人教版英语选修第一册 unit 5 Reading and Thinking

A PIONEER FOR ALL PEOPLE

造福全人类的先驱者

Yuan Longping, known as the “father of hybrid rice”, is one of China’s most famous scientists.

袁隆平，被誉为“杂交水稻之父”，是中国最著名的科学家之一。

Yet, he considers himself a farmer because he continually works the land in his research.

然而，他认为自己是一名农民，因为他一直在田间开展研究劳作。

Indeed, his slim but strong body is just like that of millions of Chinese farmers, to whom he has devoted his life.

的确，他瘦削而结实的身躯，和千千万万中国农民并无两样，他将一生都奉献给了这些农民。

Yuan Longping was born in 1930 in Beijing.

袁隆平1930年生于北京。

His parents wanted him to pursue a career in science or medicine.

他的父母希望他从事科学或者医学领域的工作。

However, what concerned him most was that farmers often had poor harvests and sometimes even had a serious shortage of food to eat.

但最让他忧心的是，农民常常收成惨淡，有时甚至面临严重的粮食短缺。

To tackle this crisis, he chose to study agriculture and received an education at Southwest Agricultural College in Chongqing.

为应对这场危机，他选择攻读农业专业，在重庆西南农学院求学深造。

After graduating in 1953, he worked as a researcher.

1953年毕业后，他成为一名科研工作者。

Yuan Longping realised that larger fields were not the solution.

袁隆平意识到，扩大耕地面积并不能解决粮食问题。

Instead, farmers needed to boost yields in the fields they had.

真正可行的办法，是提高现有土地上农作物的产量。

How this could be done was a challenging question at the time.

在当时，如何实现增产是一道难题。

Yuan was convinced that the answer could be found in the creation of hybrid rice.

袁隆平坚信，培育杂交水稻就是答案。

A hybrid is a cross between two or more varieties of a species.

杂交品种指同一物种两个或多个品种杂交培育出的后代。

One characteristic of hybrids is that they usually attain a higher yield than conventional crops.

杂交作物的一大特点，就是产量通常高于传统作物。

However, whether it was possible to develop a hybrid of self-pollinating plants such as rice was a matter of great debate.

然而，水稻这类自花授粉植物能否培育出杂交品种，当时争议极大。

The common assumption then was that it could not be done.

那时人们普遍认定，这件事不可能实现。

Through intense effort, Yuan overcame enormous technical difficulties to develop the first hybrid rice that could be used for farming in 1974.

凭借坚持不懈的努力，袁隆平攻克重重技术难关，在1974年培育出首个可投入农田种植的杂交水稻。

This hybrid enabled farmers to expand their output greatly.

这款杂交水稻让农民的粮食产量得以大幅提升。

Today, it is estimated that about 60 percent of domestic rice consumption in China is comprised of crops generated from Yuan’s hybrid strains, and his strains have allowed China’s farmers to produce around 200 million tons of rice per year.

据估算，如今中国国内消费的稻米中，大约六成产自袁隆平培育的杂交水稻品种，这些品种让中国农民每年能够产出约两亿吨水稻。

Yuan’s innovation has helped feed not just China, but many other countries that depend on rice as well, such as India and Vietnam.

袁隆平的创新成果不仅养活了中国人民，也惠及印度、越南等许多以大米为主食的国家。

Because of his invaluable contributions, Yuan Longping has received numerous awards both in China and abroad.

凭借不可估量的贡献，袁隆平斩获国内外无数奖项。

Given that Yuan’s hybrids have made him quite wealthy, one might think he would retire to a life of leisure.

杂交水稻的成果让袁隆平拥有可观财富，有人或许以为他会退休安享悠闲生活。

However, this is far from the case.

但事实远非如此。

Deep down, Yuan is still very much a farmer at heart.

在内心深处，袁隆平始终把自己当作一名农民。

As a man of the soil, he cares little for celebrity or money.

植根土地的他，看淡名利与财富。

Instead, he makes large donations to support agricultural research.

相反，他多次大额捐款，用以支持农业科研。

What impresses people most about Yuan Longping is his ongoing ability to fulfill his dreams.

袁隆平最令人敬佩的，是他始终能够实现心中梦想。

Long ago, he envisioned rice plants as tall as sorghum, with each ear of rice as big as a broom, and each grain of rice as huge as a peanut.

很久以前，他畅想水稻长得像高粱一般高，稻穗如同扫帚般硕大，谷粒大得像花生。

He succeeded in producing a kind of rice that could feed more people at home and abroad.

他成功培育水稻品种，养活了国内外更多民众。

His latest vision for “seawater rice” has also become a reality, and potentially opened up nearly one million square kilometres of salty land in China for rice production.

他关于“海水稻”的构想也已经落地，有望让中国近百万平方公里盐碱地用来种植水稻。

Despite his advanced years, Yuan Longping is still young at heart and full of vision, and everyone is waiting to see what he will dream up next.

尽管年事已高，袁隆平依旧心怀热忱、富有远见，所有人都期待着他下一个梦想。

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