英闻天下——310 UN Marks 2013 as Int'l Year of Quinoa

 　　The United Nations has officially launched 2013 as the International Year of Quinoa and congratulated Bolivian President Evo Morales for his work in promoting the ancient grain in international markets.

 

　　UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered a congratulatory message in his opening address to the General Assembly.

 

　　"This extraordinary grain has been a cultural anchor and a staple¹ in the diet of millions of people throughout the Andes for thousands of years. And now thanks to the initial efforts of Bolivia and the agreement of the general assembly, quinoa is now poised² for global recognition."

 

　　Last June, Morales was appointed Special Ambassador to UN Food and Agriculture Organization for the International Year of Quinoa.

 

　　Morales spoke³ of the importance of quinoa in the current international climate.

 

　　"Quinoa is an ancestral gift of the Andean people that has been produced for more than 7,000 years and it presents a valuable alternative in the face of the current food crisis. The International Year of Quinoa is a recognition of the traditional practices of the Andean, indigenous⁴ people, who in harmony with nature, have maintained, controlled and preserved quinoa in its natural state as a food for current and future generations."

 

　　Quinoa has brought Bolivia and Peru growing market profits thanks to an increasing demand from the United States, Europe and Japan in the past years.

 

　　The two governments are planning to boost the yield of quinoa in the hope the market will keep growing.

1 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

2 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。