In the south of Xinjiang, near the Taklimakan Desert, something surprising is growing. On a small farm in Yutian County, more than 24,000 sugarcane plants stand tall and green. They came from Guangxi, a warm province more than 4,000 kilometres away. Many people were shocked. Sugarcane needs heat and water, so how could it live in one of the driest places in China?
The village did not simply repeat the old way of farming. It planted some sugarcane in greenhouses and some in the open air, then compared how the plants grew, how much sugar they stored, and how many tonnes they produced. Experts helped choose the best kinds of sugarcane and taught farmers how to control water and fertilizer. The plants are now about two metres tall, and they will be ready to harvest in the middle of October.
The desert has one big advantage: a large difference between day and night temperatures. During the day the sun is strong, so the plants grow fast. At night the temperature drops quickly, and this helps them keep more sugar. That is why fruit from Xinjiang often tastes sweeter than fruit from other places. In one test, the sugarcane reached a sugar level of 15.4 degrees, as good as the main growing areas in the south.
Sugarcane is only one example. In recent years Xinjiang has grown many southern fruits, such as bananas, mangoes, papayas and passion fruit. Farmers there even raise seafood, including prawns and crabs, in salty water that is treated to copy the sea. Across the region, desert crops now cover more than ten million mu and provide work for over 300,000 people.
An old saying warns that orange trees change when they move north. Xinjiang is proving that this does not have to be true. With better technology and careful planning, dry land can become productive land. As a local farmer put it, there is no poor soil, only life that has not yet been woken up.
Words to know:
- sugarcane (甘蔗)
- greenhouse (温室，大棚)
- fertilizer (肥料)
- harvest (收获，收割)
- advantage (优势，有利条件)
- temperature (温度)
- prawn (对虾)
- productive (多产的，高产的)
长难句拆解 · 并列宾语从句
例句：It planted some sugarcane in greenhouses and some in the open air, then compared how the plants grew, how much sugar they stored, and how many tonnes they produced.
主干是 The village planted some sugarcane … and compared …（两个并列谓语 planted 和 compared）。in greenhouses 与 in the open air 是并列的地点状语，后面的 some 是 some sugarcane 的省略写法，避免重复。
compared 后面跟了三个并列的宾语从句，都由 how 引导：how the plants grew（植株长得怎么样）、how much sugar they stored（储存了多少糖分）、how many tonnes they produced（产出了多少吨）。三个从句用逗号和 and 连接，最后一个 and 不能省。这类「一个动词带三个 how 从句」的句子在说明文里很常见，读的时候先把动词找出来，再数它管了几件事。
直译：村子把一部分甘蔗种在大棚里，一部分种在露天，然后比较这些植株长得怎么样、储存了多少糖分，以及产出了多少吨。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
下面 6 组替换都出自本文，右侧是对应的替换说法，点开核对。
- surprising → shocking / amazing（表示「令人意外的」）
- dry → arid / rainless（形容气候干旱）
- grow fast → develop quickly / shoot up（描述植物长势快）
- help → support / assist（表示「提供帮助」）
- provide work → create jobs / offer employment（谈就业机会）
- become → turn into / be transformed into（表示「转变」）
阅读自测 · 3 题
三道题分别对应方向、因果与范围，先不看答案。
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- 判断正误（T / F / NG）：The sugarcane plants were sent from Yutian County to Guangxi for testing.
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- 简答：Why can the sugarcane keep more sugar at night?
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- 简答：Is sugarcane the only new crop that Xinjiang grows now?
参考答案与解析
每题给出答案与判断依据，注意最后提到的干扰项套路。
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- F（错误）。第一段写 They came from Guangxi，即广西的甘蔗被引进到新疆于田县，题目把方向倒了过来。这类「主客颠倒」是判断题最常见的套路，看到地名先确认谁去了谁那里。
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- Because the temperature drops quickly at night, which helps the plants keep more sugar. 依据在第三段 At night the temperature drops quickly, and this helps them keep more sugar。注意干扰项「because the sun is strong」只解释了白天长得快，并不是糖分多的原因，属于「偷换结论」。
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- No. 第四段明确说 Sugarcane is only one example，新疆还种香蕉、芒果、木瓜、百香果，甚至用处理过的咸水养虾和蟹。若答 Yes，就是把局部当成整体，属于「以偏概全」。
中文译文
在新疆南部、塔克拉玛干沙漠附近，正生长着一种让人意外的东西。在和田地区于田县的一块地里，两万四千多株甘蔗挺拔翠绿。它们来自四千多公里外温暖的广西。很多人听到这个消息都很吃惊。甘蔗需要热量和水，它怎么可能在中国最干旱的地方之一活下来？
这个村子并没有简单重复老一套的种法。他们把一部分甘蔗种在大棚里，一部分种在露天，然后比较植株的长势、糖分的积累和产量的高低。专家帮忙挑选最好的甘蔗品种，并教农民如何控制水肥。现在这些甘蔗已长到约两米高，十月中旬就可以采收。
沙漠有一个很大的优势：昼夜温差大。白天阳光强烈，甘蔗长得快；夜里气温迅速下降，这有助于它们留住更多糖分。这就是新疆的水果往往比其他地方更甜的原因。在一次测试中，这批甘蔗的糖度达到 15.4 度，与南方主产区不相上下。
甘蔗只是其中一个例子。近年来新疆种出了许多南方水果，比如香蕉、芒果、木瓜和百香果。当地农民甚至在经过处理、模拟海水的咸水里养起了海鲜，包括对虾和螃蟹。目前全区的沙生作物已超过一千万亩，为三十多万人提供了工作。
有句老话说，橘子树移到北方就会变味。新疆正在证明，这并不一定成立。有了更好的技术和周密的规划，干旱的土地也能变成高产的土地。正如当地一位农民所说：没有贫瘠的土地，只有尚未被唤醒的生机。