VOA常速英语听力2012年07月合辑（文本）：RECORD-DROUGHT-PUNISHES-ARKANSAS-AGRICULTURE.doc

1、Record Drought Punishes Arkansas Agriculture大旱影响阿肯色州农业生产One of the worst hit drought zones in North America is Arkansas, where lack of rain threatens livestock and crops in almost every corner of the southern state. Farmers are selling off cattle and desperately hoping for a sustained period of rain

2、 to undo the damage that has been done.Arkansas still looks very green. But the grass is short and there is not much good for animal feed.阿肯色州看起来还是郁郁葱葱，但是青草很短，长势不好，不适合喂养牲畜。Even as temperatures soar over 40 degrees Celsius, big white clouds float in the sky.气温升到40多摄氏度，天空还漂浮着大片的白云。Occasionally they pr

3、oduce a downpour.这里偶尔才会下大雨。A burst of rain is very welcome here, but experts say it is not enough.这样的暴雨是人们盼望的，但是专家说这还不够。Meteorologists say more than 38 centimeters of slow, steady rain would be needed in some areas to bring them up to normal.气象学家说，要想让阿肯色州的一些地区恢复正常，需要有38厘米以上缓慢稳定的降雨。Lack of grass has

4、forced cattle producers like Karen Haralson to spend more on expensive feed, and she says a recent rain has not helped. It put just a little bit of green in the grass, but all it gave it was color, it didnt give it any growth, she said.青草匮乏，使得Karen Haralson等牲畜养殖户不得不购买昂贵的饲料。她说刚下的雨无济于事：“这场雨只是让草变得绿一点，但

5、只是让草变绿而已，青草并没长高。”She has had to reduce her herd from more than 250 to around 150, leaving her with too few cattle to operate effectively in the year to come. To run the farm, I am going to have to have more cows than I have, so when I go to replace them there will be limited replacement, so the pric

6、e will be much higher. So it is kind of a vicious circle, she said.她不得不将牲畜从250多头减少到大约150头，这样在来年她会因牲畜数量太少而难以有效地运作养殖场。“要运作好这个养殖场，我需要比现有牲畜数量更多的牲畜。因此，在我接下来准备更新牲畜时，因为可替换的牲畜数量有限，我出售的牲畜价格将上涨很多，这是恶性循环。”In nearby Atkins, farmers gather in the Atkins International Cafe at lunchtime and reveal their woes to wa

7、itress Cindy Johnson. The early crops that went in, they spent on the fertilizer and all, the yields were low. There is no moisture to put anything back in on the second round, everything is just dry and drought, she said.在附近的Atkins，农场主们午餐时间聚集在Atkins国际餐馆，他们向餐厅女服务生辛迪-约翰逊诉苦。女服务生：“他们说他们先前已经投入农作物，花费了肥料，

8、但是因为干旱，农作物的产量将很低。而且因为到处都是严重干旱甚至是旱灾，他们也无法重新补种农作物。”In Faulkner County, Extension agent Hank Chaney says yields on most row crops, like soy beans, rice and corn, are going to be well below 50 percent this year unless rain comes soon. We need at least three or four days of good, slow, steady rainfall. I

9、t would be nice, of course, if we could get a week of it, but at least that to help us soak up and for the ground to recharge, he said.在Faulkner县，农区推广指导员Hank Chaney说，除非马上降雨，否则大多数像大豆、水稻和玉米等行间农作物都将减产50%以上。“我们至少需要3到4天缓慢稳定的降雨，当然如果能下一周更好，但是至少我们需要这些降雨让农作物吸收水分，让土壤吸收水分。”Chaney says around 30 percent of the

10、farmers in his area have an edge on Mother Nature because they have ground water they can tap for irrigation.Chaney说，有了水龙头灌溉系统，这个地区大约30%的农民的情况要比靠天吃饭的其他农民要好。These center-pit irrigation systems are expensive to buy and operate.这些集中供水灌溉系统的购买和使用成本都比较高。But Chris Schaefers, whose family owns eight of them

11、, says they get their money back in better yields and better credit at the bank. It sure does make them feel better, when you go to your lending officer to know that you have irrigation behind you, especially in years like this, he said.Chris Schaefers家就拥有8个这样的系统，他说使用这个系统，农作物的产量提高了，在银行也能获得更好的信用，完全可以

12、收回投入的成本。“找信贷人员贷款，他们知道你有灌溉系统，特别是在类似今年这种干旱时节，你的灌溉系统能长时间使用，这能让他们对给你信贷增加信心。”The Schaefers will benefit from the high commodity prices that are bound to result from this years dry conditions.今年的干旱会导致农作物价格高涨，这样就将会使Schaefers一家通过出售农作物获益。For farmers who can count on their own irrigation system, it will be a little easier to get through this drought, but everyone else is going to have to rely on Mother Nature.对于拥有自己的灌溉系统的农民们来说，他们将比较容易对付这个干旱，但是其他的农民还是将不得不靠天吃饭。