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