【英译汉必译题】
There was, last week, a glimmer of hope in the world food crisis. Expecting a bumper harvest, Ukraine relaxed restrictions on exports. Overnight, global wheat prices fell by 10 percent.
By contrast, traders in Bangkok quote rice prices around $1,000 a ton, up from $460 two months ago.
Such is the volatility of today’s markets. We do not know how high food prices might go, nor how far they could fall. But one thing is certain: We have gone from an era of plenty to one of scarcity. Experts agree that food prices are not likely to return to the levels the world had grown accustomed to any time soon.
Imagine the situation of those living on less than $1 a day - the “bottom billion,” the poorest of the world’s poor. Most live in Africa, and many might typically spend two-thirds of their income on food.
In Liberia last week, I heard how people have stopped purchasing imported rice by the bag. Instead, they increasingly buy it by the cup, because that’s all they can afford.
Traveling though West Africa, I found good reason for optimism. In Burkina Faso, I saw a government working to import drought resistant seeds and better manage scarce water supplies, helped by nations like Brazil. In Ivory Coast, we saw a women’s cooperative running a chicken farm set up with UN funds. The project generated income - and food - for villagers in ways that can easily be replicated.
Elsewhere, I saw yet another women’s group slowly expanding their local agricultural production, with UN help. Soon they will replace World Food Program rice with their own home-grown produce, sufficient to cover the needs of their school feeding program.
These are home-grown, grass-roots solutions for grass-roots problems - precisely the kind of solutions that Africa needs.
【参考译文】
上星期，世界粮食危机出现了一线转机的希望。因预期会获得大丰收，乌克兰放松了出口限制。全球小麦价格一夜间下跌了10%。
然而，曼谷米商每吨大米的报价大约1000美元，而在两个月前，报价是460美元。预计大米价格还会上涨。
这就是目前市场动荡的局面。我们不知道粮食价格将上涨多少，也不知道将下跌多少。但有一点是肯定的：我们已从富足时代进入了匮乏时代。专家们认为，粮食价格近期内不太可能回落到世界已经习以为常的水平。
即使在欧洲富国和美国，消费者也怨声载道。那么，请想像一下每日所得不足一美元的人的境况，这些人是世界穷人中的最贫穷者，是“最下层的十亿人”。他们大都生活在非洲，许多人通常用三分之二的收入购买粮食。
上星期，在利比里亚，我听说人们已不再成袋地买进口大米，而更多地是一杯子一杯子地买，因为他们只买得起一杯子米。
第一个任务是向饥民提供粮食。世界粮食计划署在帮助7300万人。但是，要帮助这些人，世界粮食计划署就需要增加75500万美元的资金才能支付它不断增加的费用。各方已经认捐47500万美元。但是，许诺并不能填饱肚子，粮食计划署现在仅有1800万美元的现金。我们有能力处理这一危机。我们拥有有关资源，我们知道应该做什么，我们不仅应将这一危机视为问题，而且应将它视为机会。
在走访西非期间，我发现非常有理由感到乐观。在布基纳法索，我看到政府在巴西等国帮助下，努力进口耐旱种子，更好地管理稀缺的水源。
在科特迪瓦，我们参观了一个妇女合作社用联合国资金兴办的养鸡场。该项目为村民提供收入和粮食，很容易推广。在其他地方，我看到另一个妇女团体正在联合国帮助下，缓慢地扩大本地的农业生产。不久，她们将用自己的农产品取代粮食计划署的大米，满足学校供餐方案的需要。
这些都是因地制宜解决基层问题的基层办法，正是非洲需要的。
