世界银行称全球食品价格下跌
英语课
世界银行称全球食品价格下跌
WASHINGTON - Global food prices fell by 2 percent in the latest four-month period, marking the third straight period of declines, as declining imports in the Middle East and North Africa, and lower demand pushed prices down 12 percent from their August 2012 peak, the World Bank said on Thursday.
The World Bank's Food Price Index showed international prices of wheat fell by 2 percent, sugar by 6 percent, soybean oil by 11 percent, and maize 1, or corn, by 1 percent during the four-month period between February and June.
The index, which weighs export prices of food, fats and oils, grains, and other foods in nominal 2 U.S. dollars, fell by 2 percent.
Improved weather conditions after last year's droughts helped bolster 3 the production of wheat. The bank said it expects good harvests from the major producers to continue as long as unfavorable weather in northern and central Europe, Russia and China does not drag on production.
Global maize production is expected to reach a record high this year, according to the report, partly driven by a revival 4 in demand from U.S. ethanol producers.
While prices have stabilized 5 recently, the volatility 6 of food prices in recent years has prompted developing countries with high poverty and weak safety nets to respond by ratcheting up consumer food subsidies 7, the poverty-fighting institution said.
The World Bank and the International Monetary 8 Fund have made a big push in the past year to urge countries to scrap 9 subsidies on consumer food to ease pressures on government budgets and free up more funds for health and education spending.
Both institutions have also questioned whether such subsidies truly improve poverty - as they can often go to large-scale farmers or well-connected people instead of the poorest.
"Poorly designed food subsidy 10 programs that lack transparency and accountability in implementation 11 do not benefit poor people," said Jaime Saavedra, active vice 12 president for poverty reduction and economic management at the World Bank. "These programs can be very costly 13 and prone 14 to corruption 15, and waste scarce fiscal 16 resources."
According to the report, more direct forms of transfers, such as food stamps and public works, are more effective in helping 17 the poor.
n.玉米
- There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
- We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。
adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的
- The king was only the nominal head of the state. 国王只是这个国家名义上的元首。
- The charge of the box lunch was nominal.午餐盒饭收费很少。
n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励
- The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
- He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。
n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振
- The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
- He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。
v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )
- The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
- His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
n.挥发性，挥发度，轻快，（性格）反复无常
- That was one reason why volatility was so low last year.这也是去年波动性如此低的原因之一。
- Yet because volatility remained low for so long,disaster myopia prevailed.然而，由于相当长的时间里波动性小，灾难短视就获胜了。
n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )
- European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
- Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的
- The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
- Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。
n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废
- A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
- Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。
n.补助金，津贴
- The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
- The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。
n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的
- He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
- They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的
- It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
- This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。
adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的
- Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
- He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。
n.腐败，堕落，贪污
- The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
- The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。
adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的
- The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
- The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。