Eat Healthy

"Clean your plate!" and "Be a member of the clean-plate -club!" Just about every kid in the US has heard this from a parent or grandparent. Often，it's accompanied by an appeal:" Just think about those starving orphans in Africa!" Sure, we should be grateful for every bite of food. Unfortunately, many people in the US take too many bites. Instead of staying "clean the plate", perhaps we should save some food for tomorrow.

According to news reports, US restaurants are partly to blame for the growing bellies. A waiter puts a plate of food in front of each customer, with two to four times the amount recommended by the government, according to a USA Today story. Americans traditionally associate quantity with value and most restaurants try to give them that. They prefer to have customers complain about too much food rather than too little.

Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University, told USA Today that restaurant portion sizes began to grow in the 1970s, the same time that the American waistline began to expand.

Health experts have tried to get many restaurants to serve smaller portions. Now, apparently，some customers are calling for this too. The restaurant industry trade magazine QSR reported last month that 57 percent of more than 4,000 people surveyed believe restaurants serve portions that are too large; 23 percent had no opinion; 20 percent disagreed. But a closer look at the survey indicates that many Americans who can't afford fine dining still prefer large portions. Seventy percent of those earning at least $150,000 per year prefer smaller portions; but only 45 percent of those earning less than $25,000 want smaller.

It's not that working class Americans don't want to eat healthy. It's just that，after long hours at low-paying jobs，getting less on their plate hardly seems like a good deal. They live from paycheck to paycheck ，happy to save a little money for next year's Christmas presents.

注釋:

1. Be a member of the clean - plate club! 做清盤俱樂部的成員

2. Just think about those starving orphans in Africa! 只要想想在非洲挨餓的孤兒們!

3. take too many bites 吃得太多

4. A Waiter puts a plate of food in front of each customer，with two to four times the amount recommended by the government, according to a USA Today story. 根據(jù)《今日美國》刊登的一個故事，服務員給每個顧客一盤飯菜，其量是政府推薦的2至4倍。

5. It's just that, after long hours at low-paying jobs, getting less on their plate hardly seems like a

good deal. 事情是這樣的，美國工人覺得做許多個小時低收入的工作下來，盤子里的飯菜量小有點不合算。

練習：

1. Parents in the United States tend to ask their children

A to save food.

B to wash the dishes.

C not to waste food.

D not to eat too much

2. Why do American restaurants serve large portions?

A Because Americans associate quantity with value.

B Because Americans have big bellies.

C Because Americans are good eaters.

D Because Americans are greedy.

3. What happened in the 1970s?

A The US government recommended the amount of food a restaurant gave to a customer.

B Health experts persuaded restaurants to serve smaller portions.

C The United States produced more grain than needed.

D The American waistline started to expand.

4. What does the survey indicate?

A Many poor Americans want large portions.

B Twenty percent Americans want smaller portions.

C Fifty seven percent Americans earn $150 ,000 per year.

D Twenty three percent Americans earn less than $25,000 per year.

5. Which of the following is Not true of working class Americans?

A They work long hours.

B They live from paycheck to paycheck.

C They don't want to be healthy eaters.

D They want to save money for their children

答案與題解:

1. C 本題問的是:美國父母總是叫他們的孩子干什么?文章開頭說到，每個美國孩子都能從父母或爺爺奶奶那里聽到這樣的話，"吃光你盤子里的東西"，"做清盤俱樂部的成員"。這些話表達的意思就是不要浪費糧食。因此 C 是正確的答案。

2. A 本題問的是:美國飯館為什么飯菜給得多？第二段相關的話是這么說的：美國人在傳統(tǒng)上把東西值不值是跟數(shù)量聯(lián)系在一起，因此大多數(shù)的飯館給的量大。這些飯館樂于讓顧客們抱怨飯菜給得太多而不樂于讓他們抱怨飯菜給得太少。所以 A 是正確的答案。

3. D 本題問的是：20 世紀 70 年代發(fā)生了什么？文章第三段是這樣說的：一位賓州大學營養(yǎng)教授，Barbara Rolls ，告訴《今日美國》20 世紀 70 年代飯館給的飯菜的量開始增加，與此同時，美國人的腰圍也開始增大。所以 D 是對的。

4. A 本題問的是：調(diào)查報告說明了什么？選項 B、C和 D 所說的數(shù)字不對。因此唯有 A 是正確的。A說的是：許多美國窮人希望量大。這個信息可以在第四段中找到。相關的句子是這么說的：許多吃不起精美正餐的美國人仍然要量大。

5. C 本題問的是:下面的哪種說法不帶合美國工人的實際情況？ C 說的是：他們不想做吃得健康的人。這個說法是不對的。最后一段的第一句話是這么說的：美國工人不是不想做吃得健康的人。因此 C 正確。