第一段
①With the global population predicted to hit close to 10 billion by 2050, and forecasts that agricultural production in some regions will need to nearly double to keep pace, food security is increasingly making headlines.②In the UK, it has become a big talking point recently too, for a rather particular reason: Brexit.
单词&词组
double v.（使）加倍；
make the headlines 成为新闻焦点
talking point 话题；论题
本段翻译
预计到2050年，全球人口将多达近100亿，预测若要跟上步伐，某些地区的农业产量需接近翻倍，因此，粮食保障问题在越来越多地占据头条新闻。在英国，它最近也成了重大议题，原因相当独特：脱欧。
第二段
①Brexit is seen by some as an opportunity to reverse a recent trend towards the UK importing food.②The country produces only about 60 per cent of the food it eats, down from almost three-quarters in the late 1980s.③A move back to self-sufficiency, the argument goes, would boost the farming industry, political sovereignty and even the nation's health.④Sounds great—but how feasible is this vision?
单词&词组
reverse v.逆转；反转
self-sufficiency n.自给自足
boost v.使增长；使兴旺
feasible a.可行的；行得通的
vision n.想象；展望
本段翻译
脱欧被一些人视为扭转“英国粮食进口”这一新近趋势的契机。上世纪80年代末，英国生产的粮食占其食用总量的近3/4，而现在则下滑到了仅60%。这些人的观点为，恢复自给自足将会促进农业发展、加强政治主权，甚至提升国民健康。听起来很棒——但这一愿景的可行性如何?
第三段
①According to a report on UK food production from the University of Leeds, UK, 85 per cent of the country's total land area is associated with meat and dairy production.②That supplies 80 per cent of what is consumed,so even covering the whole country in livestock farms wouldn't allow us to cover all our meat and dairy needs.
单词&词组
livestock farm 畜牧场
cover v.足以负担；足以满足
本段翻译
英国利兹大学关于“英国粮食生产”的报告中指出，英国土地总面积的85%与肉类及奶制品的生产相关联。这供应了英国所消费食物的80%，所以即便让畜牧场覆盖全国，也无法满足我们全部的肉类及奶制品需求。
第四段
①There are many caveats to those figures, but they are still grave.②To become much more self-sufficient, the UK would need to drastically reduce its consumption of animal foods, and probably also farm more intensively—meaning fewer green fields, and more factory-style production.
单词&词组
caveat n.提醒；警告
grave a.严峻的；严重的
drastically ad.大幅度地；激烈地
intensively ad.集约型地；集中地
本段翻译
虽然有许多就这些数据局限性的提醒，但它们所反映的形势仍旧严峻。英国若想大幅提高自给率，就要急剧减少食用动物性食品，并且或许还需要更集约地从事农业活动一这意味着绿色原野减少、工厂式生产增加。
第五段
①But switching to a mainly plant-based diet wouldn't help.②There is a good reason why the UK is dominated by animal husbandry: most of its terrain doesn't have the right soil or climate to grow crops on a commercial basis.③Just 25 per cent of the country's land is suitable for crop-growing, most of which is already occupied by arable fields.④Even if we converted all the suitable land to fields of fruit and veg—which would involve taking out all the nature reserves and removing thousands of people from their homes—we would achieve only a 30 percent boost in crop production.
单词&词组
dominate v.占据统治地位
crop n.农作物；庄稼
on a commercial basis 商业性地
arable a.适于耕种的
convert v.转变；改变
nature reserve自然保护区
crop production作物产量
本段翻译
但转向以植物为主的饮食也不会有太大意义。英国畜牧业占大头是有充分理由的：它的大部分地带都不具备适宜商业化种植的土壤和气候。全国只有25%的土地适合作物栽培，而且其中大部分都已经成为耕地了。就算我们把所有条件适宜的土地都变成果蔬园地——这会牵扯到取消所有的自然保护区以及让成千上万的人们搬离家园——我们能实现的粮食产量增长也只有30%而已。
第六段
①Just 23 per cent of the fruit and vegetables consumed in the UK are currently home-grown, so even with the most extreme measures we could meet only 30 per cent of our fresh produce needs.②That is before we look for the space to grow the grains, sugars, seeds and oils that provide us with the vast bulk of our current calorie intake.
单词&词组
extreme a.极端的
fresh produce 新鲜农产品
grain n.谷物
the bulk of大部分
本段翻译
如今英国人食用的果蔬中仅有23%产自本国，所以，哪怕采用最极端的手段，我们也只能满足鲜果蔬需求的30%。而在此之后，我们还得再找地方来种植谷物、糖类、籽类、油类等，它们提供了我们当前摄入的大部分卡路里。
五道题
26.Some people argue that food self- sufficiency in the UK would________
A. be hindered by its population growth
B. post a challenge to its farming industry
C. become a priority of the government
D. contribute to the nations well-being
27.The report by the University of Leeds shows that in the UK________
A. farmland has been inefficiently utilized
B. Factory-style production needs reforming
C. most land is used for meat and dairy production
D. more green fields will be converted for farming
28.Crop-growing in the UK is restricted due to_______
A. its farming technology
B. its dietary tradition
C. its natural conditions
D. its commercial interests
29.It can be learned from the last paragraph that British people_______
A. rely largely on imports for fresh produce
B. enjoy a steady rise in fruit consumption
C. are seeking effective ways to cut calorie intake
D. are trying to grow new varieties of grains
30.The author's attitude to food self-efficiency in the UK is________
A. defensive
B. doubtful
C. tolerant
D. Optimistic
参考答案
BCCAB
答案解析
26、根据题干的观点持有者Some people及关注对象food self-sufficiency in the UK定位到第二段。该段①③句指出：一些人将脱欧视为扭转“英国粮食进口”的契机；认为恢复自给自足将会促进农业发展、加强政治主权，甚至提升国民健康，[B]正确。
27、根据题干关键词The report by the University of Leeds定位到第三段①句：英国利兹大学发表了一份关于“英国粮食生产”的报告，该报告指出英国土地总面积的85%与肉类及奶制品的生产相关联，[C]正确。
28、第五段首句指出转向以植物为主的饮食也不会有太大意义，随后各句具体解释原因。其中②句指出英国大部分地带都不具备适宜商业化种植的土壤和气候，可知限制作物种植的因素是自然条件，[C]正确。
29、末段①句指出“如今英国人食用的果蔬中仅有23%产自本国”，可知其余77%/大部分都依靠进口，[A]正确。
30、本文整体脉络为：引出话题“英国粮食自给自足是否可行”(第二段末)分析问题，先指出就算采用极端手段，也无法满足英国人对动物性食品的需求，唯一可能就是减少动物性饮食，转向植物性饮食(第三、四段)，然后进一步指出转向植物性饮食同样不可行，就算采用极端手段，可用土地也无法满足人们的总体需求(第五、六段)，可见作者对英国实现自给自足持怀疑态度，[B]正确。
