2. 外语
  3. Many Americans have a grossly distorted and exaggerated view of most of the risks surrounding food. Fergus Clydesdale, head of t

Many Americans have a grossly distorted and exaggerated view of most of the risks surrounding food. Fergus Clydesdale, head of t

admin2010-08-07  57
问题      Many Americans have a grossly distorted and exaggerated view of most of the risks surrounding food. Fergus Clydesdale, head of the department of food science and nutrition at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, says bluntly that if the dangers from bacterially contaminated chicken were as great as some people believe, "The streets would be littered with people lying here and there."
     Though the public increasingly demands no-risk food, there is no such thing. Bruce Ames, chairman of the biochemistry department at the University of California, Berkeley, points out that up to 10% of a plant’s weight is made up of natural pesticides, says he: "Since plants do not have jaws or teeth to protect themselves, they employ chemical warfare." And many naturally produced chemicals, though occurring in tiny amounts, prove in laboratory tests to be strong carcinogens—a substance which can cause cancer. Mushrooms might be banned if they were judged by the same standard that apply to food additives. Declares Christina Stark, a nutritionist at Cornell University: "We’ve got far worse natural chemicals in the food supply than anything man-made."
     Yet the issues are not that simple. While Americans have no reason to be terrified to sit down at the dinner table, they have every reason to demand significant improvements in food and water safety. They unconsciously and unwillingly take in too much of too many dangerous chemicals. If food already contains natural carcinogens, it does not make much sense to add dozens of new man-made ones. Though most people will withstand the small amounts of contaminants generally found in food and water, at least a few individuals will probably get cancer one day because of what they eat and drink.
     To make good food and water supplies even better, the Government needs to tighten its regulatory standards, stiffen its inspection program and strengthen its enforcement policies. The food industry should modify some long-accepted practices or turn to less hazardous alternatives. Perhaps most important, consumers will have to do a better job of learning how to handle and cook food properly, The problems that need to be tackled exist all along the food-supply chain, from fields to processing plants to kitchens.  
What is the message the author wants to convey in the passage?
选项 A、Eating and drinking have become more hazardous than before.
B、Immediate measures must be taken to improve food production and processing.
C、Health food is not a dream in modern society.
D、There is reason for caution but no cause for alarm with regard to food consumption.
答案D
解析 主旨题。纵观全文，可以知道就食物消费而言，如果要求无公害食物，那是不可能的，是食物都有毒；但过分夸大其危险又是不科学的；同时要求食物和饮水安全方面有重大改进，这又是合情合理的；政府、商家和消费者自己都应为此做出努力。可见，选项D能较全面地概括全文的主题。故应选D。
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