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教师原创:what you can see in the picture - 1

时间:2010-05-28 02:55:33

(单词翻译:单击)

作者:unclemartin

简介:http://www.oralpractice.com/read_78626.html

rice paddy.jpg

1)  An easier version

From the picture, I can see farmers transplanting (replanting) rice sprouts1 to let them grow to maturity2 on a proper rice paddy.
  
It reminds me of cows ploughing or tilling the land to prepare the soil for growing rice.  The rice seeds are allowed to grow for a while immersed in water and soil until the green sprouts are seen.   Then these green sprouts are replanted in the rice paddy.

In China, farmers are doing this by hand because they are working on smaller plots.  Machines will be used in developed western countries because their plots are so big that they cannot easily find enough farmers to do the replanting by hand.  But in certain parts of China, we do have huge farms as well.

Rice is staple3 food in China and demand for it is high.  There are different kinds of rice in the market.  Some people like rice grown in the northeastern region.  Some people prefer to buy rice imported from Thailand.   Some rice takes more water to cook and some take less water to cook.  It is quite interesting to see how the rice ends up on our dining table as food.  

2)  A more difficult version

From the picture, I can see farmers transplanting (replanting) rice sprouts to let them grow to maturity on a proper rice paddy.
  
That reminds of a different scene in developed western countries.  We will find farm machineries doing the planting rather than having the farmers to do that manually.  We will not see cows plouging or tilling the soil to ready the field for growing rice.  Instead, ploughing machines will be used.

I think in China the farming plot is usally smaller and scattered4 out so it is not viable5 to use machineries, which are expensive equipments to buy on the one hand.  On the other hand, there is plenty of cheap labor6 supply in China so it is advisable to absorb the manpower in farming.  While in the developed western countries, it is not easy to get enough manpower to work on farms which are really huge, so planting manually is simply impractical7

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1 sprouts 7250d0f3accee8359a172a38c37bd325     
n.新芽,嫩枝( sprout的名词复数 )v.发芽( sprout的第三人称单数 );抽芽;出现;(使)涌现出
参考例句:
  • The wheat sprouts grew perceptibly after the rain. 下了一场雨,麦苗立刻见长。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The sprouts have pushed up the earth. 嫩芽把土顶起来了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
2 maturity 47nzh     
n.成熟;完成;(支票、债券等)到期
参考例句:
  • These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
  • This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。
3 staple fGkze     
n.主要产物,常用品,主要要素,原料,订书钉,钩环;adj.主要的,重要的;vt.分类
参考例句:
  • Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
  • Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。
4 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
5 viable mi2wZ     
adj.可行的,切实可行的,能活下去的
参考例句:
  • The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
  • The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。
6 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
7 impractical 49Ixs     
adj.不现实的,不实用的,不切实际的
参考例句:
  • He was hopelessly impractical when it came to planning new projects.一到规划新项目,他就完全没有了实际操作的能力。
  • An entirely rigid system is impractical.一套完全死板的体制是不实际的。