McDonald’s food holds plenty of secrets, and McNuggets are no exception. The boxed, bite-size bites of chicken are one of the fast food producer's most popular menu items. But there’s something even the most devoted nugget (鸡块) consumers may not know: every nugget that comes out of Mickey D’s is guaranteed to be one of four distinct shapes.
Don’t worry though, it’s not some strange chicken plot. It’s the result of a carefully planned process that occurs in McDonald’s factories. A Business Insider video, using continuous shooting mode from a McDonald’s factory in Canada, offers an inside look into nugget production. Before it goes to the fryer, the ground chicken breast meat that will become McNuggets goes through a “rolling cookie cutter” machine. The cutter ensures that the nuggets-to-be are all the same width and one of four shapes. The shapes are the “boot,” the “bell,” the “ball,” and the “bone” (or “bow tie”).
But just how different are the four shapes? How do you tell your boots from your bow ties? Well, the ball is round, as you might expect. The bone/bow tie looks less like either of those things than like a somewhat bent rectangle (矩形). The bell is diamond-shaped, and the boot really does look somewhat like a wide boot with a thin toe.(Or like a hook, if you turn it over.) Though the shapes are somewhat less distinct after the batter (稠面糊) is added, see if you can still identify them the next time you get your McNugget fix.
But why have special shapes at all? A curious consumer posed the question. A company representative replied that the shapes and their similar sizes ensure that they all take the same time to cook, which is necessary to ensure food safety. Plus, the shapes are fun for kids, and easy to dip for everyone!
And why is four the lucky number? Well, the Q &. A page claims that “three would’ve been too few. Five would’ve been, like, silly or unreasonable.” Honestly, though, we doubt McDonald’s consumers would have really cared either way.
12. How are the McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets’ shapes formed?
A.They are processed by a cutting machine. |
B.The four shapes are made by machine freely. |
C.Some batter is added to the chicken breast meat. |
D.They are the natural forms of the chicken breast meat. |
13. What do we know about the shapes of McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets?
A.The ball and the bell are of the same size. |
B.The bone shape is most attractive to small kids. |
C.The regular shapes make processing easier and safer. |
D.The different shapes can arouse people’s imagination. |
14. What is the author’s attitude to the number four of McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets?
A.Positive. | B.Disapproving. | C.Doubtful. | D.Uncaring. |
15. What is the text mainly about?
A.The history of McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets. |
B.A warning against eating McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets. |
C.The introduction of McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets’four shapes. |
D.An explanation of the processing of McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets. |