Irradiating fruits, vegetables, pork and chicken to kill insects and bacteria has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration over the past decade or so. Irradiation of other meats, such as beef and lamb, is being reviewed. Federal approval does not require that industry adopt the process, and few food processors presently offer irradiated products.
Market studies have shown that many consumers are afraid that eating irradiated foods may cause cancer, despite scientific studies that prove the safety of treated foods. Some people argue that more severe government inspection, higher food-safety standards, and more careful-preparation practices by consumers are all that is needed to ensure that food is safe. Consequently, companies currently see no need to spend millions of dollars outfitting processing plants with the equipment necessary for a process that very few shoppers are in favor of.
All supermarkets that sell irradiated food must label the food either directly on the packaging, or, in the case of bulk items like fruits and vegetables, by placing a sign nearby. There is no requirement for the labeling of irradiated food served by chain restaurants or hospitals that buy directly from distributors, nor any regulations for products that contain irradiated ingredients.
Presently, the FDA allows food to be treated with three types of radiation—gamma rays, high-energy electrons, and X rays—and sets limits on doses, depending on the type of food. The principle is that the dose to be used for a certain type of food should not exceed the amount that is sufficient to kill most harmful insects and bacteria present in it. Different types of food, because of their molecular compositions, may require different doses of radiation.
单选题
According to the passage, killing insects and bacteria present in foods by irradiating is not completely approved by the U.S. government.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 关键词是approve和the U.S. government。依据这些关键词,可在文中第一段找到相关叙述:“Irradiating fruits, vegetables, pork and chicken to kill insects and bacteria has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration over the past decade or so. Irradiation of other meats, such as beef and lamb, is being reviewed.”由being reviewed可推测出,通过辐照去除食物中的害虫和细菌并没有完全通过批准,故此题说法为“错误”的。
单选题
There are quite a number of food processors which are interested in producing irritated foods.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 关键词是quite a number of和food processors。依据这些关键词,可在文中第一段找到相关叙述:“few food processors presently offer irradiated products”,故此题说法为“错误”的。
单选题
Some consumers are doubtful of the safety of irradiated foods and suggest a more severe government inspection be taken.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 关键词是safety和government inspection。依据这些关键词,可在文中第二段找到相关叙述:“Some people argue that more severe government inspection, ... are all that is needed to ensure that food is safe.”故此题说法为“正确”的。
单选题
Some companies foresee the promising future of setting up food processing factories, although they do not see the need now.
单选题
It is required that labels placed on irradiated food or nearby bulk items such as vegetables and fruits should indicate irradiated ingredients.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 关键词是irradiated, fruits and vegetables和labelled。依据这些关键词,可在文中第三段找到相关叙述:“in the case of bulk items like fruits and vegetables, by placing a sign nearby”,由此可知像蔬菜和水果这样的散装食品也应在旁边标注出辐照食品的字样,故此题说法为“错误”的。
单选题
Restaurants can serve irradiated food bought directly from distributors without labeling it.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 关键词是restaurants, distributors和without labeling。依据这些关键词,可在文中第三段找到相关叙述:“there is no requirement for the labeling of irradiated food served by chain restaurants or hospitals that buy directly from distributors”,故此题说法为“正确”的。
单选题
The passage tells us that FDA approves irradiating food to some extent but irradiated food is not widely accepted.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 这道题是有关文章主题的题,借助文章的结尾:“Presently, the FDA allows food to be treated with three types of radiation.”(与approves irradiating food to some extent呼应),而文章开头的句意也与问题句的说法一致。第二段第一句提到“many consumers are afraid that eating irradiated foods may cause cancer”,由此可见辐照食品还没有被广泛接受,故此题说法为“正确”的。