英语时文泛读 Current News Articles for Extensive Reading

1. 英语时文泛读Current News Articles for Extensive Reading BOOK III

2. Agriculture vs. Urbanization

3. I. Overview • This unit contains three articles on agriculture or urbanization in different parts of the world. The first article discusses farming in Britain, which is a developed country; the second article is about urbanization in China, which is a fast-developing country; and the third article describes agriculture in Kenya and hardships Kenyan people are suffering.

4. Structure • With the advent of globalization and modern technologies, we often say that this world has become a global village. But actually, people in different parts of this ‘global village’ are living different lives and faced with different problems.

5. Life on the Land It describes farming in Britain and problems and prospects farmers there are facing in the year the article was published. Text A

6. This article talks about urbanization in China and takes Chongqing as a representative city in this regard. Are you familiar with the phenomena described here? Urbanization in China: China’s Chicago Text B

7. It’s about Kenyan agriculture, or about Kenyan farmers who are worried about whether they can feed their families, while their problems depend on that flick of thought in the politicians’ mind. Kenyan Farmers’ Fate Caught Up in U.S. Aid Rules Text C

8. Focus of this session

9. II. Text A Life on the Land • Main Idea of the Text • It is about farming in Britain and problems and prospects farmers are facing in the year the article was published.

10. Author Unnamed; it is The Economist’s practice of not giving the author’s name. Source The Economist claims it “is not a chronicle of economics.” Rather, it aims “to take part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.” It practices advocacy journalism in taking an editorial stance based on free trade and globalisation. It targets highly educated readers and boasts an audience containing many influential executives and policy-makers. Background Information

11. James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He took office on June 27, 2007, three days after becoming leader of the Labour Party. Prior to this he served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer under Tony Blair from 1997 to 2007, becoming the United Kingdom‘s longest serving Chancellor since Nicholas Vansittart in the early 19th century. Cultural Notes

12. Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. Cultural Notes

13. The English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) is part of the United Kingdom Meat and Livestock Commission and promotes assured quality beef and lamb. It defines its role as being “to contribute to the long-term profitability and sustainability of the English beef and lamb industries by listening, reporting and delivering measurable benefits”. Cultural Notes

14. The National Farmers Union (NFU) is a member organisation/industry association for farmers in England and Wales. It is the largest farmers’ organisation in England and Wales, and has over 300 branch offices. It was founded in 1908 and is registered as an association of employers under the 1974 Trade Union and Labour Relations Act. Cultural Notes

15. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in Britain. Concordats set out agreed frameworks for co-operation between it and the Scottish Government and the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales, which have devolved responsibilities for these matters in their respective nations. Cultural Notes

16. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) (previously the Intervention Board) is an executive agency of the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The RPA delivers payments to farmers and traders in excess of £2 billion. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, RPA operates on behalf of the devolved (委托承担) administrations through agency agreements. Part of the role of this department is to issue holding numbers and vendor numbers to landowners in England who wish to take advantage of the various schemes DEFRA offers. Cultural Notes

17. Language Points Key Words & Expressions • close off (para. 2): • to separate sth from other parts so that people cannot use it 隔离，封锁 • e.g. • The entrance to the train station was closed off following the explosion. （爆炸发生后随即封锁了火车站入口。）

18. Language Points • flare up (para. 7): • to suddenly start again or become worse 复发，突然加剧 • e.g. • A flare-up of rheumatism. （风湿病的加剧 ） • e.g. • You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work. （你大可不必仅仅因为我提到你的工作就大发雷霆。 ）

19. Language Points • bear the brunt of (para. 8): • to receive the main force of sth unpleasant 承受某事的主要压力；首当其冲 • e.g. • Schools will bear the brunt of cuts in government spending. (政府削减开支，学校将首当其冲受到影响。)

20. Language Points • upshot (para. 10): • the final result of a particular series of events 结果，结局 • e.g. • The upshot of it all was that he left college and got a job. （事情的结局是，他离开学院参加了工作。）

21. Language Points • silver lining (para. 11): • a positive or hopeful side. It comes from the idiom “every cloud has a silver lining”. （不幸或失望中的）一线希望, 该习语的意思是“黑暗中总有一线光明”或“朵朵乌云银镶边” • e.g. • Oh well, every cloud has a silver lining. I may not be so well off now, but I’ll have more time to enjoy my family. 。 （噢，黑暗中总有一线光明，虽然我现在可能没那么富裕了，但我会有更多的时间享受天伦之乐。）

22. Language Points Difficult Sentences • (1) Gordon Brown has not been short of crises since becoming prime minister, with everything from incompetent terrorist plots to record-breaking floods to contend with. (para.1) • 首相布朗接替布莱尔之后一直困扰不断，这里提到了未遂的恐怖袭击以及史无前例的洪灾。 • Since 在本句子里为介词，自……以来 • Contend with: to cope with sth difficult 对付 • John has to contend with great difficulties. • 约翰得与那些艰难困苦作斗争。

23. Language Points • Chaos last summer at the Rural Payments Agency, charged with distributing £3billion of European agricultural subsidies, prevented thousands from receiving their cash. (para.6) • 关于Rural payments agency, 请参照背景知识介绍 • Charged with: 在句子中意思是entrusted with the responsibility of, 和be charged with a crime 中的含义不同。因此插入语的意思是RPA 负责分发欧盟给英国农民的多达30亿英镑的农业补贴。

24. Language Points • Agriculture land prices are rising fast, and have risen by around 50% since 2003, thanks to confidence in the industry’s future and to rich-but-disillusioned City slickers looking for a slice of rural idyll to retire to, or at least to spend their weekends in. (para.11) • Thanks to 部分解释了农业土地价格上涨的两个原因：大家对农业发展的前景很有信心；富有的城市人希望到乡村度假。所以confidence 和rich-but- disillusioned City slickers looking for a slice of rural idyll to retire to, or at least to spend their weekends in 为并列结构，而retire to 和 spend their weekends in 为并列结构做rural idyll 的定语。