英语新词：“食品荒漠”是什么意思？

 　　Food desert refers to an area where fresh food is either non-existent or too expensive.

　　“食品荒漠”是指没有新鲜食品或这种食品价格极贵的地区。

　　看了以上定义，你也许对此还是没啥概念。憋急!我们来看看对此问题颇感头大的美国农业部是怎么解释的：

　　What is a "food desert"? A community in which residents must travel at least a mile tobuy fresh meat, dairy products, and vegetables.

　　什么是“食品荒漠”?“食品荒漠”指某社区居民必须“跋涉”至少一英里的路程才能买到新鲜的肉类、奶制品和蔬菜。

　　More precisely¹, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines a food desert as any census² district where at least 20 percent of the inhabitants are below the poverty line and 33 percent live over a mile from the nearest supermarket (or in rural areas, more than 10 miles).

　　美国农业部对此给出了更为精辟的定义：任何接受人口普查的地区中，至少20%的居民生活在贫困线以下，33%居民的居所距离最近的超市超过一英里(在农村，该距离为超过10英里)。

　　Approximately 23.5 million Americans live in a food desert, says the USDA, including vast, rural swaths of West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, as well as urban areas like Detroit, Chicago, and New York City.

　　美国农业部称，目前约有2350万美国人生活在食品荒漠里，包括广阔的西弗吉尼亚、俄亥俄州和肯塔基州的农村和底特律、加利福尼亚和纽约市的城区。

　　The government believes food deserts are contributing to the obesity³ epidemic⁴ in the U.S., by forcing the rural and urban poor to rely on processed foods and fast food, instead of fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit. Today, more than one third of adult Americans are obese⁵.

　　政府认为，食品荒漠迫使城乡贫民依赖加工食品和快餐，不吃新鲜肉类、蔬菜和水果，是造成美国人肥胖的原因。如今，1/3的美国成年人肥胖。

1 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

2 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

3 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

4 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

5 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。