DAY 95 The global food supply chain is passing a severe test

pass??/pɑ?s/

severe??/s??v??(r)/
extremely bad or serious

Keeping the world fed

feed?/fi?d/
feed somebody?
to provide food for a person or group of people

1 If you live?in the rich world and want an example of trade and global co-operation, look no further than your dinner plate. As the lockdowns began in the West two months ago, many feared that bread, butter and beans would run short, causing a wave of stocking-up. Today, thanks to fleets of delivery lorries filling supermarket shelves, you can binge-eat as you binge-watch.

look no further?只需看看…就可以了;
?used to say that something is exactly what somebody needs and so they do not need to consider any other options

?run?
??[intransitive]?+ adj.?to become different in a particular way, especially a bad way

不足;不多;所剩無幾
If you?are running short of?something or?running low on?something, you do not have much of it left. If a supply of something?is running short?or?running low, there is not much of it left.

stock up?
1>??to fill something with goods, food, etc.
2>?stock up (on/with something)
? ? ???to buy a lot of something so that you can use it later

lorry?/?l?ri/
a large vehicle for carrying heavy loads by road

fleets of?.....的隊伍......的機隊......的艦隊
+trucks/ cars/ lorries/ ..

binge?/b?nd?/? n
?a short period of time when somebody does too much of a particular activity, especially eating or drinking alcohol??放縱?[非正式]

binge watching? /?b?nd? w?t???/n??無節(jié)制地 ; 暴食收看
?the practice of watching several episodes of a TV show on one occasion, usually by means of DVDs or digital?streaming

2 This capitalist miracle reflects not a monolithic plan, but an $8trn global supply chain adapting to a new reality, with millions of firms making spontaneous decisions, from switching rice suppliers in Asia to refitting freezers. The system is far from perfect: as incomes collapse, more people are going hungry. There are risks, from labour shortages to bad harvests. And there is an irony in seeing the industry grapple with a crisis that probably began with the sale of pangolin meat in a market in Wuhan. But the food network is so far passing a severe test. It is crucial that, during and after the pandemic, governments do not lurch into a misguided campaign for self-reliance.

capitalist?

monolithic?/?m?n??l?θ?k/? 龐大而單一的
1> ?used to describe large single?vertical?blocks of stone, especially ones that were shaped into a column by people living in ancient times, and that may have had some religious meaning
2>??(often disapproving)?used to describe single, very large organizations that are very slow to change and not interested in individual people
(組織或體系)龐大而僵化的熙尉，單一的? ? ??龐大而無特點的;巨大而單調(diào)的??

spontaneous?/sp?n?te?ni?s/
not planned but done because you suddenly want to do it

?refitting freezers.? ?冷鏈物流

grapple with??[?gr?p?l wie]??
v.扭打茵汰，抓住;?努力應(yīng)付困境（或解決難題）;

?lurch into 搖擺不定?陷入困境?
lurch/l??t?/
1>??(+ adv./prep.)?to make a sudden, unsteady movement forward or to one side
2>??if your heart or stomach?lurches, you have a sudden feeling of fear or excitement

pangolin?/?p??ɡ?l?n/
a small animal from Africa or Asia that eats insects, and has a long nose, tongue and tail, and hard?scales?on its body

3 The supply chains behind an iPhone, or a car component that criss-crosses the Rio Grande, are wonders of co-ordination. But the unsung star of 21st-century logistics is the global food system (see?article). From field to fork, it accounts for 10% of world?gdp?and employs perhaps 1.5bn people. The global supply of food has nearly tripled since 1970, as the population has doubled to 7.7bn. At the same time, the number of people who have too little to eat has fallen from 36% of the population to 11%, and a bushel of maize or cut of beef costs less today than 50 years ago in real terms. Food exports have grown sixfold over the past 30 years; four-fifths of people live in part on calories produced in another country. This happens in spite of governments, not because of them. Although their role has declined, they still sometimes fix prices and control distribution. The European Union’s farm tariffs are four times those on its non-farm imports. A dozen or so big exporters, including America, India, Russia and Vietnam, dominate staples such as wheat and rice. Half a dozen trading firms, such as Cargill from Minnesota and?cofco?from Beijing, shift food around the world.

?car component/k?m?p??n?nt/??
?one of several parts of which something is made

criss-cross/?kr?s kr?s/? v?(兩組線或事物)相互交叉骆捧，相互交錯
?to make a pattern on something with many straight lines that cross each other

Rio Grande[?rio? ?ɡr?ndi]格蘭德河（美國和墨西哥之間）
?co-ordination??[k????:d?'ne??n]n.協(xié)調(diào)凿渊，合作;
wonder?[?w?nd?(r)]奇跡

unsung?[??n?s??]
被埋沒的；未受頌揚的 Unsung?is used to describe people, things, or places that are not appreciated or praised, although you think they deserve to be.

logistics?/l??d??st?ks/??n組織工作
logistics (of something)?the practical organization that is needed to make a complicated plan successful when a lot of people and equipment are involved

accounts for?（數(shù)量或比例上）占
bn billion?[?b?lj?n] 十億

?triple[?tr?pl]vt.& vi.（使）增至三倍;

bushel [?b??l]??
蒲式耳（農(nóng)作物的容量單位册舞，相當于8加侖）A?bushel?is a unit of volume that is used for measuring agricultural produce such as corn or beans. A bushel is equivalent in volume to eight gallons.
maize[me?z]
玉米;玉蜀黍Maize?is a tall plant which produces long objects covered with yellow seeds called sweetcorn. It is often grown as a food crop.

in real terms扣除物價因素播演；按實質(zhì)計算;
在不同年份之間進行對比時，有各年間價格變動因素贯底，而不能確切反映實物量的增減變動丰辣。為此必須消除價格變動因素，使之可比禽捆，才能真實反映經(jīng)濟發(fā)展動態(tài)笙什。

sixfold[?s?ksf??ld]adj.六倍的，六重的胚想，有六部分的;

in part?在某種程度上琐凭，部分地;?一半;
calory['k?l?r?]n.卡路里

?A dozen?or?so一打左右.
staple?/?ste?pl/??=大米，白面這樣的糧食(農(nóng)作物)
?a basic type of food that is used a lot

?Cargill
嘉吉公司成立于1865年浊服，是一家集食品统屈、農(nóng)業(yè)、金融和工業(yè)產(chǎn)品及服務(wù)為一體的多元化跨國企業(yè)集團臼闻『柽海總部設(shè)在美國明尼蘇達州的嘉吉公司 。嘉吉在福布斯排行榜上29年來蟬聯(lián)非上市公司第一述呐，是美國第一大私有資本公司惩淳。

Minnesota? [?m?n??s??t?]
n. 明尼蘇達（美國中北部之一州，略作Minn．）;

cofco
中糧集團有限公司.是世界500強企業(yè)乓搬，中國最大的糧油食品企業(yè) 思犁，中央企業(yè)，也是中國領(lǐng)先的農(nóng)產(chǎn)品.大悅城是中糧集團商業(yè)地產(chǎn)板塊戰(zhàn)略部署精心打造的“國際化青年城市綜合體”进肯。

?This happens in spite of governments, not because of them.
盡管這件事的發(fā)生與政府息息相關(guān)激蹲，但并不是因為政府。

4 Concentration and government intervention, along with the vagaries of the climate and commodity markets, mean that the system is finely tuned and can misfire, with devastating consequences. In 2007-08 bad harvests and higher energy costs pushed up food prices. This led governments to panic about shortages and ban exports, causing more anxiety and even loftier prices. The result was a wave of riots and distress in the emerging world. It was the worst food crisis since the 1970s, when high fertiliser prices and bad weather in America, Canada and Russia caused food production to drop.

Concentration? ?產(chǎn)業(yè)集聚

vagary??['ve?g?r?]
n.奇想江掩，奇特行為;?異想天開;?怪異多變;

tune?/tju?n/? v? 調(diào)整学辱，調(diào)節(jié)
1>??to make changes to an engine so that it runs smoothly and as well as possible
2>?to make changes to a musical instrument so that it plays at the correct?pitch

misfire? /?m?s?fa??(r)/? 不奏效
1>?(of a plan or joke)?to fail to have the effect that you had intended = go wrong

pushed up food prices

lofty? /?l?fti/
(of buildings, mountains, etc.)?very high and impressive

Emerging Markets??新興市場
新興市場是市場經(jīng)濟體制逐步完善、經(jīng)濟發(fā)展速度較高环形、市場發(fā)展?jié)摿^大的市場策泣。美國商務(wù)部1994年研究報告把中國經(jīng)濟區(qū)（包括中國香港和中國臺灣）、印度抬吟、東盟諸國萨咕、韓國、土耳其火本、墨西哥危队、巴西聪建、阿根廷、波蘭和南非列為新興大市場茫陆。2009年摩根斯坦利新興市場指數(shù)列出了以下21個國家（地區(qū)）作為新興市場來進行統(tǒng)計：巴西金麸、智利、中國大陸盅弛、哥倫比亞钱骂、捷克叔锐、埃及挪鹏、匈牙利、印度愉烙、印度尼西亞讨盒、馬來西亞、墨西哥步责、摩洛哥返顺、秘魯、菲律賓蔓肯、波蘭遂鹊、俄羅斯、南非蔗包、韓國秉扑、中國臺灣、泰國调限、土耳其舟陆。英國《經(jīng)濟學(xué)家》雜志列出的新興市場國家(地區(qū)）名單與此相似，只是多了中國香港耻矮、新加坡和沙特阿拉伯秦躯。其中，巴西裆装、俄羅斯踱承、印度、中國和南非等五個新興市場被稱為“金磚五國”哨免。?

5 Despite the severity of today’s shock, each layer of the system has adapted. The supply of cereals has been maintained, helped by recent harvests and very high stocks. Shipping firms and ports continue to move around food in bulk. The shift from eating out has had dramatic consequences for some companies. McDonald’s sales have dropped by about 70% in Europe. The big retailers have cut their ranges and rewired their distribution. Amazon’s grocery e-commerce capacity has risen by 60%; Walmart has hired 150,000 people. Crucially, most governments have learned the lesson of 2007-08 and avoided protectionism. In terms of calories, only 5% of food exports face restrictions, as against 19% back then. So far this year prices have dropped.

?severity?/s??ver?ti/??
?the fact or condition of something being extremely bad or serious

Shipping firms? ?運輸公司
in bulk??[in b?lk]??大量;?整批茎活，不加包裝;?成堆;?成塊;

rewire?/?ri??wa??(r)/
to put new electrical wires into a building or piece of equipment? ?
rewired?their distribution

grocery?/?ɡr??s?ri/ n 日常百貨
[c]?a shop that sells food and other things used in the home. In American English ‘grocery store’ is often used to mean ‘supermarket’.

capacity?/k??p?s?ti/
the ability to understand or to do something
grocery?e-commerce capacity? ?電子商務(wù)能力

Crucially??/?kru???li/
?in a way that is extremely important

6 But the test is not over yet. As the industry has globalised, it has grown more concentrated, creating bottlenecks. Covid-19 outbreaks at several American slaughterhouses have cut pork supplies by a quarter—and boosted wild-turkey hunting licences in Indiana by 28%. America and Europe will need over 1m migrant workers from Mexico, north Africa and eastern Europe to bring in the harvest. And as the economy shrinks and incomes collapse, the number of people facing acute food shortages could rise—from 1.7% of the world’s population to 3.4%, the?un?reckons, including in some rich countries. This reflects a shortage of money, not food, but if people go hungry governments will, understandably, take extraordinary measures. The ever-present risk is that rising poverty or production glitches will lead panicky politicians to stockpile food and limit exports. As in 2007-08, this could cause a tit-for-tat response that makes things worse.

concentrated? 集中化

bottleneck??/?b?tlnek/? ?n?
1>??a narrow or busy section of road where the traffic often gets slower and stops
2>??anything that delays development or progress, particularly in business or industry

slaughterhouse/?sl??t?ha?s/??
?a building where animals are killed for food

in the harvest? 收獲季

go hungry 挨餓

ever-present??adj. 經(jīng)常存在的；始終存在的

glitch n?/ɡl?t?/
1>?a small problem or fault that stops something working successfully

panicky?/?p?n?ki/? =?hysterical
?very anxious about something; feeling or showing?panic??

stockpile??/?st?kpa?l/
to collect and keep a large supply of something

tit-for-tat??/?t?t f? ?t?t/? ?n.以牙還牙铁瞒；針鋒相對妙色；一報還一報;
a situation in which you do something bad to somebody because they have done the same to you

7 Governments need to hold their nerve and keep the world’s food system open for business. That means letting produce cross borders, offering visas and health checks to migrant workers, and helping the poor by giving them cash, not stockpiling. It also means guarding against further industry concentration which could grow, if weaker food firms go bust or are bought by bigger ones. And it means making the system more transparent, traceable and accountable—with, for example, certification and quality standards—so that diseases are less likely to jump undetected from animal to human.

guard against? ?防止

accountable? /??ka?nt?bl/? 可問責
?responsible for your decisions or actions and expected to explain them when you are asked?

8 To understand food as a national-security issue is wise; to bend that understanding to self-sufficiency drives and blunt intervention is not. Already, before this year, food had become part of a trade war. America has sought to manage its soyabean exports and put tariffs on cheese. President Donald Trump has designated abattoirs part of America’s critical infrastructure. President Emmanuel Macron has called for Europe to build up its “strategic autonomy” in agriculture. Yet food autarky is a delusion. Interdependence and diversity make you more secure.

bend? ?扭曲

?blunt = direct? ? /bl?nt/
1>?without a sharp edge or point
2>??(of a person or remark)?very direct; saying exactly what you think without trying to be polite

designated 貼標簽

abattoir?/??b?twɑ?(r)/
a building where animals are killed for food

call for
1>?to collect somebody in order to go somewhere
2>?to need something
3>??to publicly ask for something to happen

autonomy?/???t?n?mi/? 自制
the freedom for a country, a region or an organization to govern itself independently

?autarky?/???tɑ?ki/? ?? n 自給自足
?[u]?a system of government of a country in which one person has complete power

delusion? ?/d??lu??n/? ?n.欺騙;?謬見;?錯覺;?妄想;
?[c]?a false belief or opinion about yourself or your situation

Cooking up a new recipe

Cook up? ?捏造;編造??
1>??(informal)?to invent something, especially in order to trick
2>??to prepare a meal or a particular dish

Cooking up the book 造假賬

制造一個新的食譜

9 The work of the food-supply system is not yet done. In the next 30 years supply needs to rise by about 50% to meet the needs of a wealthier, growing population, even as the system’s carbon footprint needs at least to halve. A new productivity revolution is required, involving everything from high-tech greenhouses near cities to fruit-picking robots. That is going to require all the agility and ingenuity that markets can muster, and huge sums of private capital. This evening, when you pick up your chopsticks or your knife and fork, remember both those who are hungry and also the system feeding the world. It should be left free to work its magic not just during the pandemic, but after it, too.■

carbon footprint? 碳足跡 專有名詞

agility??/??d??l?ti/? n
1>?the ability to move quickly and easily
2>??the ability to think quickly and in an intelligent way

ingenuity/??nd???nju??ti/
?the ability to invent things or solve problems in clever new ways

muster? /?m?st?(r)/? ? v? 集合 召集
1>?muster something (up)?to find as much support, courage, etc. as you can
2>??to come together or to bring people, especially soldiers, together, for example for military action = gather

That is going to require all the?agility?and?ingenuity?that markets can?muster
生產(chǎn)力變革要求市場盡其所能匯聚靈活性和獨創(chuàng)性