VOA慢速英语 2008 0408a
时间：2019-01-11 作者：英语课 分类：VOA慢速英语2008年（四）月
Villagers plant trees in China's Gansu province last year in an effort to control the spread of deserts
Desertification is a process. It changes productive land into useless land. One example of desertification is when a desert spreads into nearby cropland. In time, the cropland becomes an extension of the desert.
But that is not the only way farmers lose fertile soil.
Long dry periods, warmer temperatures and the removal of trees can all lead to the loss of good cropland. Floods can remove fertile topsoil and begin a process resulting in the loss of planting areas.
Another danger to good land is poor farming methods. Farmers should avoid continually planting crops in the same places, or letting animals feed year after year on the same lands.
Countries from Guatemala to Greece to Vietnam are working against the loss of cropland. Africa especially faces the risk of desertification.
Nigeria, for example, says it loses three hundred fifty thousand hectares of usable land each year. Hills of sand now cover places where people once lived.
When cropland turns to desert, people move to other places for better land and better jobs. This migration 1 can cause political and social tensions.
A nonprofit organization in Nigeria is working to bring public attention to the problem. The group is called Fighting Against Desert Encroachment 2, or FADE.
Newton Jibunoh is a retired 3 soil engineer who started this group in the year two thousand. He says desert encroachment could cause widespread hunger.
Newton Jibunoh is currently leading a delegation 4 to thirteen African countries to discuss the dangers of losing farmlands. In northern Nigeria, the group organized a competition between schools in seven areas. The goal was to see who could plant the most trees.
Trees are often cut down for fuel wood. But lines of trees around cropland can catch blowing sand. In addition, tree roots can hold soil in place. Even within a desert, trees can be planted as borders around grassy 5 areas.
For many years, China has been building a wall of trees in the northern part of the country. The goal is to stop the Gobi Desert from extending toward Beijing. The Great Green Wall will extend about five thousand kilometers. Completion is expected in two thousand fifty.
And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. For more stories about agriculture, go to voaspecialenglish.com for transcripts 6, MP3s and podcasts of our reports. I’m Bob Doughty 7.
- Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
- He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。
- I resent the encroachment on my time.我讨厌别人侵占我的时间。
- The eagle broke away and defiantly continued its encroachment.此时雕挣脱开对方，继续强行入侵。
- The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
- Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
- The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
- We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。
- They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
- Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。
- Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
- You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句