新西兰英语 123 World Potato Conference in Christchurch

（单词翻译）

　　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.