VOA慢速英语《农业报道》第141-173课（MP3+LRC字幕+文本，96份）

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。 A United Nations report says world food prices stayed the same in August. Prices were unchanged after rising sharply in July.联合国一份报告称，8月份世界粮食价格保持不变。7月份大幅上涨后，8月份粮价基本持平。 A summer of drought in the United States and Russia has reduced expectations for corn and wheat supplies. As a result, a measure of food prices by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization rose six percent in July. But FAO economist Concepcion Calpe says the expected reductions did not get any worse in August.美国和俄罗斯夏季的干旱使玉米和小麦的供应预期减小。因此，联合国粮农组织的食品价格指数7月份上涨了6%。但粮农组织经济学家康塞普西翁·卡尔佩(Concepcion Calpe)表示，预期的减少在8月份并没有继续恶化。 CONCEPCION CALPE: "We're not in a bad situation, or as bad situation as we were last month because the prospects are not worsening further. And this is already good news."卡尔佩：“现在的情况还好，或者说不像上个月那么差。因为形势没有进一步恶化，而这就是好消息。” Ms. Calpe says the FAO price index remains about ten percent below its highest level, reached in February twenty-eleven. But prices are still twice as high as they were ten years ago.卡尔佩表示，粮农组织价格指数维持在比2011年最高水平低10%左右。但价格仍比十年前高一倍。 Demand remains high for food commodities like maize and wheat. The U.N. estimates that more cereal crops will be consumed this year than will be produced. That means markets will have to use some of the supplies that have been kept in reserve. Concepcion Calpe says those reserves have been low for several years.玉米和小麦等食品类商品的需求仍然很大。据联合国估计，今年消耗的谷类作物会超出生产的谷类作物。这意味着市场将不得不动用一些储备物资。卡尔佩说，储备多年来一直都很低。 CONCEPCION CALPE: "And therefore we are very much susceptible to very quick changes because there is very little buffer on which to rely to protect ourselves should there be another bad news on the production front."卡尔佩：“因此我们会对（粮食价格的）快速变化变得非常敏感，因为我们借以保护自己的缓冲很少。这在粮食生产方面是另一个坏消息。” She says there will be ups and downs in prices until production meets the level of demand. Still, many experts do not expect a repeat of the crisis of two thousand seven and two thousand eight. Prices jumped, playi