Every September, China celebrates a holiday that has nothing to do with shopping or gifts. It is the Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival, which falls on the Autumn Equinox. This year is the ninth one, with the theme of opening a new chapter through harvest and hard work. The main celebration is in a village in Hubei Province, but similar events take place all over the country.
The festival is a good time to look at how much food China grows. In 2025, China’s grain output reached 1.43 trillion jin, staying above 1.4 trillion jin for two years in a row. This year, summer grain passed 300 billion jin for the first time, and early rice has held steady for six years. For a country with 1.4 billion people, keeping the rice bowl full is never a small matter.
The other half of the story is money in farmers’ pockets. In the first half of 2026, the average income of rural residents reached 12,699 yuan, up 5.5 percent in real terms. That is 2.1 percentage points faster than the growth of city residents, which means the income gap between town and country is slowly closing. A good harvest is not only about grain; it is also about the lives of those who grow it.
Technology is changing the way the land is worked. In Shandong Province, a young farmer named Yu Shulei used to need six people and five or six days to water 400 mu of land. Now, with drip irrigation, two people finish the job in two days using less water and fertilizer. The province has built over 77 million mu of high-standard farmland, where output per mu has grown by 10 to 20 percent. Beidou-guided machines and smart greenhouses are common in the fields.
Of course, farmers still face floods, droughts and low prices, and the work never ends. But the festival reminds us of a simple truth: the food on our table begins with someone bending over a field. When the fields turn gold, the whole country gives thanks.
Words to know:
- harvest (收获，丰收)
- equinox (昼夜平分点，二分点)
- grain (谷物，粮食)
- stable (稳定的)
- rural (农村的，乡村的)
- irrigation (灌溉)
- fertilizer (肥料)
- drought (干旱)
长难句拆解 · 比较级差值表达 + which 指代整句
例句：That is 2.1 percentage points faster than the growth of city residents, which means the income gap between town and country is slowly closing.
主干只有三个词：That（主语）+ is（系动词）+ faster（表语）。难点在 faster 前面那一长串 2.1 percentage points —— 英语里要表达「快多少」，必须把差值的数量放在比较级前面，单位紧跟其后，中文则习惯说成「快了 2.1 个百分点」，顺序正好相反。than the growth of city residents 是标准的比较对象，注意比的是「增速」，不是「收入」本身，读题时容易看错。
逗号后面的 which 引导非限制性定语从句，它指代的不是紧挨着的 city residents，而是前面整件事——「农村收入增速快于城镇」。判断依据有两条：一是 which 前有逗号，说明只是补充说明；二是从句谓语 means 的主语如果只是 residents，语义会变得莫名其妙，只有把整句当成主语才讲得通。这种「which 指代整句」的写法在英文报刊里极为常见。
直译：这比城镇居民收入的增速快了 2.1 个百分点，也就是说，城乡之间的收入差距正在慢慢缩小。
再看一句：In Shandong Province, a young farmer named Yu Shulei used to need six people and five or six days to water 400 mu of land.
句首的 In Shandong Province 是地点状语，交代事情发生在哪里。主干是 a young farmer used to need six people and five or six days，其中 used to do 表示「过去常常做某事」，暗含「现在已经不是这样了」，这层今昔对比是整段的关键，下文紧接着就用 Now 做了对照。named Yu Shulei 是过去分词短语作后置定语，等于 who was named Yu Shulei，因为是被动含义所以用过去分词。句尾的 to water 400 mu of land 是不定式作目的状语，说明要这些人力和时间去做什么。
直译：在山东省，一位名叫于书雷的年轻农民，过去给 400 亩地浇水需要六个人干五六天。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
下面 7 组替换都出自本文，右侧是对应的替换说法，点开核对。
- falls on the Autumn Equinox → takes place on the Autumn Equinox / is held at the autumn equinox（表示某个节日的日期）
- staying above 1.4 trillion jin → remaining over 1.4 trillion jin（stay 与 remain 同义）
- has held steady for six years → has remained stable for six years（hold steady 与 remain stable 同义）
- the income gap is slowly closing → the income difference is gradually narrowing（close 与 narrow 都可表「缩小差距」）
- Technology is changing the way the land is worked → Technology is transforming how the land is farmed（change the way 与 transform how 同义）
- used to need six people → in the past required six workers（need 与 require 同义，used to 提示今昔对比）
- are common in the fields → are a familiar sight in the fields / are increasingly seen in the fields（common 与 familiar 同义）
阅读自测 · 3 题
三道题分别对应日期、数字与结论，先不看答案。
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- 判断正误（T / F / NG）：The Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival falls on the day of the Autumn Equinox.
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- 简答：With drip irrigation, how long does it take two people to water 400 mu of land?
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- 判断正误（T / F / NG）：The passage says the Harvest Festival is the most popular holiday in China.
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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- T（正确）。第一段写 It is the Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival, which falls on the day of the Autumn Equinox，与题干完全一致。原文的 which falls on 只是把节日和日期连起来，题干改写为 falls on，属于典型的同义改写。
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- Two days. 依据在第四段。原文写 two people finish the job in two days，问的是「两个人要多久」，答案就是两天。答 six people 或 five or six days 是把旧方法当成了新方法，属于「偷换时间」；原文特意用 used to 和 Now 划出了今昔分界。
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- NG（未提及）。全文只说这是第九届丰收节、主题是什么，从未把它和其他节日比较，更没有「最受欢迎」这种排名。这类题干把中性描述升级成「最……」的结论，属于典型的「偷换结论」——原文没说的话，看起来再合理也只能选 NG。
中文译文
每年九月，中国都会庆祝一个和购物、送礼毫无关系的节日。它就是中国农民丰收节，定在秋分这一天。今年是第九届，主题是「丰收开新局，实干促振兴」。主场活动设在湖北省的一个村庄，但全国各地都会举办类似的活动。
这个节日很适合用来看看中国一年产了多少粮食。2025 年，中国粮食产量达到 1.43 万亿斤，并已连续两年稳定在 1.4 万亿斤以上。今年夏粮首次突破 3000 亿斤，早稻则已连续六年保持稳定。对于一个有 14 亿人口的国家来说，端稳饭碗从来都不是小事。
故事的另一半，是农民口袋里的钱。2026 年上半年，农村居民人均可支配收入达到 12699 元，实际增长 5.5%。这比城镇居民收入的增速快了 2.1 个百分点，意味着城乡之间的收入差距正在慢慢缩小。丰收不仅关乎粮食，也关乎种粮人的日子。
科技正在改变土地的耕作方式。在山东省，一位名叫于书雷的年轻农民过去给 400 亩地浇水，需要六个人干五六天。如今用上滴灌，两个人两天就能完成，而且用的水和肥料更少。该省已建成超过 7791 万亩高标准农田，这些田地的亩均产量提高了百分之十到二十。北斗导航的农机和智慧大棚，在田野里已是常见的景象。
当然，农民仍然要面对洪涝、干旱和低廉的粮价，这份工作永远没有尽头。但这个节日提醒我们一个简单的道理：我们餐桌上的食物，都始于某个弯腰在田里的人。当田野变成金色，整个国家都会道一声感谢。