Drought hurts tea crop in China

听 力 扫 障

1. successive /sək΄sesɪv/ adj. 接连的；连续的

2. steep /stiːp/ v. （尤指为软化、清洁或入味）浸；浸泡

3. precipitation /prɪˌsɪpɪ΄teɪʃn/ n. （尤指雨或雪的）降落；降水

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Ⅰ. 听写练习

一边听录音一边阅读以下文字材料，这些文字材料不是录音的全部内容，而是以概要形式再现的录音的主要内容，需要补全的内容一般是录音中的关键信息。 注意每空一词。

Yunnan Province is home to pu'er tea. Some farmers there depend wholly on tea for survival.However，over the past 1._________ years， drought has hurt tea crop. The hottest 2._________and the lowest 3.__________ totals in years have reduced production. The drought conditions hurt the economy of the 4._________ villages of Nannuoshan. To make things worse， it takes the trees， which survived the drought， three to 5._________years to fully recover.

Ⅱ. 听力理解

1. What's the relationship between Que Liu and Si En?

A. Close friends.

B. Husband and wife.

C. Father and daughter.

2. How much production of pu'er tea has been cut by drought according to the text?

A. About 40 percent.

B. About 50 percent.

C. About 60 percent.

3. What is Xiao Chan according to the text?

A. A worker engaged in weather services.

B. A son of a farmer family at Nannuoshan.

C. A tea farmer in the highlands of southwest China.

4. When is the best time for the production of pu'er tea?

A. Spring. B. Summer. C. Autumn.

5. Which can best describe Si Da's feeling?

A. Puzzled. B. Hopeful. C. Anxious.

文 本 解 说

受全球气候变化的影响，近年来适制普洱茶的茶树生长环境受到了极大的破坏，不少茶树在干旱中死掉，这影响了茶叶的生产，给当地的茶农们造成了巨大的经济损失。

Que Liu and his wife Si En spend their mornings picking pu'er leaves in a forest not far from their village in the highlands of southwest China. Pu'er is a kind of tea that is famous for its complex taste. The taste changes with eachsuccessive steeping, tea lovers say.

But the crop this year has been small at Nannuoshan, one of the six major pu'er mountains in Yunnan Province. The hottest weather and the lowest rainfall totals in years have reduced production. “Drought has cut production by about half this spring,” said Zi Sai, the son of Que Liu and Si En.

Local officials blame climate change for an increase in drought-like conditions in recent years. The dry weather has worsened over the past 20 years, with this year's drought breaking some records. “The entireprecipitationpattern has changed due to global warming,” said Xiao Chan, head of weather services at China's National Climate Center in Beijing.

Pu'er trees grow in the cloud-covered forests of Yunnan. The trees require no fertilizer or pesticides, unlike tea grown on large farms elsewhere. The adult plant normally reaches a height of four meters.Spring produces the highestquality leaves from the trees. The summer harvest, with a higher percentage of water, is considered to be lower in quality. Summer leaves are sold for mass consumption, said Zi Sai. The drought conditions hurt the economy of the 32 villages of Nannuoshan.

“My family depends wholly on tea for survival, earning about 200,000 yuan a year,” said Zi Sai's uncle, Si Da, who is 44. That represents just over $29,000. “This year, our income has been cut by tens of thousands of yuan,” he said.While one ancient tree, said to date back to 800 years ago, survived the drought, other younger trees did not. If the trees survive, they may need three to five years for a full recovery, Si Da said.“They are quite pitiful,” he added. “They should be protected, like children are.”