美干旱导致生物燃料又起争议(2/2)

英语自学网

概述：美国干旱致使的粮食减产引发了一系列问题。
Hints:
ethanol
FAO
Financial Times
Jose Graziano da Silva
Alan Bennett  
友情提示：文中有一对双引号
校对：不睡漫漫
翻译：mouse1231 & kiwiangle
注解：mouse1231 & kiwiangle
组长：zpdslshhz
答疑：kiwiangleThe situation has renewed the fight between food and fuel. About 40% of the nation's corn crop goes into making ethanol. The production process leaves some of that in a form that can be fed to animals. Still, at least 1/4 of the American corn crop is now made into fuel.
The United States requires that part of its corn crop be used in the production of biofuels. The use of ethanol has grown as government requirements have increased. But the head of the FAO, writing in the Financial Times, calls for "an immediate, temporary suspension" of that requirement. Jose Graziano da Silva said more of the American corn production could then be used as food or to feed animals.
The American livestock industry is also urging Congress to suspend the law that requires ethanol in gasoline. But corn farmer Alan Bennett says doing that would hurt his town.
A 2005 law requires automobile fuel to contain ethanol. The growth of the ethanol industry and competition for corn have been helping parts of rural America that had been shrinking for years.新形势下，食品和燃料之间的争斗呈现出了新的格局。美国约有40%的玉米被用来制造乙醇。此种生产流程为饲养的动物留下了些许饲料。然而，美国至今仍有至少25%的玉米被用来生产燃料。
根据美国政府的要求，部分玉米应被用于生产生物燃料。人们对乙醇的使用量也随着政府要求的增加而水涨船高。但是联合国粮食与农业组织负责人何塞·格拉齐亚诺·达·席尔瓦（Jose Graziano da Silva）在金融时报中撰文并呼吁“立即暂时中止”这项政府强制要求。席尔瓦说这样能使美国有更多的玉米用于制作食品或饲养动物。
美国畜牧业也极力向国会施压，要求暂缓执行在汽油中添加乙醇的法律。但种植玉米的农民艾伦·班尼特（Alan Bennett）表示，这样做会使他所在的小镇蒙受损失。
2005年颁布的一项法律要求在汽车燃料中添加乙醇。随着乙醇行业的日渐繁荣及其对玉米需求的竞争加剧，此前连年衰靡的部分农业地区也迎来了春天。