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Professor Yuan Longping, the father of hybrid rice, expressed the hope that he would grow more crops on less farmland. The 77-year-old scientist is the pioneer of hybrid rice research and he has been carrying out his work since the 1960s. The scientist invented hybrid rice and was also the first to successfully change the self-pollinating (自花傳粉) characteristics of rice. His hard work and devotion made large-scale farming of hybrid rice possible, thus making the nationself-reliant (自立的) on rice.
Talking about farmers’ happiness and their strong response (反應(yīng)) to hybrid rice, Professor Yuan recalled （回想起） how an old farmer in Hunan Province became overjoyed during phase (階段) 1. “Thank you for teaching me how to plant the super hybrid rice. I’ve never had such a good harvest in forty years of rice farming. I have the highest regard for you and your fellow scientists,” the professor said, recalling the words of the farmer.
Apart from being highly productive, the hybrid rice is also tasty. Recalling another incident, Professor Yuan said three years ago some reporters from Hong Kong and Shenzhen had a chance to taste the rice. A young female reporter had 2 bowls of rice. On another occasion, a rich businessman even had three bowls of rice and took home some of the rice for his family.
Under the super rice breeding programme set up by China’s Ministry of Agriculture, a total of 10.5 tons of hybrid rice per hectare (公頃) was produced in phase I from 1996 to 2000. The production target (目標(biāo)) was increased to 12 tons per hectare in phase II from 2001 to 2005, with the target achieved in 2004. Professor Yuan said phase III breeding was well underway, and he was confident that the target could be achieved in 2010. Professor Yuan’s achievements in hybrid rice research have won him a large number ofinternational awards, like the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Science Prize.
1. What’s Professor Yuan Longping’s hope?
2. Why was an old farmer in Hunan Province so pleased?
3. What’s the main idea of the third paragraph?
4. According to Professor Yuan Longping, when will the phase III production target be achieved?