文章大意:本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了Gleaning捡拾浪费食材这种古老而又新颖的方式,和世界各地通过收集从农场等地方弃用的食材等途径来解决农业浪费和粮食缺乏问题的努力。通过阅读语篇我们可以了解世界各地的有识之士为了避免食物浪费所做的努力,唤起我们人类粮食安全的关注。
Gleaning (拾穗,拾遗) is not a new concept. It dates back to ancient times, when farmers would leave the edges of their fields unharvested or leave produce looking imperfect for the poor which was either to rot in the field, or was rolled over.
Gleaning offers fresh, healthy food to food insecure people. That is where gleaners come in. Gleaning addresses farm waste and food poverty by providing free healthy food donated straight from farm to table. Interest in gleaning is growing; in 2017,there were five gleaning groups in the UK, while today there are 25.
Holly Whitelaw, an organizer for the Cornwall Gleaning Network, reported to Positive.News that her volunteers send around 300 boxes a week to food banks and community kitchens in her area. The boxes come complete with recipe (食谱) ideas and the kitchens love the fact that this fresh food is so highly nutritious.
Gleaners find the work very fulfilling. “It’s a really jolly atmosphere,” Whitelaw told Positive. News.”Any time I go gleaning, I am lifted up. For the volunteers, it’s so good for mental health, getting outside and doing something practical that’s good for the needy people.”
Adding technology to this age-old practice, a digital map of the 734 fruit trees available for gleaning was provided. This produce is going to the Orcas Island Food Bank which has witnessed a 227 percent increase in demand since the pandemic (疫情), with numbers still on the rise.
To assist the increasing amount of hungry people, produce is being rescued from fields around the world. A prime example of a successful organization is Leket Israel. In 2021, Leket rescued 40,758,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables from farmers’ fields and packing houses.
Hopes are that awareness will continue to grow. To make this happen, more unions need to be established with farmers and more people need to volunteer their time to help. This form of helping may soon become as commonplace as local charity walks, predicts Positive.News.
12. How does the author introduce the topic?
A.By telling a story. | B.By giving a definition. |
C.By raising a question. | D.By making a comparison. |
13. What can we infer from what Holly Whitelaw said?
A.The highly nutritious food is good for mental health. |
B.He fulfilled his dream of building a gleaning network. |
C.New recipes create a happy atmosphere in the kitchen. |
D.Gleaning offers benefits to both givers and receivers. |
14. Why are the examples of Orcas Island Food Bank and Leket Israel mentioned?
A.To show the growing success of gleaning. | B.To praise the help of a new technology. |
C.To stress the problem of food wasting. | D.To tell the number of hungry people. |
15. What is the author’s attitude towards food gleaning?
A.Optimistic. | B.Doubtful. | C.Negative. | D.Unclear. |