Unit 2Working the land
Reading
良药苦口
Precision farming hits its target 精准农业正中靶心
When we think of farming, the first image that springs to mind might be of a farmer working in a field under the baking sun. Face covered in sweat, he might be walking through the field, carefully checking his crops before deciding what needs to be done. In modern times, however, this deep-rooted image of a traditional farmer is being changed. The collaboration between farming and technology has given ri to precision farming, an approach that equips farmers with the tools and data they need to make reliable decisions with remarkable accuracy. This evolution is having a positive impact on farming, while also providing better solutions to the world's pressing food problems.
当我们想到农业时，脑海中浮现的第一个画面可能就是烈日下一个农民在田地里干活。他满脸大汗，可能正在田间走动，仔细检查他的作物，然后决定需要做什么。然而，在现代，这种根深蒂固的传统农民形象正在被改变。农业和科技之间的合作催生了精准农业，这种方法为农民提供所需的工具和数据，使他们能够非常准确地作出可靠的决定。它旨在通过减少农场的投入和增加其产出，提升粮食生产，保护环境。这种发展正在对农业产生积极影响，同时也为解决世界紧迫的粮食问题提供更好的方案。
It is the advent of modern technology that has turned farming into a highly preci industry. This latest wave of innovation offers farmers information that is more detailed, measurements that are more accurate and solutions that are more effective. Therefore, precision farming is a data-driven approach to the improvement of food production with the primary goals of reducing a farm's input, increasing its output and better conrving the environment. The goals can be achieved with a combination of information-gathering tools like nsors, satellites and drones, and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence(Al). With massive amounts of data on the state of their farmland gathered, analyd and procesd in real time, farmers are able to give the best possible care to the crops that most need it at the most appropriate time and put their resources to the best u. As an added bonus, the decline in the amount of unnecessary chemicals minimizes potential threats to the environment.
现代技术的出现使农业变成了高度精准的行业。这一最新的创新浪潮为农民提供更详细的信息、更精确的测量以及更有效的解决方案。这些可以通过传感器、卫星和无人机等信息收集工具和人工智能(AI)等先进技术的结合来实现。通过实时收集、处理和分析有关农田状况的海量数据，农民能在最适当的时间给最需要的作物尽可能最好的照顾，充分利用好他们的资源。还有一个额外的好处，减少不必要的化学制品的用量使对环境的潜在威胁降到最低限度。
Precision farming boasts a diver range of application capabilities at different stages of food production-monitoring, diagnosing, identifying and targeting. Soil sampling, an example of precision farming in its most fundamental form, provides an accurate means
矿泉水瓶材料for farmers to tend their crops. Field nsors check the soil's moisture, nutrient levels and pH levels, enabling farmers to monitor their crops at any time, from anywhere. As the data library builds up, "a big picture" of the soil is revealed so that farmers are able to accurately asss the condition of the soil in real time, identify potential
problems and work out solutions accordingly. For instance, if the soil is found to be poor in nutrients, not only do farmers know that fertilizer is needed, they can also calculate the exact amount. Conquently, soil sampling makes it possible for farmers to create the ideal conditions for their crops to grow and manage their resources effectively at the same time.
精准农业在粮食生产的不同阶段有各种各样的应用能力-----监测、诊断、识别和定位。土壤采样，精准农业最基本的形式之一，为农民提供照料作物的准确手段。田间传感器检查土壤的湿度、养分水平和酸碱度，使农民能够随时随地监测农作物。随着数据库不断扩充，土壤的全貌被显示出来，这样农民就能够准确地实时评估土壤条件，发现潜在的问题并相应地制订解决方案。例如，如果发现土壤养
分不足，农民不仅知道需要施肥，还可以计算出确切数量。因此，土壤采样使农民可以为他们的作物生长创造最合适的条件，同时更有效地管理他们的资源。
While such applications are of enormous benefit, precision farming can reach a much higher level with the application of artificial intelligence. When ud in farming machines, AI does contribute to incread crop yields as well as simplified crop tracking, harvesting and processing. AI-controlled machines can now plant and harvest more crops at faster speeds than humans ever could, while computer vision can distinguish weeds from crops. Moreover, algorithms bad on data gathered by nsors, drones and satellites can work out site-specific management of the crops. With such efficiency and accuracy, this technology is ideal for farming crops that require delicate handling. For example, cotton farmers u drones with AI technology to carry out specialized tasks: they precily remove the cotton plants' leaves by spraying chemicals only on the parts that need them. The drones autonomously navigate the fields, taking images of the crops, which are then analyd by software. Once the exact amount needed is determined, the drones spray the chemicals, while farmers can follow the whole process on a mobile device.
这些用途有巨大的好处，随着人工智能的应用，精准农业可以达到一个更高的水平。当人工智能应用于农业机器时，它的确有助于提高作物产量，并简化作物跟踪、收割和加工。人工智能控制的机器现
在能以更快的速度比人类种植和收割更多的作物，而计算机视觉可以区分杂草和作物。此外，基于传感器、无人机和卫星收集的数据的算法可以解决特定地点的农作物管理问题。这项技术非常高效和准确，适合需要精细处理的农作物。例如，棉农使用配备人工智能技术的无人机执行专门的任务：它们只在需要的部位喷洒化学制品，精确地去除棉花植物的叶子。无人机在田间自主导航，拍摄作物图像，然后由软件进行分析。一旦确定所需的确切剂量，无人机就会喷洒化学制品，而农民可以在移动设备上跟踪整个过程。
Thanks to precision farming's clo relationship with technology, the farming industry's capabilities can develop even further. Through the integration of 5G technology and the Internet of Things(loT), as well as advances in deep-learning technologies, not only will larger amounts of data be available, but they will be procesd more efficiently. Conquently, precision farming will become more effective and have an even greater impact on how we grow our food. Without doubt, the push for future developments in precision farming will benefit all of us-it will contribute to a greener, healthier and better-fed planet.
由于精准农业与技术的密切联系，农业的能力将得到更进步的发展。通过
5G技术和物联网(IoT) 的结合以及深度学习技术的发展，不仅可以获取更海量的数据，而且可以更加
高效地处理数据。因此，精准农业将变得更有效，并对我们如何种植粮食产生更大的影响。毫无疑问，推进精准农业的未来发展将使我们所有人受益------它将有助于建设一个更绿色、更健康、养活更多人的星球。Extended reading
Tea: China’s gift to the world
茶：中国馈赠给世界的礼物
Tea is currently the world's most popular drink, only after water. However, there was a time when tea was known only to the Chine. So, how did tea originate in China? And how did it get to conquer the world to the extent that people often describe something they really like as their "cup of tea"?
茶是当今世界最受欢迎的饮料，仅次于水。然而，曾经只有中国人知道茶。那么茶是如何起源于中国的呢?它又是如何征服世界，以至于人们经常把钟爱之
孔融让梨的故事
物称为他们的“那杯茶”?
While we know that tea drinking started in China, its true origin remains something of a mystery. Legend has it that about 5,000 years ago, Shennong came across tea when dried leaves blew into a pot of boiling water. Following his discovery, tea was ud as medicine, included in meals and later o
ffered as a refreshing drink to officials and noblemen. Eventually, it became a common drink enjoyed and embraced by all Chine people.
滨
尽管我们知道饮茶始于中国，但其真正起源依然是个谜。相传约5000年前，有干叶被吹人一锅沸水中，神农氏便发现了茶。茶被发现后，用来入药，佐餐，后来又作为官员贵族的提神饮品。最终，它成了所有中国人都喜爱和接纳的日常饮品。
Over the years, as tea drinking became an important part of China's rich culture, the love of tea inspired many people to write about it. The great Tang poet Du Fu described his tea-drinking experience in poetic language, "On the high place the tting sun does shine. In the spring breeze, I sip my tea, sweet and fine." Lu Yu, a tea master, wrote The Classic of Tea, which remains the earliest and most famous detailed study on tea in the world, covering everything anyone could possibly want to know about Chine tea.
古往今来，随着饮茶成为灿烂中华文化的重要组成部分，对茶的热爱也启发了许多人以茶为题的写作。唐代大诗人杜甫以诗意的语言描述其饮茶经历:“落日平台上，春风啜茗时。”茶学大家陆羽所著《茶经》是世界上现存最早、最著名、最详尽的茶学专著，涵盖了任何人可能想知道的有关中国茶的各种信息。
It is then not surprising that the beauty of tea was eventually revealed to a wider world.
When the Tang and Song Dynasties needed strong Tibetan hors, the Tea Hor Road was born. Porters carrying back-breaking loads of tea bricks made their way through dangerous snow-covered mountain pass in the most terrible weather conditions, to trade Sichuan and Yunnan tea for hors. Over time, the gift of tea was further delivered to Western Asia and Eastern Africa. Meanwhile, different a routes also helped spread tea to other parts of the world. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Japane monks came to study in China and took with them tea eds and tea-making customs when returning to Japan. Around the 1600s, tea was shipped to Europe from China by春节对联书法
Portugue and Dutch a traders.
茶之美终将名扬四海，自然是不足为奇的。唐宋两朝需要强壮的藏马，而茶深受西藏人民的欢迎，于是茶马古道应运而生。背夫们背着沉重的茶砖，在最恶劣的天气条件下穿过大雪覆盖的险峻山道，用川滇两地的茶叶换回马匹。渐渐地，茶的馈赠进一步传至西亚。同时，诸多海路也有助于将茶传播到世界其他地方。早在唐代，有日本僧人来中国求学，回国时就带回茶籽和制茶工艺。大约在17世纪，茶叶又被葡萄牙和荷兰海商从中国运到了欧洲。
The well-known writer Lin Yutang summed up the power of tea when he said, "There is something in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life."
Tea drinking is not just about refreshing the mind and body but also about appreciating the harmony between man and nature.
茶有何力量，著名作家林语堂一语道出:“茶之为物，其特性引领我们进入一个默想人生的世界。”饮茶不仅关乎提神醒脑，而且关乎体悟人与自然的和谐。
From hillside to teacup从山坡到茶杯
Growing tea
Tea plants grow best in warm, humid regions with well-drained soil. Conquently, they grow well on steep hillsides where heavy rain can easily drain away.
China boasts many tea-growing areas, which can be divided into four distinct regions. Among them the south-west tea-growing region is the oldest while the region south of the Yangtze River produces the most tea in China.
种茶
茶树在温暖湿润、土壤排水好的地区长势最好。因此，在陡峭山坡，大雨能顺利排走，很适合茶树生长。
中国茶叶种植区众多，可划分为四个不同区域。其中西南茶区历史最悠久，而江南茶区中国产量最大。
用烤箱烤鸡翅[ Subheading 1]_________ 采茶
Tea bushes are grown in rows and cut to a height of about one metre, to allow tea pickers to easily harvest tea leaves. It takes up to five years for a tea bush to come to maturity, at which time the bud and top leaves are picked every few days. The tea-picking ason may start as early as February and extend until late November.
茶树成排生长，修剪至一米左右的高度，以方便采茶者采摘茶叶。棵茶树成熟最多要花五年的时间，届时每隔几天采一次芽和顶叶。采茶季可早至2月份开始，一直持续到11月下旬。
[ Subheading 2]________ 制茶拉绳
The process of turning tea leaves into the tea we love to drink is both complicated and highly technical. There are commonly between two and ven procedures involved in the processing of the
白云一片去悠悠fresh tea leaves. Any addition or exclusion of the stages results in a different type of tea: green, yellow, white, black and oolong tea. Actually, all the different types of tea can be made from a single tea plant.
将茶叶变成我们喜欢喝的茶，其过程复杂，技艺高超。新鲜茶叶的加工过程通常涉及二至七道工序。这些工序的增减会导致不同种类的茶：绿茶、黄茶、白茶、红茶或乌龙茶。实际上，所有这些不同种类的茶可以由一种茶树制成。[ Subheading 3]_________ 饮茶
Tea can be enjoyed in many different ways. For example, the English drink their tea with milk, the Japane enjoy powdered green tea, and in Morocco, mint tea is preferred. Tea drinking has also become part of many countries' culture. The English have their "afternoon tea", and in China, rightfully regarded as the "birthplace" of tea, tea drinking can be both a common daily practice and a near ceremonial experience.
饮茶的方式多种多样。比如，英国人喝茶加牛奶，日本人喜欢粉状的绿茶，摩洛哥人偏爱薄荷茶。饮茶也成了许多国家文化的一部分。英国人喝“下午茶”；中国当之无愧地被视为茶的诞生地，在这里，饮茶既可以是一种普遍的日常习惯，也可以是一-种近乎仪式的体验。
