时间:2019-01-30 作者:英语课 分类:农业与发展


英语课

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Big Harvests Expected for Major U.S. Crops; May Add to Pressure on Prices
By Mario Ritter


Broadcast: Tuesday, August 31, 2004


This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.


Late summer is when many farmers begin to know what size harvest to expect in the fall. And it appears that American farmers can expect several major crops to be at or near record levels this year.


The Agriculture Department says corn production is expected to reach almost eleven thousand million bushels. Each bushel is a little more than thirty-five liters 1. The United States is the largest producer and exporter of maize 2. A harvest this big would be eight percent larger than last year's levels, which set a record. It would also represent greater productivity 3. Farmers expect a record yield 4, or the amount produced per hectare.


The soybean crop this year is expected to be the second largest ever recorded. It is expected to be nineteen percent larger than last year. The soybean yield is also expected to increase.


Cotton farmers are also expected to have a good year with an eleven percent increase in their harvest. They are expected to produce twenty million bales of cotton. One bale weighs about two hundred twenty-seven kilograms.


Big harvests may seem like good news for farmers. Experts credit 5 good weather conditions and improved seed for higher farm production and yields 6. But there are the laws of supply and demand. If supply increases, unless demand also increases, prices can drop. And prices have been going down through the summer.


In April, the price of corn futures 7 reached their highest level in years. But since April, prices of corn futures on the Chicago Board of Trade have fallen by about thirty percent. Futures are financial tools that generally do not involve the exchange of real goods, but they can affect prices. Farmers or investors 8 use futures to protect against changes in the market.


Prices for soybean futures have also dropped from highs in April. The United States Department of Agriculture says China may decrease its soybean imports. China is the world's biggest importer of soybeans. At the same time, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay -- all big South American producers of soybeans -- have surpluses 9.


Lower prices and too much supply may not help farmers. But they do help companies that buy from farmers. Lower prices can also increase exports.


This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Gwen Outen.



n.升( liter的名词复数 )
  • In the metric system, measurements are made in metres and liters. 在公制中,用米和升作计量单位。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • This can holds five liters of water. 这个容器可装五升水。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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。
n.生产力,生产率,多产
  • Farmers are introducing in novations which increase the productivity.农民们正引进提高生产力的新方法。
  • The workers try to put up productivity.工人设法提高生产率。
v.生产,出产;让步,屈服;n.产量,收获量
  • A cow will yield several gallons of milk each day.一头母牛每天产几加仑的牛奶。
  • We shall never yield to a conqueror.我们永远不会向征服者低头。
n.信用,荣誉,贷款,学分;v.归功于,赞颂,信任
  • I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
  • He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉,我们做不讨好的工作。
n.产量( yield的名词复数 );收益量;[财政学]投资实得率
  • The yields on his shares have increased in this year. 今年他的股票红利增加了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • These high yields have been achieved largely through better methods of cultivation. 这样高的产量主要是通过改良耕作方法取得的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.期货,期货交易
  • He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
  • Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 )
  • a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
  • a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会
剩余额(surplus的复数形式)
  • The United States tried to dispose of its grain surpluses. 美国努力把过剩粮食处理掉。
  • Surpluses may be dissipated by accumulating reserves or lending overseas. 顺差则可以转化为储备的积累或对海外的放款。
学英语单词
acetylamino acid
Acolen
Add. T.
amplitude characteristic
Anthoratonite
apparent sun set
ARCMAIL
arteria arcuatas
baitboxes
Benacol
biting-sucking mouthparts
bundle homotopy
camera taking characteristic
cheiroschisis
collapsible pot
command structure
compound screw mechanism
cone-bottom condenser
connected complex
construers
continuous-time signal system
correlation of random noise
cost sb. dearly
crinite
cryogenic magnetic field
Deaflympics
degradation of polymer
diffusion limiting current
diopter dividing ring
discounted cost
Doxi-UM
edge gluer
Elkedra
Exceptional Item
feasts of lights
flooding tank
foredune community
frain
fredholm minor
gomphonema
greater thans
horizon slice
hyperalkaline rock
icelos
image section descriptor
inquisitor gracilispira
islot
jaccalin
Kujama
lemonary
light emitter
Limited Risk
Linotron
load responsible control
maximum breadth
movemetn
multi-trace analysis display
mundivagant
Ngat
nonappetitive
normal element
nozzle closure opening pressure
palace car
palatomaxillary canal
pea flour
period-end balance
peripteroi
phylogeographer
principle of software engineering
pump effective power,pump output power
pushbutton actuator
quantity supplied
railways
ray transformer
refresh graphics
relative-position heuristic
roller-gear cam mechanism
ruficaulis
Rugosofusulina
scabies Norwegian
sciomyzids
sehula bhanjyang
semi-automatic signal
sholoms
Sibbald's rorqual
sizes of it
sonic depth-finding instrument
station message detail recording
structural survey
temperature variation test
thenylpyramine
thraa
toilet soup
torso murder
transaction key
ultraviolet crossliking
underwater excavation
untaught
Ureshino
wandoes
zimler