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| The UN Secretary General has spoken out on food production |
媒體英語會帶大家一起學習BBC撰稿人在報道世界大事時常用到的單詞和短語。請先閱讀故事的背景，然后回答以下的問題。
Questions
1. What measures have some countries taken to deal with rising food prices?
2. True or false? The UN Secretary General has praised these measures.
3. What is happening with regard to government subsidies for food production?
4. True or false? Most developing countries need to import food from other countries.
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UN Food Summit 聯合國食品高峰會
Background: 聯合國秘書長潘基文呼吁采取緊急行動來對付全球高昂食品價格問題，他在今年六月羅馬高峰會議上呼吁采取措施來解決食品這一國際貿易問題。
A number of countries have responded to the high cost of food by imposing export restrictions 出口限制, or even bans, or by seeking to control prices.
The UN Secretary General said such measures only distort markets 扭曲/誤導市場 and force prices even higher. These policies are generally intended to divert supplies 改變供應路線 to local markets and to alleviate price rises for local consumers.
Many observers see them as understandable but ultimately counter-productive 事倍功半 because if farmers do not get the full benefit of increased prices, the incentive 動力 for them to increase production is weakened.
Those incentives are sure to be a key element in the global response to the current food problem. Already, the prices of many food crops 糧食作物 - although still high - have come down from their peaks 高峰期 in the expectation of substantial supply increases 實質性地增加供應 for some crops in the coming season.
The shape of the global food business is also affected by government subsidies, 政府補貼 notably in the United States and Europe.
Cuts in those subsidies are a key part of global negotiations 全球磋商 underway in the World Trade Organisation 世界貿易組織, and Mr Ban called for a rapid resolution of those talks.
But even if the talks do end soon, and there has been some sign of progress at WTO headquarters in recent weeks, the significance of subsidy cuts 削減補貼would be longer term.
Lower subsidies in the rich countries world might make it a little easier for less subsidised farmers to compete and develop the capacity to feed their own countries.
Many developing countries 發展中國家, including most in Africa, do not currently produce enough to meet their own needs.
GLOSSARY 詞匯表 (收聽發音, 請單擊英語單詞)
Answers
1. What measures have some countries taken to deal with rising food prices?
They have limited exports of food and attempted to control prices.
2. True or false? The UN Secretary General has praised these measures.
False. Ban Ki Moon criticised these practices, saying they push food prices up and distort markets.
3. What is happening with regard to government subsidies for food production?
Talks are taking place at the WTO to cut government subsidies especially in the US and Europe.
4. True or false? Most developing countries need to import food from other countries.
True. Many such countries do not produce enough food to feed their people.
