Question

   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 plate1”is called " food milesM  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 modem 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.

53. What is called "food miles"according to this passage?

   A. The origins of the food.

   B. The effects of long distances.

   C. The journey from field to plate.

   D. The disadvantages of imported food.

54. Some countries,like the United Arab Emirates,have to import most of their food because of

   A. long distances

   B. difficult climates

   C. fresh and tasty food

   D. modern technology

55. This passage is mainly about .

   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

Answer 1

53. C 54. B 55. B

[阅读D篇短文大意]文章介绍了现代食品全球流通的方 式、原因和面临的问题。

53. C 根据文中的” This journey,from ‘ field to plate”is called‘ food miles’ "可知food miles指的是”食物从田地到盘中的 路程”，故选C.

54. B 根据文章第三段中的 ” This is because they have difficult climates”可知应选B.

55. B通读全文可知B项符合题意。