1、10 Top Reasons to Go OrganicPROPOSED ORGANIC FOOD REQUIREMENTSThe United States Department of Agriculture has proposed national requirements for organic food products. The proposal comes more than two years after the first federal effort to establish such rules failed to win public approval.Organic
2、food is one of the fastest growing areas in American agriculture. The Agriculture Department estimates that American farmers sold 6,000 million dollars worth of organic food last year.Organic farmers do not use chemicals to increase their crops or to control insects, weeds and disease. Many people b
3、elieve eating organic food is more healthful than eating food produced with chemicals. And people are willing to pay more for organic food products.The Agriculture Department says there are more than 12,000 organic farmers in the United States. Most of the farmers produce only a small amount of food
4、. However, the number of organic farmers is increasing at a rate of about 12 percent each year.Currently, different private and state organizations establish organic food requirements in the United States. Each organization uses its own rules to decide which products may be called organic.The new pr
5、oposal describes the methods and substances that may be used in producing and treating organic crops and farm products. It establishes rules so that Americans know exactly what they are buying when they purchase organic food.The proposal bars the use of genetic engineering, the technology of changin
6、g the genes of living things. It bars the use of waste products to fertilize organic food. It bars irradiation treatments to kill bacteria on food products. The proposal also bars feeding antibiotic drugs to farm animals. It says farmers must feed animals only organic food.The Agriculture Department
7、 says the new rules will help farmers export their organic products more easily. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman calls the proposal the most complete and strongest organic group of rules in the world. He said Americans will know what they are buying. And, farmers will know what is expected of the
8、m.A group representing the organic agriculture industry welcomed the proposal. The group has sought national requirements for organic food for more than ten years.This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by George Grow. This is Bill White.10 Top Reasons to Go Organic1. Organic produce
9、 is not covered in a cocktail of poisonous chemicals. The average conventionally-grown apple has 20-30 artificial poisons on its skin, even after rinsing. Trust your instincts, and go organic! 2. Fresh organic produce contains on average 50% more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micro-nutrients
10、 than intensively farmed produce. Science says that its good for you. 3. Going organic is the only practical way to avoid eating genetically modified (GM) food. And by buying organic food, you are registering your mistrust of GMOs and doing your bit to protest against them. 4. If you eat dairy or me
11、at products, going organic has never been more essential to safeguard you and your familys health. Intensively-reared dairy cows and farm animals are fed a dangerous cocktail of anti-biotics, growth promoting drugs, anti-parasite drugs and many other medicines on a daily basis, whether they have an
12、illness or not. These drugs are passed directly onto the consumers of their dairy produce or meat., which must be a contributing factor to meat-related diseases like coronaries and high blood pressure. 5. About 99% of non-organic farm animals in the UK are now fed GM soya. And there has never been a
13、 reported case of BSE in organic cattle in the UK. Common sense says that organic is safe food. 6. Organic produce simply tastes so much better. Fruit and vegetables full of juice and flavour, and so many different varieties to try! There are about 100 different kinds of organic potatoes in producti
14、on in the UK, and thats just potatoes! 7. Organic farms support and nurture our beautiful and diverse wildlife. Over the last thirty years, intensive farming in the UK has led to dramatic erosion of the soil, a fall of up to 70% of wild birds in some areas, the destruction of ancient hedgerows, and
15、the near extinction of some of the most beautiful species of butterflies, frogs, grass-snakes and wild mammals. 8. Organic food is not really more expensive than intensively farmed foods, as we pay for conventional foods through our taxes. We spend billion of pounds every year cleaning up the mess t
16、hat agro-chemicals make to our natural water supply. And the BSE crisis cost us 4 billion pounds. Go organic for a genuine more cost-effective future. 9. Intensive farming can seriously damage farm workers health. There are much higher instances of cancer, respiratory problems and other major diseas
17、es in farm workers from non-organic farms. This is particularly true in developing countries, and for agrochemical farms growing cotton. So go organic if you care about other people. 10. And if you simply like the idea of your children and grandchildren being able to visit the countryside and play i
18、n the forests and fields just like we did when we were young, go organic for the sake of all of our futures. Father of hybrid rice hopes to grow more crops on less land20世纪60年代，在中国“绿色革命”的大潮中，出现了一位攻下“杂交水稻”难题的科技新星，这就是被誉为“杂交水稻之父”的袁隆平。他的名字价值1000亿，是当今中国最值钱的名字，但他的最大愿望却是“让天下的人都吃饱饭”。Professor Yuan Longping,
19、 the father of hybrid rice, expressed the hope that he would grow more crops on less farmland. The 77-year-old scientist is the pioneer of hybrid rice research and he has been carrying out his work since the 1960s. The scientist invented hybrid rice and was also the first to successfully change the
20、self-pollinating (自花传粉) characteristics of rice. His hard work and devotion made large-scale farming of hybrid rice possible, thus making the nation self-reliant on rice. Talking about farmers happiness and their strong response to hybrid rice, Professor Yuan recalled how an old farmer in Hunan Prov
21、ince became overjoyed during phase 1. “Thank you for teaching me how to plant the super hybrid rice. Ive never had such a good harvest in forty years of rice farming. I have the highest regard for you and your fellow scientists,” the professor said, recalling the words of the farmer. Apart from bein
22、g highly productive, the hybrid rice is also tasty. Recalling another incident, Professor Yuan said three years ago some reporters from Hong Kong and Shenzhen had a chance to taste the rice. A young female reporter had 2 bowls of rice. On another occasion, a rich businessman even had three bowls of
23、rice and took home some of the rice for his family. Under the super rice breeding programme set up by Chinas Ministry of Agriculture, a total of 10.5 tons of hybrid rice per hectare was produced in phase I from 1996 to 2000. The production target was increased to 12 tons per hectare in phase II from
24、 2001 to 2005, with the target achieved in 2004. Professor Yuan said phase III breeding was well underway, and he was confident that the target could be achieved in 2010. Professor Yuans achievements in hybrid rice research have won him a large number of international awards, like the UNESCO (United
25、 Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Science Prize. Answer the following questions: 1. Whats Professor Yuan Longpings hope?2. Why was an old farmer in Hunan Province so pleased? 3. Whats the main idea of the third paragraph? 4. According to Professor Yuan Longping, when will t
26、he phase III production target be achieved?Key:1. Growing more crops on less farmland.2. Because he had a good rice harvest after planting the super hybrid rice invented by Professor Yuan. 3. The hybrid rice Professor Yuan Longping invented tastes very nice. 4. In 2010.Why is it that when somebody g
27、ets deathly sick with cancer or something, and a doctor recommends that they go on an organic diet? I think all these people know that theres a difference. If you get on a chemical system, the only way you can keep going is to keep adding more and more powerful chemicals. If you get on an organic sy
28、stem, it will perpetuate itself. You dont need to keep adding more and more fertilizer because it is a natural system. Its like the difference between paying interest on a loan and getting paid interest on your savings. Its a long hard struggle, because that transition period to get your farm away f
29、rom chemicals and convert it back to a natural way takes at least four years. The nice part about organic is that its economically viable, and the reason is that you dont have to spend a lot of money, because the Good Lord designed the cycles of nature in order to do it itself. Organically certified
30、 crops must be grown on soil that has been chemical-free for at least four years. Organic livestock cannot be fed non-organic feed or administered any type of drug past a certain age. This style of farming is the most radical form of conservationist farming in Knox County. The number of farms in Kno
31、x County is small, but they have produced yields competitive with non-organic fields. Organic farmers advocate their produce as a healthy alternative to chemically grown foods. Interest in organic food has remained relatively stable among Knox County consumers. The higher price of organic food has c
32、ontinued to inhibit organic foods entrance into the mainstream. There has been a growing interest, however, among parents of small children. Yuan Longping, a Chinese agriculturalist, was born in Qianyang, Hunan Province in 1930. Professor Yuan graduated from Southwest Agriculture College in 1953 and has since devoted himself to agricultural education and research. He is currently an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Director General of China National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center, Honorary President of the Hunan Academy of Agricultura
