Level 2 Reading 1B

Ch.2 Reading 1B

第2章 阅读1B

FOOD FOR THE FUTURE In 1845, a deadly disease struck the farms of Ireland, killing all the Lumper potato plants. The death of a single crop species might not seem so important. But in Ireland, in 1845, people depended almost solely on the potato for food. The death of one species caused a terrible famine. Now, some scientists are worried that such a famine could happen again—but on a much wider scale. Over the centuries, farmers have discovered thousands of different species of food crops. Each species has special qualities. Some can be grown in very hot or cold climates. Others are not affected by certain diseases. However, you won't find many of these species in your local supermarket. To feed the seven billion people on Earth, most farmers today are growing only species of plants that are easy to produce in large numbers. Meanwhile, thousands of other species are becoming extinct. For example, in the Philippines, there were once thousands of varieties of rice; now fewer than 100 are grown there. In China, 90 percent of the wheat varieties grown just a century ago have disappeared. Experts believe that over the past century, we have allowed more than half of the world's food varieties to disappear. Saving the Seeds One solution to this problem is to collect and preserve the seeds of as many different plant varieties as we can before they disappear. This idea was first suggested by Russian scientist Nikolay Vavilov. In the 1920s and 1930s, he collected around 400,000 seeds from five continents. More recently, others have continued the work he began. There are now around 1,700 seed banks in countries around the world. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault—which preserves almost one million seed samples—has one of the largest collections. In the U.S. state of Iowa, Diane Ott Whealy and her husband founded Heritage Farm— a place where people can store and trade seeds. Initially, Ott Whealy wanted to preserve historic plant varieties, like the seeds her great-grandfather brought to the United States more than 100 years ago from Germany. Butt he people at Heritage Farm don't just store the seeds; they plant them. By doing this, they are reintroducing foods into the marketplace that haven't been grown for years. These food species are not just special in terms of appearance or flavor. They also offer farmers food solutions for the future, from the past.

未来的食物 1845年，一种致命的疾病袭击了爱尔兰的农场，杀死了所有的Lumper马铃薯植株。 单一作物物种的死亡似乎并不那么重要。 但在1845年的爱尔兰，人们几乎完全依赖土豆作为食物。 一个物种的死亡造成了可怕的饥荒。 现在，一些科学家担心这样的饥荒可能会再次发生，但规模要大得多。 几个世纪以来，农民发现了数千种不同种类的粮食作物。 每个物种都有其独特的品质。 有些可以在非常炎热或寒冷的气候下种植。 其他人不受某些疾病的影响。 然而，你在当地的超市里找不到很多这样的物种。 为了养活地球上70亿人， 如今，大多数农民只种植易于大量生产的植物。 与此同时，成千上万的其他物种正在灭绝。 例如，在菲律宾，曾经有数千种水稻； 现在那里种植的不到100棵。 在中国，一个世纪前种植的小麦品种中有90%已经消失。 专家们认为，在过去的一个世纪里，我们让世界上一半以上的食品品种消失了。 拯救种子 解决这个问题的一个办法是在种子消失之前，尽可能多地收集和保存不同植物品种的种子。 这个想法最早是由俄罗斯科学家尼古拉·瓦维洛夫提出的。 在20世纪20年代和30年代，他从五大洲收集了大约40万颗种子。 最近，其他人继续他开始的工作。 目前，世界各国约有1700个种子库。 斯瓦尔巴全球种子库保存了近100万个种子样本，是最大的种子库之一。 在美国爱荷华州，Diane Ott Whealy和她的丈夫创立了Heritage Farm-- 人们可以储存和交易种子的地方。 最初，Ott Whealy希望保护历史植物品种， 就像她曾祖父100多年前从德国带到美国的种子一样。 但传统农场的人不仅仅是储存种子；他们种植它们。 通过这样做，他们正在将多年未种植的食品重新引入市场。 这些食物种类不仅在外观或味道上很特别。 他们还为农民提供过去的未来粮食解决方案。

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