Unit 5 Section I Starting out & Understanding ideas(讲义)-【红对勾讲与练】2022-2023学年新教材高中英语选择性必修第一册(外研版)

　 　 Corn is among the most widely consumed grains on the planet. On a global scale, the average human will consume 70 pounds of corn each and every year! That􀆳s a whole lot of corn that needs to be grown each year, and that􀆳s not even accounting for corn being grown for animal consumption and biofuel. Just like many other popular foods, farmers are finding it difficult to keep up with all that demand. Of course, complicating matters is the fact that corn is a tropical plant, meaning it is very sensitive to cold weather and thus farmers are unable to produce it during the colder months of the year. Now, researchers from Cornell University􀆳s Boyce Thompson Institute have developed their own solution: a new variation of corn that recovers much more quickly after being exposed to cold temperatures. If this new variation of corn proves to be viable, it could revolutionize and increase global production, allowing more areas to grow corn, and farmers to produce greater quantities. “ In the field, chilling stress happens most often in the spring when cold temperatures combine with strong sunlight, causing plants to bleach,” comments lead researcher David Stern, president of the Boyce Thompson Institute, in a release. “ So a more chilling-tolerant corn could help farmers plant earlier in the year with confidence that their crop would survive a cold spell and bounce back quickly once the weather warmed up again. ” 玉米是地球上消耗最多的谷物之一。 为满 足需求,研究人员研发了一种可以在低温环境 下生长的玉米。 【知识点击】 1. consume v. 消耗,耗费 2. scale n. 规模;比