Part-Time Vegetarians [A]For the last 15 years, Dawn Jackson Blatner has been what’s now called a "flexitarian" or "almost veget

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问题                           Part-Time Vegetarians
[A]For the last 15 years, Dawn Jackson Blatner has been what’s now called a "flexitarian" or "almost vegetarian." She eats lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts and vegetarian burgers. But she sometimes indulges in a pork chop or her grandma’s pot roast.
[B]It might seem like being a vegetarian of convenience isn’t particularly inspiring, but a growing number of experts and even some famous gourmets(美食家)are fans. They say that cutting back on meat, rather than giving up completely, may be a practical compromise that benefits our bodies and our environment.
[C]"It gives you the health benefits of a vegetarian diet without having to follow the strict rules," says Blatner, a registered nutritionist. "We know that people live longer and live healthier when they eat vegetarian, but it’s just too hard to do it 100 percent of the time." Even gourmet food writers, used to meat delicacies, are advocating the eat-less-meat movement. In January, Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything, is coming out with new book called Food Matters,(Simon & Schuster)about how our diet affects global warming and "globesity"(global obesity). Bittman has been very critical of America’s tendencies to eat too much meat at a meal. "I am an advocate of what I like to think of as a much healthier diet — a largely plant-based diet," he says. A meat-based diet is, he says, "not even close to sustainable." Last year, Bittman published How to Cook Everything Vegetarian,(Wiley, 2007), though he is not a vegetarian himself.
[D]Bittman notes that Americans eat about 200 pounds of meat and fish a year — twice as much as the global average. He argues that not only is a heavily vegetable diet healthier for us physically, but that it’s also true that the industrial production and processing of grain-fed livestock(家畜)consumes a huge amount of energy and has a negative impact on the environment.
[E]It’s unclear how many people are official "flexitarian" converts, but nutritionists believe there are a growing number of people who are simply eating fewer meat main courses whether it’s for health, or economic reasons or because there are more good meatless dishes on offer. Think how many Americans regularly eat peanut-butter sandwiches, bean burritos(墨西哥玉米煎饼)and cheese pizzas as their main courses, says Blatner. "I do feel like that is a shocking thing, when you think about how much vegetarian food we eat without even trying."
[F]And while only 2 to 3 percent of Americans are traditional vegetarians according to the Vegetarian Resource Group, vegetarian foods have become increasingly popular among non-vegetarians. "If you look around at every regular, mainstream grocery stores, you have soy milk right next to regular milk, you have vegetarian burgers in the frozen section, and tubs of tofu sitting there in the produce section," says Blatner. She suggests that many of those who buy these products may be flextitarians and not even realize it. Even devoted vegetarians say they are somewhat flexible. A 2003 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that two out of three vegetarians say they can’t stick to a pure vegetarian diet all the time.
[G]Some vegetarian advocates hope that a movement that begins with eating less meat might lead to more people embracing a no-meat and no-fish lifestyle. Vegetarian Resource Group co-director Charles Stahler, calls it a "step in the right direction". It should also inspire even more restaurants to create vegetarian options, and more people to realize that it’s "easy to be a vegetarian," he says. In fact, it already has become a bit easier for gourmet food lovers to find main courses that are good and meatless.
[H]Still, not everyone agrees that it’s a great idea to be mostly vegetarian instead of strict vegetarian. "Given the environmental, cruelty and health impact of a meat-based diet, going strict vegetarian is best, going vegetarian is good, and being a flexitarian is like smoking two packs of cigarettes instead of ten and beating one pig down the slaughter jump instead of two," says Kathy Guillermo, director of research for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
[I]Blatner disagrees with the meat-is-immoral crowd. "It’s not that meat is some sort of evil," she says. "It’s just that we eat excessive amounts of it." She does agree that a plant-based diet is healthful, decreases the risk of cancer, and increases one’s lifespan.
[J]Many big-name vegetarian cookbook authors like the idea of flexitarianism — though they tend to dislike the name. "How about just moderation?" says Deborah Madison, author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Though she eats mainly a plant-based diet, she indulges in meat about once a week. "I’ve always had a hard time saying, ’I can’t eat that meal you made for me,’" she says. "I just think it’s rude." Many of her readers, too, are not strict vegetarians. "They want to be able to have a vegetarian meal a couple of times a week," she says.
[K]Mollie Katzen, author of the well-known vegetarian bible Moosewood Cookbook(Ten Speed Press, 2000)says she, too, is a flexible eater — indulging in occasional bites of her mom’s chicken. "I’m very happy that people can make the definition of ’vegetarian’ be a positive statement about vegetables rather than a negative statement about meat — I don’ t eat this, and I don’t eat that. I’m sick and tired of the no’s." That said, she believes a plant-based diet is good for people and for the environment. "The environmental impact of meat and livestock raising is severe," she says. "I’m not against eating meat or fish, but I believe people should be responsible and limited in their consumption."
[L]It’s important to remember, as well, that it’s possible to be vegetarian and unhealthy. "If you fry tofu, and eat baked goods, you’re going to be less healthy," says registered nutritionist Mary Russell, director of nutrition services at the University of Chicago. But a diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables, done properly, should help protect the heart and lower blood pressure, she says.
[M]Many former vegetarians turn to fish or meat because they feel they need more protein. Katie Petersen, 25, a personal trainer, became a vegetarian when she was 14, largely because she didn’t like the texture of meat or the way it made her feel. But about two years ago, she started adding fish to her diet. She participates in "figure" competitions, a type of lightweight bodybuilding, and felt she wasn’t getting enough protein from vegetarian burgers.
[N]Sometimes people start adding a little fish or meat to their diets because the main course their friend or roommate is cooking in the kitchen simply smells too good to resist. Katelin Domanski, 21, a senior at Northwestern University, gave up meat completely when she was 13 — after she had some pieces of chicken with "blood veins" in them, she says. But just this month, she started eating a bit of chicken prepared by her gourmet roommate. Domanski also thinks it may be easier, when she graduates in June, to be flexible about her diet when she is in the workplace.
[O]Of course, if vegetarians and gourmets like Mark Bittman have their way, most restaurants will someday offer enough main courses without meat to satisfy vegetarians whether they’re part-time or 100 percent committed. The good news is, the days of vegetarian lovers being confined to the ’tofu surprise’ are over.
People who eat more vegetarian food than meat belong to the flexitarian.

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答案A

解析 根据题目中的flexitarian将本题出处定位于[A]段,该段首句中提到Dawn JacksonBlatner被称为flexitarian,或almost vegetarian(近乎素食者)。第2、3句具体解释为什么她被称为flexitarian,因为她吃“大量的水果、蔬菜、坚果和素的汉堡”偶尔也吃“猪肉或烤肉”,即她吃蔬菜比肉多,而她属于flexitarian。题目是对此的合理总结。
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