農(nóng)作物的新時代

付蓮萍

科技公司正在開發(fā)利用微生物和海藻種植農(nóng)作物，這類農(nóng)作物可以幫助農(nóng)民減少氮的使用，進而減少對水道及環(huán)境的污染。

1Technology companies are raising hundreds of millions ofdollars to develop farm products that use microbes（微生物）and seaweed to grow crops. The move comes at a time whenfertilizer prices are very high and increasing attention is be?ing paid to how food is produced around the world.

2Microbes， including fungi（真菌）and viruses， have been available for years as treat?ments to protect plants from insects and disease， with mixed outcomes， but developers areincreasingly using them as natural ways to support crops while keeping up crop productionlevels.

3The new microbial fertilizers are sometimes called biostimulants. Such productscould help farmers use less nitrogen， a fertilizer that can pollute waterways and create agas that has environmental effects. Canada wants to cut fertilizer emissions by 2030， whilethe European Union aims to reduce fertilizer usage.

4Denmark?based Novozymes is one of the biggest sellers of bio?agricultural products.One product contains a fungus that grows alongside plant roots and releases a crop nutrientfrom the soil. Yara International of Norway says that its biostimulants are based on sea?weed and other substances.

5Another product from the start?up Pivot Bio has microbes that take in sugar from?the roots of corn， wheat， or sorghum plants， producing an enzyme that changes nitro?gen to a crop nutrient. The company says that farmers have already used it on more than400，000 hectares and it also raised $430 million last year from investors. The $3 billionbiostimulants industry is to grow by 12 to 15 percent each year over the next five years.

6Microbial fertilizers are largely unregulated， with few studies on how effective theyare at developing crops. Besides， not everyone is convinced that biostimulants work. For ex?ample， University of Minnesota soil scientist Daniel Kaiser has tested Pivot’s PROVENproduct over the past two seasons. He used it on six areas with reduced nitrogen fertilizertreatments， but only one area showed an improved yield.

7Currently， only a small number of American states require companies to supply dataon the effectiveness of microbial fertilizers. And the US Environmental Protection Agencyhas only issued draft guidance for public review. In Europe， the European Union decides torequire data on biostimulants starting in July 2022.

Reading Check

Detail

1. Whats the result of using microbes to protect plants？

A. It has two sides.

B. It is of little help.

C. It is very effective.

D. It gains great support.

Inference

2. How can we describe the new microbial fertilizers？

A. Cheap.

B. Powerful.

C. Eco?friendly.

D. Absorbable.

Inference

3. What can we infer about the product with microbes in paragraph 5？

A. It is more and more popular.

B. It can attract many researchers.

C. It will replace traditional fertilizers.

D. It helps to increase production greatly.

Inference

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards microbes？

A. Uncertain.

B. Supportive.

C. Negative.

D. Objective.

Language Study

Difficult sentences in the text

1. The move comes at a time when fertilizer prices are very high and increasing atten?tion is being paid to how food is produced around the world. 當肥料價格非常高，人們越來越關(guān)注世界各地如何生產(chǎn)糧食的時候，此舉來得正是時候。

【點石成金】這是一個主從復(fù)合句，句中when引導(dǎo)的是一個定語從句，從句是由and連接的兩個并列的簡單句。

2. Another product from the start?up Pivot Bio has microbes that take in sugar fromthe roots of corn， wheat， or sorghum plants， producing an enzyme that changes nitrogen to acrop nutrient. 初創(chuàng)公司Pivot Bio的另一款產(chǎn)品含有能從玉米、小麥或高粱根部吸收糖分的微生物，由此產(chǎn)生一種酶，將氮轉(zhuǎn)化為作物養(yǎng)分。

【點石成金】本句中的that take in sugar from the roots of corn， wheat， or sorghumplants為that引導(dǎo)的定語從句;producing an enzyme that changes nitrogen to a crop nutri?ent作結(jié)果狀語;that changes nitrogen to a crop nutrient為that引導(dǎo)的定語從句，修飾先行詞enzyme。