AcademicEnglishDietandsustainabilitykeytofeedingtheworldNew.docx

1、AcademicEnglishDietandsustainabilitykeytofeedingtheworldNewAcademic-English-Diet-and-sustainability-key-to-feeding-the-world_NewAcademic-English-Diet-and-sustainability-key-to-feeding-the-worldText 5aDiet and sustainability key to feedingthe world:A food security reportOne of the greatest problems t

2、he world faces is food security. Starvation, malnutrition and associated health and welfare problems can best be addressed by a systematic policy of education and research.Grave concerns about food security have surfaced for a number of reasons. Firstly, there has been a population explosion Accordi

3、ng to the Royal Society, between 1930 and 2010 the worlds population grew from 2 billion to 6.8 billion now, with a projected peak of 9 billion by 2050 (Black, 2010). A further major cause for concern is the impact on food production of climate change, brought about by global warming. Population gro

4、wth and climate change will mean there is an increasing shortage of water and of land for food production, and therefore more competition for these resources. While threats to global food security are numerous and affect both economically developed and less-developed countries, it is the people of t

5、he latter who are likely to feel the most impact. Vast numbers lack basic food requirements: at least 1 billion people are undernourished and 2 billion suffer from micronutrient deficiency. Conversely, 1.2 billion are overweight.An environmental example of the impact of food production mismanagement

6、 on ecosystems, and the wider implications of this, can he clearly seen in the case of drastic declines in bird species. For example, in Europe and North America populations of specialist bird species-those that are adapted to live in specific environments-have fallen by an estimated 30% over 40 yea

7、rs. This has been attributed at least partially to the impact of farming, especially when this involves a single crop type being grown over a large area.In fact, a study by Stanford University biologists (Sekercioglu, Daily & Ehrlich, 2004) concluded that by 2100，10% of all bird species were likely

8、to disappear and another 15% could be on the brink of extinction. This dramatic loss is expected to have a negative impact on forest ecosystems and agriculture worldwide, and warned that it might even encourage the spread of human diseases. The latter point is supported by reports of a dramatic fall

9、 in vulture numbers in India, allowing an upsurge in numbers of rats and feral dogs, which spread diseases that affect humans (see Swan et al., 2006; BirdLife International, 2008)，The vulture population crash is attributed mainly to poisoning by high concentrations of diclofenac, a drug used to trea

10、t farm animals. The birds ingest the drug when they feed on the animals carcasses.The challenges involved in addressing the problem of food security are complex. Part of the solution is increasing the potential of food yields, but the approach must be sustainable. Producers and consumers of food mus

11、t play a major role in all this and take responsibility in terms of choosing how food is produced, used and consumed. Reducing the amount of waste in the food production system is one approach to improving food security. However, in future the journey from arm to plate also needs to be organised mor

12、e systematically and globally. A particular problem area here is the importing into economically developed countries of exotic fruit and vegetables. This can have a negative impact on food security in two ways. Firstly, importing (and especially air-freighting) fresh produce from overseas locations

13、can significantly increase the carbon footprint of food production, contributing to global warming and its associated problems。Secondly, if growers in less economically developed countries switch to producing fruit and vegetables for export, this could displace local staple crops, resulting in worse

14、ning diets for what may be an already malnourished population. A further solution is to manage crop production to boost yields of some crops in countries with temperate climates. However, climate change could also cause shifts in seasonal patterns that put crops out of rhythm with the insects that p

15、ollinate them, or could increase the likelihood of extreme weather events damaging the developing flowers that are essential for the crop .There is a strong likelihood that diets will increasingly be dependent on animal sources of protein, but farmers do not necessarily adopt practices that lead to

16、the fulfilment of potential yield. Helping them become more efficient offers a further means of addressing the food security issue.An integrated，systemic approach to the problems of food security has to be developed. This includes encouraging agri-food research, with the most technologically advance

17、d countries directing their attention and research focus towards dealing with the problem. In addition, a global approach is needed and specialist research initiatives will need to help with integrating the food-security research undertaken by non-specialist institutions.ReferencesBirdLife Internati

18、onal (2008; April 30). Vulture crisis deepens. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from www.birdlife.org/news/news/2008/04八ulture dedines.htmlBeddington, J. (ed.) (2011).Foresight report: The future of food and farming. Challenges and choices for global sustainability. London: Government Office for Science.

19、 Retrieved December 22, 2011，from www.bis.gov.uk/assets/bispartners/foresight/docs/food-and-farming/11-546-future-of-food-and-farming-report.pdfBlack, R. (2010, July 12). Global population study launched by Royal Society. BBC News. Retrieved December 21, 2011, from www.bbc.co.uk/news/10578484Sekerci

20、oglu, C. H., Daily, G. C.&Ehrlich, P R. (2004). Ecosystem consequences of bird declines. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 101(52),18042-18047.Swan, G., Naidoo, V, Cuthbert, R., Green, R. E., Pain, D. J., Swarup, D.&Wolter, K. (2006). Removing the threat of diclofenac to critically en

21、dangered Asian vultures. PLoS Biology. 4(3), e66.Tiffin, R. (2011，January 24). Diet and sustainability key to feeding the world. Press release. Reading: University of Reading. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from www.reading.ac.uk/about/newsandevents/releases/PR345098.aspxSource: John Slaght, ISLC, Univ

22、ersity of Reading, UK, based on the references cited.Focus task:You are going to read a selection of texts in order to produce a set of notes that will help you complete the following assignment:The global population has increased from two billion to seven billion in the past 80 years. In the next 4

23、0 years it is predicted to rise to nine billion. What are the challenges and what measures can be most effective in feeding such a rapidly expanding population?Text 5a summarises the key issues relating to food security that are covered in greater detail in the three other texts in the unit. These c

24、ome from a review paper by UK government scientists, which maintains that good nutrition and sustainability are essential in order to ensure global food security.Task 1 Surveying the textIt is important that students in higher education make decisions about how to make use of an academic text becaus

25、e of the large amount of reading required on some courses.Study tip: Remember that Surveying features of the text before going into detailed reading can save time and provide important insights into the content and value of the text. Features to look for include the title and any figures or graphs.1

26、.1 Analyse the title of Text 5a by examining it in sections. In the table below the title is divided into six separate parts. Complete the column with appropriate deductions.1.2 Now consider what you can deduce from the photograph about the content of the text. Discuss your ideas with another studen

27、t. 1.3 Look at the references at the end of the text. What useful information do these give? Task 2 Search reading: Practising fast, accurate reading2.1 Read Text 5a quickly, but carefully, to answer questions 1-12.Scan the text quickly to find the information you need to answer the questions. Then

28、read the information carefully to answer accurately.1. What solutions for achieving food security are identified in the introductory material? 2. What two major causes of starvation。global scale are identified? 3. These two factors have resulted in there bcitig Iess 4. The population explosion is pr

29、edicted to level off in. 5. Approximately how many people in total arc faced with insufficient food and nutrition? a. 1 billion b. 2 billion c. 3 billion6 . What year does the Stanford University research relate to? 7. The dramatic decrease in vulture numbers in India has led to. 8. What is the nega

30、tive impact of developed countries importing exotic fruit? 9. What could be the negative impact of poorer countries exporting exotic fruit? 10. Where can the impact of climate change be most effectively managed? 11. In future, animals may well be the main source of. 12. Which form of research is rec

31、ommended for dealing with future food insecurity? Task 3 Identifying functions of the text: Annotating the textA useful approach to understanding the organisation, purpose and value of a text is to identify the functions section by section, paragraph by paragraph and if necessary, sentence by senten

32、ce. One way of doing this is by annotating the text in the margin.Study tip: Clear annotation of the text can provide useful reference for revision or further study.3.1 Look at the two examples of annotations for lines 6-20 of Text 5 a. Then highlight the parts of the text relevant to the other two annotations. Annotations Text extract(lines 6-20)Grave concerns about food security have surfaced for number of reasons. Firstly, there has been a population explosion. According to the Royal Society, between 1930 and 2010 th