The world economy has run into a brick wall. Despite countless warnings in recent years about the need to address a potential hunger crisis in poor countries and an energy crisis worldwide, world leaders failed to think ahead. The result is a global food crisis. Wheat, corn and rice prices have more than doubled in the past two years. And oil prices have increased more than three times since the start of 2004. These food price increases, combined with increasing energy costs, will slow if not stop economic growth in many parts of the world and will even affect political stability.
Practical solutions to these problems do exist, but we"ll have to start thinking ahead and acting globally. Here are three steps to ease the current food crisis and avoid the potential for a global crisis.
The first is to promote the dramatic success of Malawi, a country in southern Africa, which three years ago established a special fund to help its farmers get fertilizer and seeds with high productivity. Malawi"s harvest doubled after just one year. An international fund based on the Malawi model would cost a mere $10 per person annually in the rich world, or $10 billion altogether.
Second, the US and Europe should abandon their policies of paying partly for the change of food into biofuels. The US government gives farmers a taxpayer-financed payment of 51 cents per gallon of ethanol (乙醇) changed from corn. There may be a case for biofuels produced on lands that do not produce foods—tree crops, grasses and wood products—but there"s no case for the government to pay to put the world"s dinner into the gas tank.
Third, we urgently need to weather-proof the world"s crops as soon and as effectively as possible. For a poor farmer, sometimes something as simple as a farm pond—which collects rainwater to be used in dry weather—can make the difference between a good harvest and a bad one. The world has already committed to establishing a Climate Adaptation Fund to help poor regions climate-proof vital economic activities such as food production and health care but has not yet acted upon the promise.
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Paragraph 1 1.
A．Weather-proof the crops
B．The economy crisis
C．US and Europe
D．Stop the exchange of food and biofuels
E．The promotion of Malawi model
F．Solutions to the problems
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Paragraph 3 1.
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Paragraph 4 1.
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Paragraph 5 1.
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Oil prices have risen since 1.
A．the beginning of the 21
st
century
B．help its farmers get fertilizer and seeds with high productivity
C．televisions and mobile phones
D．ethanol
E．the beginning of 2004
F．establish a Climate Adaptation Fund
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Three years ago, Malawi established a special fund to 1.
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The US encouraged their farmers to exchange corn for 1.
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In order to help the poor regions, the world has promised to 1.