隨身英語
Why is lab-grown meat expensive? 為什么實驗室培育的 “人造肉” 很貴？
如今，有很多人選擇不吃肉。實驗室培育肉已經被討論了多年，但為什么我們直至今日仍然不能在超市或餐館買到這種肉呢？這是因為生產這種肉的成本非常高，主要原因是在實驗室環境下培育這種肉的細胞需要大量的原材料。此外，還有哪些原因使實驗室培育肉仍未能出現在大家的飯桌上？本文圍繞這一話題展開討論。
詞匯：meat 肉
Imagine a future where we can tuck into meat, but no animals have been sacrificed in the process. 16% of the UK population enjoy a meat-free diet, according to statistics website Finder.com. It seems there is an appeal in lab-grown meat as an alternative to traditional meat consumption. But, despite years of anticipation, this futuristic food is still not on our plates. Why?
One of the biggest reasons is cost. The first ever lab-grown hamburger was unveiled in 2013 by Dutch scientist Mark Post. It was created from beef cells and cost more than $300,000. Lab-grown meat production stretches from thousands to hundreds of thousands of US dollars per ounce – that's the weight of about two chicken nuggets. This expense is partly due to the cost of raw materials that 'feed' the cells – a combination of sugar, proteins and other nutrients are added to the cells.
In 2023, US-based company Upside Foods received approval from the US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration to start selling lab-grown meat. In order to do this, the company has had to take on significant economic losses so that they can price it fairly compared to traditional meat. An investor in Upside Food, Lisa Feria, told Forbes magazine "Profitability is very much years off because the biggest challenge ahead of them is can we make it at millions of tons a year and ultimately remotely compete with conventional meat".
There are also environmental costs. A 2023 study by the University of California found that the process of producing lab-grown meat could have a four to 25 times higher impact on global warming than beef, which is generally the highest-polluting meat. This is mostly because of the emissions needed to create 'feed'.
So, it seems unlikely that we'll be eating lab-grown meat just yet, and we possibly never will.
詞匯表
tuck into 盡情吃
meat-free 無肉的
diet （日常）飲食
lab-grown 實驗室培育的
traditional 傳統的
consumption 食用，消耗
plate 餐盤
hamburger 漢堡包
beef cell 牛肉細胞
production 生產
ounce （重量單位）盎司；1盎司約等于28克
chicken nugget 炸雞肉
raw material 原材料
feed 給…提供養分
conventional 普通的
highest-polluting 最毀壞環境的
測驗與練習
1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。
1. What kind of diet do 16% of people in the UK have?
2. Who created the first ever lab-grown hamburger?
3. What is in the 'feed' that is used to grow the meat cells?
4. True or False? Lisa Feria thinks lab-grown meat will be profitable soon.
5. What effect could the production of lab-grown meat have on global warming?
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. This look delicious. I'm going to _______ the chips first.
tuck into grow feed unveil
2. I don't eat anything from an animal. I have a completely _______ diet.
meat-free lab-grown highest-polluting significant
3. The company has removed its food product from supermarkets as it was found to be not fit for human _______.
plate consumption cell raw material
4. A _______ is the smallest and most basic unit of a plant or animal.
plate hamburger chicken nugget cell
5. This bird so tiny. It can't weigh more than _______.
diet tons two ounces production
答案
1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。
1. What kind of diet do 16% of people in the UK have?
16% of the UK population enjoy a meat-free diet.
2. Who created the first ever lab-grown hamburger?
The first ever lab-grown hamburger made was unveiled in 2013 by Dutch scientist Mark Post.
3. What is in the 'feed' that is used to grow the meat cells?
The 'feed' is a combination of sugar, proteins and other nutrients.
4. True or False? Lisa Feria thinks lab-grown meat will be profitable soon.
False. Lisa says "profitability is very much years off".
5. What effect could the production of lab-grown meat have on global warming?
Lab-grown meat could have a four to 25 times higher impact on global warming than beef.
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. This look delicious. I'm going to tuck into the chips first.
2. I don't eat anything from an animal. I have a completely meat-free diet.
3. The company has removed its food product from supermarkets as it was found to be not fit for human consumption.
4. A cell is the smallest and most basic unit of a plant or animal.
5. This bird is so tiny. It can't weigh more than two ounces.
