Nowadays, the food that you buy comes from many different countries. Have a look in your fridge, cupboard, and fruit bowl and check the origins(来源) of the food. Perhaps there are apples from California, lamb from New Zealand, or potatoes from Egypt? You will probably be surprised how far food travels to get to your plate. This journey, from “field to plate”， is called “food miles”. A food mile is the distance that food travels from the farmer's field to the person who buys the food. Nowadays, food often travels thousands of miles to get to the consumer(消费者). Why is this, and what are the effects(影响) of these long distances?
Traditionally, farmers sold their food in the local market, so the food didn't have to travel very far. The consumers also did not travel very far because they went to their local market to buy the food. This was a good system for farmers and consumers. However, there were some disadvantages. For example, consumers could only buy food that farmers produced locally. In addition, they could only get food that was in season. Now, because of modern technology, food comes from all over the world. We do not have to wait for spring or summer to buy strawberries or tomatoes. They are available in winter if we want.
Some countries have to import(进口) most of their food. This is because they have difficult climates. The United Arab Emirates(UAE), for example, gets 85% of its food from other countries. Even food made in the UAE often uses imported materials.
What's wrong with “food miles”？ Is this not a good way of increasing international trade? I believe these miles are worrying for a number of reasons. First of all, because food travels such long distances, we need more planes, lorries, and ships to move the food. This means we use more oil or petrol, so there is more pollution and more global(全球的) warming. In addition, food that travels a long way is not fresh and usually not very tasty. Tomatoes, for example, are picked early and stored for their long journeys. For this reason, they are usually tasteless when they get to the consumer. Local food has a better taste, and it also reduces the amount of global pollution. We need to buy more local food.
1. What is called “food miles” according to this passage?| A．The origins of the food. |
| B．The effects of longs distances . |
| C．The journey from field to plate. |
| D．The disadvantages of imported food. |
| A．easy to get | B．not busy |
| C．willing to talk | D．Impossible to get |
| A．long distances | B．difficult climates |
| C．fresh and tasty food | D．modern technology |
| A．buy more local food | B．increase international trade |
| C．travel long distances | D．use imported materials |
| A．how local food travels from field to plate |
| B．what “food miles” is and its effects |
| C．how some countries import their food |
| D．where different kinds of food come from |
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【推荐1】China is the country that eats the most watermelons in the world. It’s not because foreigners don’t like watermelons but “they can’t afford them.” Do you know why?
It’s reported that a kilo of US watermelon is about $6.91 in New York, which is about ￥46 in China.
Secondly, countries like the USA and Australia have a wide land, but watermelons were not introduced there as early as in China. The local people prefer other fruits that were known earlier to watermelons.
Thirdly, according to some reports, watermelons from foreign countries may not taste good.
| A．Firstly, China’s land area is large. |
| B．Watermelons are also famous for being expensive in Japan and South Korea. |
| C．So, watermelons are not as popular as other fruits. |
| D．That’s because they’re too expensive in most countries. |
| E．However, in China, we seldom eat watermelons that taste bad. |
In late February this year, some college students tried the barbecue. They took videos of themselves enjoying the food and posted (发布, 发帖) them onto social media. The videos are well-known on social media quickly. As a result, youths from across the country have started to go to Zibo to try its famous barbecue.
What makes barbecue special in Zibo is that the skewers are 70-80 percent cooked. Diners can finish the cooking at their own little stove (炉子). Xu Jiayue, a student from Shandong Transport Vocational College, came to Zibo to try the barbecue on Tuesday. “The stoves allow us to cook the meat, which gives us a feeling of joining, and it allows us to eat the meat at a perfect temperature, which ensures (确保) a good taste,” she said.
The traditional city has been putting a lot of efforts into developing the city into a young people friendly one. It offers rooms with extra discounts (打折). The police and officials have also joined in to ensure food safety and proper pricing, and the city’s public transportation company has opened 21 bus lines for people to the restaurants.
1. How did college students help publicize (推广) Zibo’s barbecue?| A．By making a new “brand” for the city. | B．By taking videos and posting onto the media. |
| C．By enjoying half cooked skewers of meat. | D．By offering rooms with extra discounts. |
| A．People who have meals. | B．People who cook the meal. |
| C．People who sell skewers of meat. | D．People who enjoy themselves. |
| A．Because she likes eating skewers of meat and other foodstuffs. |
| B．Because she likes the feeling of cooking and the perfect taste. |
| C．Because she enjoys the discounts of the meat and hotels. |
| D．Because she enjoys food safety and reasonable pricing. |
| A．Seven. | B．Five. | C．Three. | D．One. |
| A．To attract more people travel around the world. | B．To help people know more about Zibo. |
| C．To introduce why Zibo’s barbecue is popular. | D．To explain how to develop young cities. |
Junk food has lots of fat(脂肪) ,salt and sugar.
Junk food is popular in the world.
| A．They are all bad for people's health. |
| B．If you are too heavy, you'd better not eat it or try to eat less. |
| C．First, it is cheap to make. |
| D．You'd better eat healthy food about 95% of the time, and junk food 5%. |
| E．Junk food is bad for health. |
