In 2026 a Chinese plant scientist received a world food prize for work on rice that can grow in difficult conditions. The prize is given each year to people who have done the most to improve the quality, amount and availability of food in the world.
Most rice is grown in flooded fields. But in many coastal areas the sea has slowly pushed salt into the soil, and in dry regions the fields lose water faster than the rain can replace it. On this kind of land, ordinary rice either dies or gives a very poor crop. Farmers often leave such fields empty.
The scientist spent more than thirty years on the problem. He and his team grew thousands of types of rice in salty water and kept only the few plants that still produced grain. These survivors were then crossed with high-yielding varieties, and the best offspring were selected again. The method is slow, but it does not need a laboratory to start.
The results have been wide. New varieties now grow on millions of hectares that were once called useless, and yields on salty soil have risen by a third or more. One type can also survive weeks without rain, which matters in places where the rainy season starts later every year.
Teaching farmers how to use the seed has been just as important as breeding it. The team trained local people to save their own seed and to manage water more carefully, so that the gain does not disappear after a single harvest. For farmers who had almost no other choice, that change is the whole difference.
Words to know:
- breed (v. 培育，繁殖)
- coastal (adj. 沿海的，海岸的)
- soil (n. 土壤)
- yield (n. 产量；v. 产出)
- cross (v. 杂交；n. 杂交品种)
- offspring (n. 后代，子代)
- hectare (n. 公顷)
- harvest (n. 收获，收成)
长难句拆解 · 定语从句 + 并列谓语 + 副词最高级
原文：The prize is given each year to people who have done the most to improve the quality, amount and availability of food in the world.
拆解：主干是 The prize is given each year to people（该奖项每年颁给一些人）。主句是被动语态 is given，each year 插在助动词与过去分词之间作时间状语。who 引导定语从句修饰 people，从句中用现在完成时 have done the most，配合不定式 to improve 作目的状语。注意 do the most to do sth 是固定搭配，意为「为做某事做得最多」；availability 由 available 加 -ity 构成，指可获得性。
直译：该奖项每年颁给那些为改善全球粮食的质量、数量与可获得性做得最多的人。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
雅思阅读最爱把原文的词换成另一个说法来出题，认出这些替换，定位就能快一半。
- has slowly pushed salt into the soil → salt has gradually entered the earth（push into ＝ 逼入）
- lose water faster than the rain can replace it → dry out more quickly than rain can refill（replace ＝ refill）
- gives a very poor crop → produces a very small harvest（crop ＝ harvest）
- kept only the few plants that still produced grain → saved just the surviving ones（produced grain ＝ 结实）
- crossed with high-yielding varieties → mixed with types that give a lot of grain（cross ＝ 杂交）
- grow on millions of hectares → be planted over a vast area of land（hectare ＝ 公顷）
- matters in places where → is important in areas where（matter ＝ be important）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- T / F / NG：这位科学家研发的耐盐碱水稻品种已经在数百万公顷土地上种植。（判断正误并说明依据）
- 简答：团队除了培育种子，还培训农民做什么？
- 选词填空：Yields on salty soil have risen by a third or more.（用原文词组替换画线部分）供选：gone up / gone off / gone over
参考答案与解析
- TRUE。原文说 New varieties now grow on millions of hectares that were once called useless，与题目中的「已经在数百万公顷土地上种植」一致。注意题目把 grow on 换成「种植」，属于正常的同义转换。
- 培训他们自己留种（save their own seed）并更细致地管水（manage water more carefully）。原文说 The team trained local people to save their own seed and to manage water more carefully。不要只答一半，题目问的是「做什么」，两个动作都要写出。
- gone up。rise 在表示数量增加时，可替换为 go up，此处用完成时 have gone up。go off 意为「（炸弹）爆炸、闹钟响、（食物）变质」，go over 意为「复习、检查」，都不能表达「上涨」。
中文译文
2026 年，一位中国植物科学家因在耐逆水稻方面的研究而获得一项世界粮食奖。该奖项每年颁给为改善全球粮食的质量、产量与可获得性作出最大贡献的人。
多数水稻种在淹水的田里。但在许多沿海地区，海水慢慢把盐分逼入土壤；在干旱地区，田地失水快于降雨补充。在这样的土地上，普通水稻要么死掉，要么产量极低。农民往往干脆让这些田荒着。
这位科学家在这个问题上花了三十多年。他和团队把上千个水稻品种种在盐水中，只保留仍能结实的少数植株。这些幸存者再与高产品种杂交，接着又一代代挑选最优后代。方法很慢，但起步时并不需要实验室。
成果覆盖面很广。新品种如今种在数百万公顷曾被称为无用的土地上，盐碱地的产量提高了三分之一以上。其中一个品种还能在数周无雨的情况下存活，这在下雨季节一年比一年来得晚的地方尤为重要。
教会农民用种，和培育种子同等重要。团队培训当地人自己留种、更细致地管水，使增产不会在一季之后就消失。对于那些几乎别无选择的农民来说，这一点差别就是全部。