2025.10.20 青少年新闻速递
First up, we have seen a tremendous race against time in China’s fields. Farmers have been battling some very tricky weather. In places like Shandong province (an area in East China), persistent rain has threatened to spoil the autumn harvest. But they have not given up! Instead, they have brought out the big machines.
Imagine you are a farmer there. You feel the cool, damp air on your skin and see grey clouds that have been covering the sky for days. You hear the constant, loud hum of giant machines. These are professional mechanical drying facilities, and in just one county, 65 of them are working at full throttle. They are on a mission to dry the wet corn and save it from getting moldy. The county has set up 38 grain drying centers, and their power is incredible. They can now dry 9,500 tonnes of grain every single day. To help you picture that, a big adult elephant weighs about 5 tonnes. So, these centers are drying the weight of 1,900 elephants worth of grain daily! This capacity has increased nearly fivefold since 2020, which has been a huge help in securing the harvest. If your big school project was at risk because of bad weather, what creative ideas would you use to save it?
Now for our second story, let’s zoom over to Northeast China, where technology has become the farmer’s new best friend. In Heilongjiang province (a major grain-producing area), farming looks a bit like a cool video game now. We have seen large harvesters moving perfectly along rows of plump soybean plants on a cooperative farm. A cooperative is a farm that is jointly owned and run by its members. The director, Shan Qingdong, has reported that his team deployed over 70 large harvesters to get the job done quickly.
But the most exciting part is what they have been doing from the sky. They have used modern methods like drone aerial spraying. Picture this: you are holding a controller, not for a game, but for a real drone buzzing over a giant field. You press a button, and you see the drone spray a fine mist of water and fertilizer, giving every plant exactly what it needs. This method, along with dense planting techniques, is expected to significantly (noticeably/importantly) boost soybean production. These scientific farming methods are helping to protect the soil, too. Nationwide, China has created more than 66.7 million hectares of high-standard farmland. That is an enormous area, more than 100 times the size of a huge city like Shanghai! This technological advancement (progress/development) has made the soil healthier and more fertile. What other jobs do you think drones could do to make our lives easier or more fun?
Finally, let’s talk about something that might sound small but is super important: seeds! Growing a great crop starts with choosing a great seed. In the city of Shenyang, they have turned this into a fascinating event. Shenyang Agricultural University (a university focused on farming science) is cultivating six high-yield super rice varieties in a special field. Farmers can visit, look at the plants, and evaluate (judge/assess) which one is the best for them.
One veteran farmer, Zhu Shiyong, achieved a per-hectare rice yield of 11,250 kg last year. That’s from just one field! Let’s visualize that. A big bag of rice you see in the supermarket is about 10 kg. So, his field produced over 1,125 of those big bags. That’s enough to make over 140,000 bowls of rice! Shenyang even hosts an annual “seed selection contest.” Imagine a festival, but instead of rides, you see 54 new rice varieties growing side-by-side. Farmers can compare their yield and quality, and even do a taste test! This is China’s commitment (promise/dedication) to being self-reliant in its food supply.
This spirit of sharing knowledge doesn’t stop at the border. China has shared its farming experience with the world. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, it has established 24 agricultural technology demonstration centers in Africa. This has helped local farmers boost their crop yields by 30 to 60 percent, contributing to the goal of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) for better food and a better future with more sustainability (ability to continue/endurance). If you could invent a new type of fruit or vegetable, what would it be like? What special powers would it have?
中文版本 新闻探索时间！今天我们要猛烈发掘……砰！啪！哇！……我们食物里的高科技秘密、帮助庄稼茁壮成长的神奇工具，以及挑选最棒的种子如何像一场超级大赛！
首先，我们看到了一场在中国田野里争分夺秒的极速竞赛。农民们一直在和非常棘手的天气作斗争。在像山东省（中国东部的一个省份）这样的地方，持续的降雨差点就毁了秋天的收成。但是，他们可没有放弃！相反，他们搬出了大家伙。
想象一下，你就是那里的一位农民。你能感觉到皮肤上凉飕飕、湿漉漉的空气，看到灰色的乌云已经在天上盘旋了好几天。你能听到巨大的机器持续不断地、响亮地嗡嗡作响。这些是专业的机械烘(hōng)干设备，光是一个县，就有65台这样的设备在开足马力地工作。它们的任务就是烘干潮湿的玉米，防止它们发霉。这个县建立了38个粮食烘干中心，它们的力量简直不要太厉害！现在，它们每天可以烘干9500吨粮食。为了让你有个概念，一头成年的大象大约重5吨。所以，这些中心每天烘干的粮食，相当于1900头大象的重量！这个能力比2020年增加了近五倍，对于保住丰收成果真是帮了大忙。如果你的学校大作业因为坏天气而面临风险，你会用什么有创意的方法来拯救它呢？
接下来是我们的第二条新闻，让我们把镜头快速切换到中国东北，在那里，科技已经成了农民们最好的新朋友。在黑龙江省（一个主要的粮食产区），现在的农业看起来有点像一个超酷的电子游戏。我们看到，在一个合作社的农场里，大型收割机正沿着一排排饱(bǎo)满的大豆作物完美地行进。合作社是由成员共同拥有和经营的农场。负责人单庆东说，他的团队出动了70多台大型收割机来快速完成工作。
但最让人兴奋的部分，是他们在空中做的事情。他们使用了像无人机空中喷洒这样的现代方法。想象一下这个场景：你手里拿着一个控制器，不是在玩游戏，而是在操控一架真正的无人机在一望无际的田野上空嗡嗡飞行。你按下一个按钮，就能看到无人机喷洒出细密的水和肥料，精确地给每一株植物它所需要的东西。这种方法，再加上密植技术，预计将极大地提高大豆产量。这些科学的耕作方法也在帮助保护土壤。在全国范围内，中国已经建成了超过6670万公顷的高标准农田。那可真是一片广阔的土地，面积比上海这样的大城市还要大100多倍！这种技术进步让土壤变得更健康、更肥沃。你觉得无人机还能做哪些其他工作，让我们的生活变得更轻松或更有趣呢？
最后，我们来聊聊一个听起来很小但却超级重要的东西：种子！种出好庄稼，首先得选对好种子。在沈阳市，他们把这件事变成了一项有趣的活动。沈阳农业大学（一所专注于农业科学的大学）正在一块特殊的田地里培育六个高产的超级水稻品种。农民们可以去参观，观察这些植株，然后评估哪一种最适合他们。
一位经验丰富的老农朱士勇，去年他的田地实现了每公顷11250公斤的水稻产量。这还只是一块地的收成！我们来把它形象化一下。你在超市里看到的一大袋米通常是10公斤。所以，他的田地产出了超过1125袋这样的大米。这足够做出超过14万碗米饭！沈阳甚至每年都会举办一场“种子评选大赛”。想象一个盛会，但没有游乐设施，取而代之的是54个新的水稻品种并排生长。农民们可以比较它们的产量和品质，甚至还能品尝味道！这体现了中国在粮食供应上实现自给自足的决心。
这种分享知识的精神并没有国界。中国已经与世界分享了其农业发展经验。根据农业农村部的数据，中国已在非洲建立了24个农业技术示范中心。这帮助当地农民将作物产量提高了30%到60%，为联合国粮农组织（FAO）倡导的创造更美好食物和更可持续未来的目标做出了贡献。如果你能发明一种新的水果或蔬菜，它会是什么样的？它会有什么特殊能力呢？
听力问题（中英文）
- What major challenge did farmers in Shandong province face during the autumn harvest?
- What kind of modern technology, mentioned in the second story, is used from the sky to help crops?
- What is the purpose of the “seed selection contest” held in Shenyang?
- By how much have the agricultural technology centers established by China in Africa helped to boost local crop yields?
参考答案（中英文)
- They faced challenges brought about by persistent rainfall, which threatened to spoil the crops. （他们面临着持续降雨带来的挑战，这可能会毁掉庄稼。）
- Drone aerial spraying is used to spray water and fertilizer on the crops. （无人机空中喷洒技术被用来给庄稼喷洒水和肥料。）
- The purpose is to allow farmers to compare different new rice varieties in terms of yield, quality, and taste, and select the best ones to plant. （目的是让农民们能够在产量、品质和口感上比较不同的水稻新品种，并挑选出最好的来种植。）
- They have helped boost crop yields by an average of 30 to 60 percent. （它们帮助当地作物产量平均提高了30%到60%。）