VOA慢速英语20060131a
时间：2018-12-07 作者：英语课 分类：2006年慢速英语（一）月
AGRICULTURE REPORT - Greater Use of Ethanol Fuel Could Drive New Markets for CornBy Mario Ritter
Broadcast: Tuesday, January 31, 2006
I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
The American Midwest is known as the corn belt. Most of the nation's maize 1 is grown along that stretch of the country. The farmers who grow the corn have been very successful. So successful, they now face oversupply 2 and low prices.
Corn
Most of the corn goes to feed animals. But some of it goes into cars and trucks as ethanol fuel. Some farmers hope greater use of ethanol will drive new markets for corn.
Ethanol is made from plant matter that contains complex carbohydrates 3, or starch 4. Starch breaks down into simple sugars. And yeast 5 organisms break down the sugars into alcohol.
Ethanol has a long history. It is ethyl alcohol, also called grain alcohol, the same kind found in alcoholic 6 drinks.
Corn is not the only crop that can be used to make ethanol. Barley 7, wheat, even the leaves and stalks of corn, rice and sugar cane 8 can be used.
In some parts of the country, fuel companies are required to add ethanol to gasoline as a way to reduce air pollution. The United States Department of Energy says many automobiles 9 can run on ten percent ethanol without any need for changes.
The government has supported the development of vehicles with the ability to use a mixture called E-eighty-five. It is eighty-five percent ethanol and fifteen percent gasoline.
Some people may not even know that their cars and trucks have this ability. Many of these vehicles are common models made by Chrysler, Ford 10 and General Motors.
A number of state laws support the use of ethanol. So does federal law. The Energy Policy Act of two thousand five requires the production of fifteen thousand million liters of renewable fuels this year. There are also tax reductions for ethanol makers 11, farmers and buyers of vehicles that can run on E-eighty-five.
Some experts, however, say they are concerned that using food crops to make fuel is bad policy. Some say it might use more energy than it produces. Others say using a lot of corn for fuel might shrink food supplies. But the process that separates starch to make ethanol, called wet milling, uses only part of the corn.
Plant-based fuels are not new. For many years Brazil has used fuel made with alcohol from sugar cane.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. Our reports are online at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.
- 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。
- The market softened because of oversupply.市场因供过于求而疲软。
- Overexpansion of tea fields has led to oversupply.茶园过度扩张，使得市场上逐渐供过于求。
- The plant uses the carbohydrates to make cellulose. 植物用碳水化合物制造纤维素。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- All carbohydrates originate from plants. 所有的碳水化合物均来自植物。 来自辞典例句
- Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews.玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。
- I think there's too much starch in their diet.我看是他们的饮食里淀粉太多了。
- Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
- The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。
- The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
- Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。
- They looked out across the fields of waving barley.他们朝田里望去,只见大麦随风摇摆。
- He cropped several acres with barley.他种了几英亩大麦。
- This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
- English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。
- When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》