Question

Turning trash into treats

Imagine you are at the supermarket checkout. You pay the cashier, load your food into the cart, then take one third of your newly purchased items outside and throw them into the trash.

This may sound farfetched (牵强的), but millions of us worldwide do this on a regular basis, although in a more non-direct way. Figures published this year by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimate that over 30 percent of the food produced worldwide goes to waste. In the west, most of this food is thrown away by businesses that are unable to sell it, or by consumers who buy too much. And the majority of this food, despite being past its sell-by date, is still perfectly fit for human consumption.

So where do these excess products end up? “We receive food from various sources” says Adam Smith, founder of the Real Junk Food Project, on his company’s website. The British company recently made headlines in the UK after it became the country’s first “food waste supermarket”, offering products that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill site. Most of its customers are low –income families, or even college students who find it difficult to afford food.

Some retailers across Europe are also taking action. France recently passed a law that says all supermarkets must now donate all of their unsold produce to charities, while the Italian government has also put similar measures in place. Hundreds of cafes that serve meals made from surplus food have been set up across the continent too, selling dishes at rock bottom prices or even giving them away for free.

So what can we do as individuals to help prevent our dinner ending up in the bin?”In two words: Buy less. Or at least shop smarter,” Johnthan Bloom, who runs the blog Wasted Food, tells Foodtank.com.

1.What can we learn about food waste?

A. Food waste is very serious now.

B. Buying less leads to food waste.

C. Eating less leads to food waste.

D. Energy shortage results from food waste.

2.What does the underlined phrase “sell-by date” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. The last limited date to sell.

B. The date to sell out.

C. The Date on sale.

D. The date to produce.

3.What do people do to reduce food waste according to the text?

A. Recycle the food from the trash.

B. Donate unsold produce to charities.

C. Eat up meals made from leftover food.

D. Offer food to the low-income families .

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A. To show where the leftover food end up.

B. To show the bad habits of people’s eating.

C. To appeal to people to prevent food waste.

D. To introduce the advantages to deal with junk food.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】本文是一篇应用文。文章主要介绍了食物浪费的严重程度以及变废为宝的几种措施，并呼吁人们用行动来避免食物浪费。

1.细节理解题。根据“You pay the cashier, load your food into the cart, then take one third of your newly purchased items outside and throw them into the trash.你付钱给收银员，把食物装入购物车带回家，而后把三分之一新购买的物品扔进垃圾桶里。”和“This may sound farfetched , but millions of us worldwide do this on a regular basis, although in a more non-direct way. 这可能听起来很牵强，但是全球数百万的人定期都会做这种事，尽管是非直接的。”可知，。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段“In the west, most of this food is thrown away by businesses that are unable to sell it, or by consumers who buy too much. And the majority of this food, despite being past its sell-by date, is still perfectly fit for human consumption.在西方，这些食物大部分被销售无方的企业，或购买太多的消费者所抛弃。尽管这些食物大部分已经过期，但仍完全适合人类消费。”可知，sell-by date是最后有效日期。故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段“France recently passed a law that says all supermarkets must now donate all of their unsold produce to charities, while the Italian government has also put similar measures in place. 法国最近通过了一项法律，要求所有超级市场现在都必须将所有未售出的产品捐给慈善机构，而意大利政府也采取了类似的措施。”可知，人们通过把未售出的食物捐给慈善机构可以减少浪费。故选B。

4.主旨题。根据“So where do these excess products end up? 那么这些多余的产品应何去何从？”和“So what can we do as individuals to help prevent our dinner ending up in the bin?那么我们个人可以做什么来防止我们的晚餐进入垃圾箱呢？”可知，作者通过设问表达中心思想，引起读者的注意，旨在呼吁人们避免食物浪费。故选C。

【名师点睛】阅读理解旨在考查考生对于文章整体的理解与细节的把握与分析，要在了解整篇文章中心思想的基础上进行选择。主旨题关键在于把握作者的写作意图，尤其是这种具有强烈情感色彩的文章。本文两处出现反问句，第二处更是直截了当地回答“In two words: Buy less. 两个字：少买。”中心明确，旨在呼吁人们行动起来，避免食物浪费。所以能推知第4小题 What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

的答案；故选C。