Floating dairy farm 漂浮奶牛場

王介忠

荷蘭鹿特丹默威黑文港的工業(yè)和倉儲區(qū)，坐落著世界上第一個試驗性的漂浮奶牛場。這個試驗性的漂浮奶牛場承諾減少排放，提高食品安全。

題材 農(nóng)業(yè) 體裁 說明文 文章詞數(shù) 388 建議用時 6 min

難詞探意

1. résumé /?rezjume?/ n. 摘要;梗概;概述

2. reluctant /r??l?kt?nt/ adj. 勉強的;不情愿的

3. brewery /?bru??ri/ n. 啤酒公司;啤酒廠

4. circularity /?s??kj??l?r?ti/ n. 循環(huán)性

A résumé for the Netherlands would list water management and the development of advanced agricultural technology among its top skills. It makes perfect sense， then， that the worlds first experimental floating dairy farm—the outcome of a seven?year， US $2.9?million effort—is sited in the industrial and warehousing area（倉儲區(qū)） of Rotterdams active Merwehaven harbor.

Late last month， handlers anxiously introduced 35 Issel cows， a breed native to the Netherlands， to the two?story floating platform. Worries that the cows would get seasick or be reluctant to cross the bridge onto the platform proved unfounded， and the animals have adjusted to the change of scenery and are producing milk on their new floating home.

The idea for the Rotterdam farm came to life in 2012， when Van Wingerden， a Dutch engineer and the founder of the project， was working in New York City as Hurricane Sandy hit. Damaging floods brought food distribution by truck to a stop. The experience turned his previously unclear ideas about growing food on the water into a passion project.

This begins with the cows diet. Eventually， the animals will feed on food waste from the city， such as grain and potato peels from breweries， and grass clippings from sports fields and golf courses. The switch to local biological waste from their previous feed is being done gradually to help the cows acclimate.

“A floating farm is part of a circular city，” Van Wingerden says. The circularity is also seen in the platforms design. The cows live on the farms top floor， where a robot collects their waste and pushes it to a collection point which carries it down to the first floor to be recycled. The cows milk can be purchased from the farm and 23 retail locations around the city.

Van Wingerden says his company is planning to build two more floating platforms next to the dairy farm， one to grow vegetables and the other with chickens to farm eggs. Construction will start late this year for completion in summer 2020. The company plans to build platforms in Singapore and the Chinese cities of Nanjing and Shanghai. Apart from the food it produces， Wingerden sees the farms educational value. “Its important to show people in cities that agriculture is our daily food source，” he says.

Reading Check

1. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “anxiously” in Para. 2？

A. Fearfully.? ? ? ? ? ?B. Worriedly.? ? ? ? ? ?C. Hurriedly.? ? ? ? ? ?D. Curiously.

2. How was Van Wingerdens idea for the floating farm formed？

A. By watching Hurricane Sandy.

B. By working in New York City.

C. By witnessing a storm himself.

D. By observing damaging floods.

3. How can circularity in the platform work？

A. The cows waste will be dealt with and reused.

B. The cows will live on the top floor with a robot.

C. The cows will feed on human waste from the city.

D. The cows fresh milk can be bought outside the farm.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph？

A. Two more floating platforms will be built in two years.

B. The company will build more platforms in Asian countries.

C. People can receive agricultural education on such a platform.

D. Nanjing and Shanghai have decided to introduce such platforms.

Language Study

Memorize the following phrases and complete the sentences below with them.

有意義make sense

不愿意;不情愿be reluctant to

調節(jié);調整以適應adjust to

復活;復蘇;形成 come to life

除……之外;還有 apart from=aside from=besides

1. It took him a while to_________the darkness in the cinema.

2._________ providing warmth， what was fire used for？

3. He?_________?stay at home alone when he was young.

4. When the girl_________?， we began to breathe easily.

5. It_________to work on the problem before it gets out of control.