新西兰英语 123 World Potato Conference in Christchurch

　　The 7th World Potato Conference¹ was held in Christchurch this week. This is the first time it has been held in New Zealand. A large number of scientists from many different countries attended the conference.
New Zealand is a good country to host a potato conference because we grow and eat a lot of potatoes. Each person in New Zealand eats about 65kg of potatoes a year. We sell $6 million worth of potatoes overseas² every year; 70% of our potato exports go to Australia for potato chips and the rest of the exports are to the Pacific and Asia. We can grow 50 tonnes per hectare³, on average, of potatoes.
However, China is now the biggest grower of potatoes and India is also growing potatoes. Potatoes may be a better food for feeding millions of people than rice or wheat. A growing potato plant doesn’t need as much water as grain. It can grow in most kinds of soil and climate.
Potatoes can be used in many ways: baked, boiled, mashed⁴, or as french fries. A slang⁵ word for the potato in New Zealand is “spud”. If you hear someone say they are going to have spuds for dinner, that means⁶ potatoes.

1 conference   

n.（正式的）会议；讨论

参考例句：

• We're having a conference and we'd like you to sit in.我们将举行一次会议，希望你来旁听。
• The conference will come to a close this afternoon.今天下午会议闭幕。

2 overseas   

adj.海外的；adv.在海外

参考例句：

• Her man has been sent overseas by his employers.她的丈夫已被雇主派往海外。
• Many firms are focusing on increasing their markets overseas.许多商行都专注于扩大国外市场。

3 hectare   

n.公顷

参考例句：

• A hectare is equal to 15 mu.1公顷合15市亩。
• The lands were to be sold at $2.50 per hectare.土地的售价为每公顷2.50美元。

4 mashed   

a.捣烂的

参考例句：

• two scoops of mashed potato 两勺土豆泥
• Just one scoop of mashed potato for me, please. 请给我盛一勺土豆泥。

5 slang   

n.俚语，行话；vt.使用俚语，辱骂；vi.辱骂

参考例句：

• The phrase is labelled as slang in the dictionary.这个短语在这本字典里被注为俚语。
• Slang often goes in and out of fashion quickly.俚语往往很快风行起来又很快不再风行了。

6 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。