1 . It keeps what’s inside a mystery until you open it. There are usually toys in mystery boxes; but now, food has been added to the list.
Recently, the trend of “leftover mystery boxes” has become popular in many Chinese cities such as Beijing, Nanjing and Chengdu. Stores pack boxes full of unsold food or food nearing its expiration date at low prices.
“We make the leftover mystery boxes available to buy at the end of the day,” Wu Tian, a staff member at a convenience chain store in Beijing, told China Daily. The food, such as milk, bread and sandwiches, is sold at about half the original price and is usually sold out quickly. Many bakeries have also joined the “mystery box club”.
Due to their low price, leftover mystery boxes “are very promising as a new business mode” and can attract more consumers, Hong Yong, an expert at the Ministry of Commerce, told China Daily. “In addition, they follow the concept of zero-waste and environmental protection.”
In 2021, the total amount of food waste in China reached 160 million tons, with an average of 93 grams per meal per person, China Food Newspaper reported. Since the passage of China’s Anti-Food Waste Law in April 2021, people’s awareness of food waste reduction has increased. Leftover mystery boxes can be an effective way for people to deal with food waste.
However, some people have raised food security concerns. If consumers buy a food mystery box for their breakfast the next morning, even if the food looks fine at the moment, it may have gone bad overnight. Moreover, food made in the store, such as bread, isn’t labeled with the production date in many cases, according to China Consumer News. If a consumer unpacks a mystery box and discovers that the food tastes bad or has already passed the last date, then it will be difficult for them to protect their rights, such as getting money back.
Only by considering both food safety and consumer rights can mystery blind boxes achieve a win-win situation for both buyers and sellers, commented China Youth Daily.
1. What leads to the rise of the trend of “leftover mystery boxes”?| A．Stores make the leftover mystery boxes available at night. |
| B．People feel like such food as milk and bread more attractive. |
| C．It offers customers lower prices for those unsold food. |
| D．It goes against the concept of zero-waste and environmental protection. |
| A．ending | B．producing | C．purchasing | D．selling |
| A．Because the food has gone bad when it’s bought. |
| B．Because customers’ rights are hard to protect. |
| C．Because the production dates are not clear enough. |
| D．Because customers cannot get a refund in many cases. |
| A．Concerns Over Food Security | B．Mystery Boxes of Leftover |
| C．A Solution to Food Waste | D．A Win-win Situation |
2 . A recent analysis from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine highlights the benefits of replacing animal products with plant-based foods. This analysis, which amplifies a previous study by the same committee, further emphasizes the significant impact of plant-based diets on weight loss, cholesterol (胆固醇) and fat intake in overweight adults.
The most significant finding is that both healthy and unhealthy plant-based foods contribute to weight loss when they replace animal products in the diet. This conclusion is significant because it underlines the potential of a plant-based diet, regardless of the specific type of plant-based foods consumed, in managing weight and improving overall health.
This analysis is a secondary examination of a prior study that involved 244 overweight adults. The participants were divided into two groups. The first group followed a low-fat vegan (素食的) diet, and the second made no changes to their diet. Obviously, the study set no restrictions on calorie intake, and the researchers did not give participants specific instructions on diet quality.
The study authors used two different indexes (指标) to assess: the healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), and the unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI). The hPDI emphasizes fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans, while the uPDI includes more refined grains and fruit juices. Higher scores on the indexes correlate with greater consumption of plant-based foods and reduced consumption of animal products.
The results revealed that after 16 weeks, participants on the vegan diet showed increased scores in both indexes. This increase significantly correlated with participants losing an average of about 13 pounds, mainly from reduced fat mass. The second group showed no change in their index scores.
Overall, the analysis provides strong evidence that eating plant-based foods is effective for weight management and health improvement.
1. What does the underlined word “amplifies” mean in paragraph 1?| A．Abuse. | B．Expand. | C．Launch. | D．Classify. |
| A．The causes of putting on weights. | B．The key insight on plant-based foods. |
| C．The significance of managing weights. | D．The specific types of plant-based foods. |
| A．By improving participants’ diet quality. |
| B．By following participants’ daily routines. |
| C．By monitoring participants’ calorie intake. |
| D．By comparing participants’ indexes scores. |
| A．Being on diet is the key to losing weight. |
| B．All plant products are beneficial to health. |
| C．Plant-based foods show promising results. |
| D．Animal products have no effect on weight. |
3 . Air fryers are quickly becoming popular in the US these years, with many people having the idea that air fryers are a great way to make quick, healthy meals.
An air fryer can be used to get the crispness of deep-fried food without actually deep frying the food in oil. Breaded foods are among the most popular dishes in America. Instead of placing something like breaded chicken into oil, the air fryer blows hot air around the chicken and causes it to crisp up and brown, creating a crunchy texture (松脆的口感) that is similar to fried chicken.
Nutritionist Bellatti said, “When you are just using a teaspoon of oil in an air fryer, it’s going to be a lot less caloric than something in a real fryer where a lot more oil is being taken in. It’s a way to lower your calorie intake greatly. Additionally, for those who are watching fat intake for medical reasons, air fryers can help them create fried foods that are lower in total fat content.”
Reducing fat and calorie intake can help a person lose weight and eat healthier when compared to eating fried foods. But some experts say there is no guarantee that air frying is a healthier way to cook.
If you’re turning to an air fryer every day to cook every meal, you’re not necessarily eating healthier, according to nutritionist Hartley. Air frying makes some dishes healthier, but it doesn’t add nutritional value. Similarly, it doesn’t make an unhealthy dish a smart choice. At the end of the day, air-fried breaded chichen is still breaded chichen—grilled chichen would be the healthier choice.
“Air frying is just an easy and low mess way to cook dishes that have the satisfying crispness of fried foods,” Hartley said. “Instead of thinking of them as a dieting tool, think of them as a tool for cooking simple and satisfying meals.” Hartley also added air fryers would probably not help you lose weight, saying there was “zero research” to back that up.
And cutting oil out of your diet completely isn’t always for the best. “Although a low-fat, air-fried diet sounds attractive, you’d end up missing out on the wonderful advantages of plant-based fats such as avocado oil and olive oil,” said nutritionist Cucuzza.
1. What does the author mainly talk about in paragraph 2?| A．How the air fryer improves the taste of fried chichen. |
| B．Why many American people love breaded foods. |
| C．Why the air fryer enjoys popularity in America. |
| D．How the air fryer works to make foods crisp. |
| A．People should have a calorie-controlled diet. |
| B．Eating fewer calories may lead to a healthier life. |
| C．Air fryers can be more useful than traditional fryers. |
| D．Air fryers can help people cut down on calories and fat. |
| A．expectation | B．possibility |
| C．certainty | D．suggestion |
| A．He is against it. | B．He is hopeful of it. |
| C．He is uninterested in it. | D．He is uncertain about it. |
4 . Children are often exposed to diet culture from a young age and its negative impacts can be long-lasting, according to Virginia Smith, author of a new book titled Fat Talk, Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture.
“Kids, at a very young age, start to become aware of body shaming,” Smith said. “The main factors of children’s future eating disorder (饮食失调) are kids’ being ashamed of their weight and their history of dieting in childhood.”
In Fat Talk, Smith argues that one way parents can fight back against this is to take a fresh look at the word “fat”. “We can understand ‘fat’ as just a neutral body descriptor, just like saying tall or short or brown hair, black hair…” Smith said. “If your child in a bigger body comes to you, and he says, ‘Am I fat?’ you should be honest with him and say, ‘You’re fat. And there’s definitely nothing wrong with that. We love your body just the way it is.’”
Another suggestion from Smith is for parents to change conversations with and in front of children at home. “We can say I’m not going to shame my body in front of my kids and I’m going to celebrate bodies in all shapes and sizes,” Smith recommended. David Anderson, a parenting expert, added, “So if you have a child who’s in a bigger body, talk about their strengths.” David continued, “Helping our children concentrate on how our bodies work, how they allow us to achieve our goals… these are things we can remind our kids about every single day.”
Often, diet conversations about size can be unavoidable for children, but David said parents can act as a shield between children and some of the most harmful messages behind diet culture. But as children grow older, David encourages parents to be honest with kids about their own struggles and not to pretend they know everything and that kids know nothing about diet culture.
1. What might contribute to children’s future eating disorder?| A．Body shape and peer pressure. | B．Body image and parenting style. |
| C．Body change and food preference. | D．Body shame and dieting experience. |
| A．Kids should make peace with their body image. |
| B．Kids should take pride in being overweight. |
| C．Parents should teach their kids honesty. |
| D．Parents should give “fat” a positive definition. |
| A．Their body functions. | B．Their individual characters. |
| C．Their physical appearance. | D．Their career achievements. |
| A．Editor. | B．Supporter. | C．Protector. | D．Connector. |
5 . “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a poor man.” As the old saying tells us, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It provides us with energy after a long night without food. If people don’t have breakfast in the morning, they will feel tired and get angry easily. Breakfast helps children stay more focused at school. A study showed that children who eat breakfast regularly score higher in most subjects.
Breakfast is also important for losing weight. If you have a balanced breakfast, you will eat less throughout the day.
Healthy and balanced breakfast should include some protein like eggs, milk or a little meat which makes you energetic all day. Carbohydrates(碳水化合物) like rice or bread can keep you active. Vegetables and fruit have the vitamins that humans need.
In China, breakfast is different from region to region. However, porridge with pickles(腌菜), baozi, noodles, soybean milk and youtiao are common throughout the whole country. Although Western culture influenced China a lot, most people still prefer traditional Chinese breakfast. They think that porridge and noodles are not only easily digested, but also can provide enough energy in the morning.
Some Western countries, they have some other kinds of food. For example, in the USA, they enjoy sausages, soft pancakes. In Canada, local people like eating pancakes!
1. The old saying in the first paragraph means that ________.| A．breakfast must be delicious |
| B．breakfast is eaten by the king |
| C．breakfast is the most important among the three meals |
| D．breakfast can make people feel like a nice man |
| A．Because breakfast is helpful to our studies. |
| B．Because breakfast is the most delicious meal of the day. |
| C．Because breakfast offers energy to us after the whole night without food. |
| D．Because breakfast makes us feel excited. |
| A．Cola and butter. | B．A little meat. |
| C．Rice and bread. | D．Eggs and milk. |
| A．Chinese Traditional Breakfast | B．Breakfast and Health |
| C．Breakfast and Weight Loss | D．Western Breakfast |
6 . The practice of removing best-before dates labels and plastic packaging could prevent 14 million shopping baskets’ worth of food from going to waste, a food waste charity Wrap has recommended. Doing so would make consumers buy the right amount, avoiding buying bigger packets than they need, and judge for themselves when items were still fine to eat.
Wrap’s chairman Marcus Gover called the practice a game-changer in the fight against food waste and plastic pollution. He said they had demystified (使容易理解) the relationship between wasted food, plastic packaging, date labels and food storage.
“It is clear that plastic packaging doesn’t necessarily extend the life of fresh produce, but instead can increase waste,” he said. Around 9.5 million tonnes of food are wasted in the UK every year, according to previous Wrap figures, with more than 85% coming from households and food producers.
Based on an 18-month study into five commonly wasted items — apples, bananas, broccoli, cucumber and potatoes — stored in the original packaging and at different temperatures, Wrap found produce good to eat well after the best-before date, with apples lasting at least two and a half months after if stored at 4℃, and broccoli staying fresh for more than two weeks afterwards. Removing the best-before dates labels could save 100,000 tonnes of household food waste, more than 10,300 tonnes of plastic and 130,000 tonnes of carbon emission a year, Wrap found.
Susan Jebb, chairwoman of the Food Standards Agency, said businesses should use date labels carefully and make it clear when it’s necessary to help shoppers reduce the risk of food-related illnesses. “A best-before date is about quality, which means the food will be safe to eat after this date, even if it may not be at its best,” she said, whereas use-by dates should be reserved for food like meat and salad which can become unsafe more quickly.
1. Why does Marcus call the practice a game-changer?| A．It saves products’ costs. | B．It increases production. |
| C．It ensures food’s safety. | D．It protects the environment. |
| A．Some food is harmless after the best-before date. |
| B．The best-before date contributes to food storage. |
| C．The best-before date label reduces the waste. |
| D．Label-making leads to massive carbon emission. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Indifferent. | C．Cautious. | D．Opposed. |
| A．The Best-Before Date Is Seldom Unreliable |
| B．Plastic Packages Can Keep Foods Fresh Longer |
| C．Food Plastic Packages Are a Double-Edged Sword |
| D．No Unnecessary Best-Before Dates and Plastic Packages |
7 . When food items are specifically labeled as vegan (素食) —indicating they are prepared with no animal products, including eggs or butter—people are less likely to select them, even though it is better for the planet and for their health, according to a recent experiment.
Growing and transporting food accounts for a quarter of all global greenhouse gas emissions, which are accelerating the climate crisis. Of these, the vast majority come from processes linked to meal and dairy production, which is why experts are advising societies to shift toward more plant-based eating.
“We have to make big changes to how we produce and consume food if we want to reach climate goals and feed Earth’s ever-growing population,” says Richard Waite, an expert on food climate policy. But the study at MIT indicates this may prove challenging.
Researchers asked some 150 people attending several university events to choose their lunch between two options, one of them vegan. Choices included vegetable vs. cheese ravioli (奶酪馄饨) and a vegetable potato wrap vs. a Greek salad with feta (羊乳酪). A similar study of meal preferences was also conducted online. Half the respondents in both studies randomly received an order form in which the vegan item was labeled. When this vegan terminology (术语) was used, people were less likely to order the dish than when it was not. For the in-person attendees, some two-thirds more avoided the dish. After the research was published, some people told the study’s lead author, Alex Berke, a doctoral student at MIT’s Media Lab, the results were unexpected. But she anticipated the outcome. Berke herself began eating vegetarian diet—a plant-based one that includes dairy and eggs—at age 10 and adopted a vegan diet three years ago to help the climate. “Anyone who has been eating vegan for a while would not he surprised at the findings,” says Berke. “Because there is a strong bias among people when it comes to vegetarian diet.”
Environmentalists are clear they are not urging everyone to become vegetarians, but, if possible, to include more plant-based meals. “If you shift a third of your beef consumption to beans and soy, you reduce the climate impact of your diet by about 15 percent, one environmentalist says.
1. What does the recent experiment find?| A．People make food choices randomly. | B．Vegan-labeled foods are less popular. |
| C．People tend to avoid meal products. | D．Food choices have a huge impact on climate. |
| A．No one chose the food labeled vegan. |
| B．The study was conducted online. |
| C．150 university students took part in the study. |
| D．Berke thought the findings were understandable. |
| A．Similarity. | B．Desire. | C．Prejudice. | D．Influence. |
| A．Avoid plant-based meals. | B．Become vegetarians totally. |
| C．Reduce meat consumption. | D．Abandon meal products. |
8 . While some people might view breakfast as optional, most Shanghainese, despite living in arguably the most fast-paced city in China, won’t be caught skipping this meal no matter how busy they are.
In fact, Shanghai was even named by the Ministry of Commerce as a pilot city for the National Breakfast Demonstration Project in 2011. According to the authorities, the project is aimed at improving the quality of life and making high-quality breakfast options more accessible to the masses. Since the beginning of the project, the city has built 24 industrialized and standardized central kitchens which supply food to 7,800 stores selling breakfast items. By August 2020, there were more than 20,000 shops in the city offering breakfast food.
In the current stage of the ongoing project, the focus has shifted from increasing options to improving the convenience of purchasing this meal. To do so, the local government issued a guideline last August to promote digital breakfast services in convenience stores, mobile food trucks, retailers, and Internet platforms. Companies have also been encouraged to come up with new nutritious meals and adopt the use of eco-friendly packaging materials.
For office workers like Qian Li, buying breakfast no longer involves having to brave long queues. Rather, all she has to do now is place an order using the app for the Ego convenience store near her work place before picking up her freshly made meal from a smart locker.
The guideline has also resulted in developments like cooperative deals between e-commerce giant Alibaba and three major food truck enterprises. According to this agreement, mobile breakfast trucks, including those operated by local food company LiangFood, can establish a digital presence on Alibaba’s take-out and delivery platform Eleme, allowing customers to order their meals online without having to queue.
The introduction of more healthy breakfast options is also in preparation. To date, 12 enterprises have developed 208 nutritious breakfast sets catering to specific groups of people—patients with diabetes, the elderly, children and teenagers.
1. What is the original purpose of the project in 2011?| A．To make Shanghai a fast-paced city. | B．To raise the awareness of having breakfast. |
| C．To improve the quality of breakfast served. | D．To help people have more choices for cooking. |
| A．She is tired of making breakfast. | B．She enjoys the new mode of breakfast. |
| C．She has to stand in line for her breakfast. | D．She prefers getting meals at convenience stores. |
| A．Satisfying the need of. | B．Making use of. |
| C．Making a difference to. | D．Being connected with. |
| A．Breakfast does matter for your health | B．Breakfast has gone digital in Shanghai |
| C．Shanghainese think highly of breakfast | D．Joint efforts are made to encourage breakfast |
9 . Changing the wording about expiration dates (有效期) on perishable (容易腐坏的) food items could help reduce food waste, according to a new study. “With very few exceptions, the date labels (标签) that are used in the United States are not standardized,” said Brad Rickard, a researcher working on this study. “And they’re not food safety dates; they’re just food quality dates.”
In a survey of consumers, the researchers asked participants to rate, on a 1-5 scale (5 being extremely likely), their likelihood of discarding (丢弃) 15 different food items that were one day past the stated date code (代码) in the first section of the survey, the question included only the expiration date code; the second section repeated this exercise but with both a date code and a date label that included one of 10 different wording variations.
Four of the date label variations followed those that have been widely adopted in the U.S.: “Best if used by”; “Best by”; “Use by”; and “Sell by”. The other six featured a date label and a biosensor, an indication of food quality. Biosensors which detect microorganism growth and change colors accordingly — are popular in some European markets, but are not as common in the U.S.; for the survey, the researchers chose biosensors with the colors green (fresh), blue (less fresh) and purple (past fresh).
Survey results showed an increase in discard intentions with the “Use by” and the “Best if used by date label, implying that foods with these date labels were more often discarded and replaced. Rickard also said the innovation of the biosensor technology impressed the U.S. survey participants, and when it was presented to participants as green, it led to significantly lower discard rates.
One of the unintended consequences of a more uniform approach to date labels, the researchers note, is a potential increase in food waste depending on the wording of the label, as well as an increase in the re-purchasing of perishable items high in protein, fat and cholesterol (胆道醇). “If you tell all food companies to change all their ‘best by’ dates to ‘best if used by’ dates, that might actually increase food waste,” Rickard said.
1. What can be learned about food date labels used in the U.S.?| A．They are subject to uniform standards. |
| B．They are designed to reduce food waste. |
| C．They suggest the freshness level of a food item. |
| D．They indicate whether a food item is safe to consume. |
| A．Its significance. | B．Its finding | C．Its goal. | D．Its method. |
| A．They sent a message to consumers when food changed color. |
| B．They were able to detect the expiration date of food accurately. |
| C．They helped participants decide whether to throw a food item away. |
| D．They were used to differentiate European and American markets. |
| A．Food companies changing their food packaging. | B．Higher sales of some perishable food. |
| C．Customers choosing healthier food. | D．A decrease in food waste. |
10 . People who routinely eat a lot of red meat may be increasing their risk of developing Type2 diabetes (糖尿病), according to a new study. Processed red meats, like bacon and hot dogs, are linked to an even higher risk.
Researchers tracked the eating habits of more than 200,000 people engaged in long-term health studies for up to 36 years and found that those who regularly consumed a lot of red meat—more than a serving per day—had a significantly higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
“When we looked at the women and men who consumed the most red meat compared to the least, we found about a 50% increase in risk,” says study author Dr. Walter Willett of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. The results were published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
It turned out that the participants in the study who consumed high amounts of red meat also had higher body weight. They consumed more calories (热量) and were less physically active compared with those who consumed the least red meat.
Given that, in the US, only about 4% of people are identified as vegetarians and only 1%vegans, it’s not realistic to think that people will give up red meat altogether. So how much red meat is OK to consume? US dietary guidelines don’t clearly state an amount, but a recent review of observational studies suggests it’s reasonable to limit daily consumption of unprocessed red meat to 50 to 100ms to prevent high blood pressure and heart diseases. Willett’s recommendation goes even further. “A limit of one serving per week of red meat would be reasonable for people wishing to improve health and well-being.” Willett says.
Given the large body of evidence that links too much red meat consumption to increased risks of heart disease and cancer, Christopher Gardner, a food scientist at Stanford University, points out that recommendations to limit the consumption of red meat, particularly processed red meat, have been made by many national and global health organizations.
1. How did the researchers draw their conclusion?| A．By asking questions. | B．By referring to former studies. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By carrying out experiments. |
| A．Healthy. | B．Active. | C．Crazy. | D．Fat. |
| A．Eating red meat only once a week. | B．Replacing red meat with vegetables. |
| C．Consuming much unprocessed red meat. | D．Eating a small amount of red meat every day. |
| A．Healthy Diets Are a Must | B．Too Much Red Meat May Cause Illness |
| C．A Good Habit Is the Key to Living Well | D．Red Meat Is Beneficial to Our Health |
