English 中文网 漫画网 爱新闻iNews 翻译论坛
中国网站品牌栏目(频道)
当前位置: Language Tips> Audio & Video> 新闻播报> Special Speed News VOA慢速

Why grafting still fits nicely into agriculture

[ 2010-05-18 11:04]     字号 [] [] []  
免费订阅30天China Daily双语新闻手机报:移动用户编辑短信CD至106580009009

去听写专区一展身手

英语学习论坛的“听力练习区”正式与大家见面啦。欢迎大家来这里练习听力,交流经验,共同进步。

本练习区的音频文件选自英语点津的“听中国日报”、“VOA常速”、“流行金曲”及“名人演讲”等栏目,题材丰富,难度各异,适合不同阶段的英语学习者。

英语点津会定期发布音频材料,大家可以在跟帖中贴出自己听写出的音频文字稿。每个音频材料的标准文字稿会在帖子发布两天后公布。

进入该文章的听写练习页面

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Grafting is a way to produce plants from pieces of existing plants instead of seeds.

Branches or buds are cut from one plant and placed on a related kind of plant. The branch or bud that is grafted is called the scion. The plant that accepts the graft is called the rootstock.

Grafting can join scions with desirable qualities to rootstock that is strong and resists disease and insects.

A graft can be cut several ways. One way is a cleft graft. It requires a scion with several buds on it. The bottom of the scion is cut in the shape of the letter V.

The scion is then securely placed into a cut on the rootstock. Material called a growth medium is put on the joint to keep it from getting dry and to help the two plants grow together.

Many fruits and nuts have been improved through grafting. Flowers can also be improved this way.

Some common fruit trees such as sweet cherries and McIntosh apples have to be grafted. Grafting is also used to produce seedless fruits like navel oranges and seedless watermelons.

Grafting continues to hold an important place in agriculture even in an age of modern genetic engineering.

Recently we told you about a study of genetically engineered crops and how they have affected farming in the United States. The study found that many farmers have better harvests, better weed control and fewer losses from insect damage compared to traditional crops.

Our story brought a number of comments, including this one from Odalberto Domingos Casonatto in Brazil. He wrote that in his town the population depends on agriculture and transgenic crops. He says it is true that such crops can have higher output with less cost, but added:

No one knows the consequences that will have on soil fertility and the human body. Only the future will tell us the truth about transgenic food.

Christian in France expressed a different concern, saying: The big problem of the transgenic seeds is that they are the monopoly of big companies. The small farmers cannot reproduce any more seeds by themselves.

And Joom from Thailand wrote: I don't care where the crops come from, natural plants or genetic engineering, as long as we can produce food enough for people.

You can comment on our stories and find transcripts, MP3s and podcasts at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also join us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. I'm Bob Doughty.

(来源:VOA 编辑:陈丹妮)

 
中国日报网英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“中国日报网英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883631联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。
 

关注和订阅

人气排行

翻译服务

中国日报网翻译工作室

我们提供:媒体、文化、财经法律等专业领域的中英互译服务
电话:010-84883468
邮件:translate@chinadaily.com.cn