新高级阅读前（双语）46（1083）

PASSAGE FORTY-SIX

Agricultural virus

1.Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic sweeping across America’s farmland.

2.It has little to do with the usual challenges, such as flood, rising fuel prices and crop-eating insects.

3.The country’s farmers are getting older, and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place. National agricultural census figures show that the fastest-growing group of farmers is the part over 65.

4.Merrigan is afraid the average age will be even higher when the 2012 statistics are completed.

5.Merrigan, a former college professor, is making stops at universities across the country in hopes of encouraging more students to think about careers in agriculture.

6.Aside from trying to stop the graying of America’s farmers, her work is made tougher by a recent blog posting that put agriculture at No.1 on a list of “useless” college degrees.

7.Top federal agriculture officials are talking about the posting, and it has the attention of agricultural organizations across the country.

8.“There couldn’t be anything that’s more incorrect,” Merrigan said. “We know that there aren’t enough qualified graduates to fill the jobs that are out there in American agriculture.”

9.In addition, a growing world population that some experts predict will require 70% more food production by 2050, she said.

10.“I truly believe we’re at a golden age of agriculture. Global demand is at an all-time record high, and global supplies are at all-time record lows,” said Matt Rush, director of the Texas Farm Bureau.

11.“Production costs are going to be valuable enough that younger people are going to have the opportunity to be involved in agriculture.”

12.The Department of Agriculture has programs aimed at developing more farmers and at increasing interest in locally grown food.

13.The National Young Farmers’ Coalition has also been pushing for state and federal policy changes to make it easier for new farmers.

14.Ryan Best, president of Future Farmers of America, has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the country and visiting with high school students about careers in agriculture.

15.The 21-year-old Best hopes his message-that this is a new time in agriculture-will motivate the next generation to turn around the statistics.

16.“Never before have we had the innovations in technology which have led to agriculture in this country being the most efficient it has ever been,” he said. “There’s really a place for everybody to fit in.”

第四十六篇

农业病毒

1.农业部副部长凯瑟琳·梅里根看到一种流行病席卷了美国的农田。

2.这与常见的挑战无关，比如洪水、燃料价格上涨和吃庄稼的昆虫。

3.这个国家的农民正在变老，排队取代他们的人越来越少。全国农业普查数据显示，增长最快的农民群体是65岁以上的人。

4.梅里根担心，2012年的统计完成后，平均年龄会更高。

5.梅里根曾是一名大学教授，他正在全国各地的大学里停留，希望鼓励更多的学生考虑从事农业方面的职业。

6.除了努力阻止美国农民的老龄化，她最近在博客上发表的一篇文章将农业列为“无用”大学学位排行榜的第一位，这让她的工作变得更加艰难。

7.联邦农业高级官员正在谈论这一职位，这引起了全国农业组织的注意。

8.“没有什么比这更不正确的了，”梅里根说。“我们知道，没有足够的合格毕业生来填补美国农业的工作岗位。”

9.她说，此外，一些专家预测，到2050年，世界人口不断增长，对粮食产量的需求将增加70%。

10.“我真的相信我们正处于农业的黄金时代。“全球需求处于历史最高水平，而全球供应处于历史最低水平，”德克萨斯州农业局局长马特·拉什说。

11.“生产成本将变得足够有价值，年轻人将有机会参与农业。”

12.农业部有一些项目旨在培养更多的农民，提高人们对当地种植食品的兴趣。

13.全国青年农民联盟也一直在推动州和联邦政策的变化，以使新农民更容易。

14.瑞安·贝斯特是美国未来农民组织的主席，他一直带着一个手提箱在全国各地旅行，并与高中生一起参观农业职业。

15.21岁的贝斯特希望他的信息，这是农业的新时代，能激励下一代改变统计数字。

16.他说:“我们以前从未有过这样的技术创新，使我们国家的农业达到了有史以来的最高效率。”“这里真的有一个让每个人都能融入的地方。”