming. It has a harmful effect on our atmosphere. But a vertical farm can contain the gas that its plants produce. Therefore, no methane gas will escape into the atmosphere. Instead, vertical farms will collect the gas. They can store it as energy. And they can use it later.
Voice 2
While it is true that vertical farms will save space and save the environment, they may also save economies²¹ too. This is the fifth reason Doctor Despommier believes that vertical farms are a good idea. Vertical farms will provide many jobs for many people living in cities. And because vertical farms will serve local people, local economies will improve as well. The money used to buy food will stay in the community.
Voice 1
There is one last reason why Doctor Despommier believes that vertical farms are a good idea. And that reason is food! Vertical farms can produce a lot food and feed a lot of people. Doctor Despommier believes that only one hundred fifty [150] vertical farms could feed all of New York City. That is more than eight million [8,000,000] people!
Voice 2
And vertical farms will produce nothing but nutritious²² natural food, food that is good for healthy bodies.
Voice 1
Our world could face some serious problems in the future. One of them is a lack of food. It is important to think seriously about solving these problems today. Vertical farms are just one idea. But the world needs many more ideas to solve these problems! What do you think of vertical farms? Would they work where you live?
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 resources   

n.勇气；才智；谋略；有助于实现目标的东西；资源( resource的名词复数 )；[复数]物力；办法；来源

参考例句：

• The world's resources are rapidly diminishing. 世界资源正在迅速减少。
• a policy to equalize the distribution of resources throughout the country 使资源在全国分布均衡的政策

3 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 stacked   

v.堆积( stack的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• a table stacked with glasses 摆满了玻璃杯的桌子
• I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers. 我把衬衫和内衣塞进两个抽屉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 Dr   

n.医生，大夫；博士(缩)（= Doctor）

参考例句：

• Dr.Williams instructs us in botany.威廉博士教我们植物学。
• The ward of the hospital is in the charge of Dr.Green.医院的这间病房由格林医生负责。

7 drought   

n.旱灾，干旱，久旱

参考例句：

• The plants are growing in again,despite the drought.尽管干旱，植物又长出来了。
• The ground is as hard as stone after the drought.长期干旱后土地硬得就像石头一样。

8 poison   

n.毒药；毒害；vt./vi.毒害；投毒

参考例句：

• The bottle is labelled "Poison".瓶上标明“有毒”。
• Don't allow evil thoughts to poison young people's minds.不允许邪念毒害青年。

9 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

10 organic   

adj.有机的，有机物的；有组织的

参考例句：

• Organic farming is expanding everywhere.有机农业正在各地迅速发展起来。
• The organic fertilizer shall keep the soil in good heart.这有机肥一定会使土壤保持肥沃。

11 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

12 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

13 panels   

镶板( panel的名词复数 )； 面； （门、墙等上面的）嵌板； 控制板

参考例句：

• One of the glass panels in the front door was cracked. 前门的一块方玻璃破裂了。
• Make sure the panels are treated with a wood preservative. 确保镶板用木材防腐剂处理过。

14 reuse   

v.再使用；vt.重新使用

参考例句：

• There are some ways to reuse the wastes.有很多废品再利用的方法。
• The use and reuse of urban land.城市土地利用与再利用。

15 growth   

n.生长，栽培

参考例句：

• All living things depend on the sun for their growth.万物靠太阳生长。
• Youth is the time of physical growth.青年时期是长身体的时期。

16 reused   

n.再生的v.再用，重新使用( reuse的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The same water was reused after chemical treatment. 原来的水经过化学处理之后再度使用。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• This water can be reused in the same process. 这种水可以在相同过程中重复使用。 来自辞典例句

17 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。

18 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

19 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。

20 global   

adj.全球的；球形的；世界的

参考例句：

• A global environmental meeting is going to be held here.一个全球环境会议将在这里举行。
• The report takes a global view of the company's problems.这份报告对公司的问题作了综合性的论述。

21 economies   

n.节约( economy的名词复数 )；经济；经济情况；经济结构

参考例句：

• A customs union would integrate the economies of these countries. 关税联盟会把这些国家的经济紧密结合在一起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Economies have peaks and troughs. 经济有高峰，也有低谷。 来自辞典例句

22 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。