打破英国的垃圾食品循环

当我年轻的时候，在与自己的身体作战时，我曾一度沉迷于节食。

双语精读

We need to break the junk food cycle: how to fix Britain's failing food system

我们需要打破垃圾食品循环：如何修复英国每况愈下的食品系统

When I was younger, and at war with my own body, I was a sucker for diets.

当我年轻的时候，在与自己的身体作战时，我曾一度沉迷于节食。

I tried The Rotation Diet (Lose Up to a Pound a Day and Never Gain it Back), The Beverly Hills Diet (a 35-day programme, but I never made it past the first three days) and numerous punitive low-fat regimes involving raw carrots and dry crispbread.

我尝试过“交替饮食法”（号称“日瘦一斤，永不反弹”）、“比弗利山庄饮食法”（一个35天的计划，但我从来没有坚持超过三天）和许多惩罚性的低脂食谱，包括生胡萝卜和无糖饼干等。

None of them lasted long, but each time I broke a diet, I would soon be looking around for another, equally unrealistic, weight-loss plan. No matter how similar the new diet was to the last, it gave me a sense that I was doing something productive about what I saw as the problem of my body.

这些食谱我都没有坚持很久，但是每当我打破节食，我很快就会再度搜寻另一个同样不现实的减肥计划。无论新的计划和上一个相比有多么类似，它都让我觉得我在为自己眼中的身体问题做一些有意义的事情。

Personal weight-loss diets have a lot in common with obesity policies in England and beyond. For a start, the sheer quantity of these policies is astonishing.

个人减肥食谱与英国和其他国家的肥胖症政策有很多共同之处。首先，这些政策的数量之多令人吃惊。

Earlier this year, two researchers based at the University of Cambridge-Dolly Theis and Martin White-published a paper showing that from 1992 to 2020, there were no fewer than 689 separate obesity policies put forward in England.

今年早些时候，剑桥大学的两位研究人员多莉·西斯和马丁·怀特发表的一篇论文显示，从1992年到2020年，英格兰提出的独立肥胖症政策超过689项。

Like failed diets, almost none of these initiatives have been realised in any meaningful way. Instead, their main effect has been to remind people with obesity that the government views the mere existence of their bodies as a crisis.

和所有失败的节食食谱一样，这些提议几乎没有任何一个实现了其意义。相反，它们的主要作用是提醒肥胖症患者，光是他们的存在都被政府视为一场危机。

While England is not alone in failing to reduce the prevalence of obesity-the World Health Organization reports that it has more than tripled worldwide since 1975-"obesity policy" in England has been strikingly ineffective.

虽然英格兰并不是唯一一个未能降低肥胖率的地区——世界卫生组织的报告显示，自1975年以来，全球范围内的肥胖率已经增加了两倍多——但是英格兰的“肥胖症政策”却没有起到一点效果。

(I say England because since devolution, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own separate health policies.)

(我说英格兰是因为自从权力下放后，苏格兰、威尔士和北爱尔兰都有了各自独立的居民健康相关的政策）。

Between 1993 and 2015, obesity among England's adult population rose from 14.9% to 26.9%. Twice as many adults in the UK are living with obesity as in Italy, Sweden or Switzerland.

1993年至2015年期间，英格兰成年人中的肥胖率从14.9%上升到了26.9%。在英国，患有肥胖症的成年人数量是意大利、瑞典或瑞士的两倍。

At the same time, levels of hunger in the UK are some of the highest in Europe. Nearly one in five 15-year-olds live in a household where the adults are food insecure, which is a fancy way of saying that they can't reliably afford enough food.

与此同时，英国的饥饿程度在欧洲是最高的。近五分之一的15岁儿童生活在一个成年人没有办法保障食物供给的家庭中，简单来说就是他们无法可靠地负担起充足的食物。

Covid has brought to the surface some hard truths about the British food system, and what a poor job it does of feeding the population as a whole.

新冠肺炎让人们看到了关于英国食品系统的一些残酷事实，以及英国在养活所有人口方面做得多么糟糕。

As the first lockdown hit in March 2020, plenty of better-off British households were able to carry on eating much as before, while millions more were plunged into food poverty.

在2020年3月的第一次封锁中，虽然有许多经济条件较好的英国家庭仍能像以前一样继续获取食物，但更多的人则陷入了食物贫困之中。

According to data from the Food Foundation, during the first two weeks of lockdown in the spring of 2020, the proportion of households facing food insecurity doubled to more than 15%.

英国食品基金会的数据显示，在2020年春季封锁的头两个星期，面临食品不足危机的家庭比例翻了一番，达到了15%以上。

Black and Asian people have been twice as likely to suffer hunger during the pandemic as their white counterparts.

黑人和亚洲人在大流行期间忍饥挨饿的可能性是白人的两倍。

As Marcus Rashford said in a letter to parliament about food poverty in June 2020, "this is a system failure". But it is a system failure that existed for decades before the pandemic at long last pushed it on to the national agenda.

正如马库斯·拉什福德在2020年6月给议会的一封关于食品贫困的信中所说，“这是一个系统故障”。但这是一个已经存在了几十年的系统故障，只不过这次新冠疫情把它最终推上了国家议程。

词汇预习

equally [高考]
美[ˈiːkwəli] | 英[ˈiːkwəli]
adv. 相等地；同样地；平等地
productive [高考]
美[prəˈdʌktɪv] | 英[prəˈdʌktɪv]
adj. 富有成效的；多产的；生产性的；具有创造性的
poverty [高考]
美[ˈpɑːvərti] | 英[ˈpɒvəti]
n. 贫困；贫乏；劣质
household [高考]
美[ˈhaʊshoʊld] | 英[ˈhaʊshəʊld]
n. 家庭；户 adj. 家庭的；家喻户晓的
mere [高考]
美[mɪr] | 英[mɪə(r)]
adj. 仅仅的；只不过的 n. 小湖；池塘 n. (Mere)人名；(日)目连(姓)；(西)梅雷
numerous [高考]
美[ˈnuːmərəs] | 英[ˈnjuːmərəs]
adj. 为数众多的；许多
proportion [高考]
美[prəˈpɔːrʃn] | 英[prəˈpɔːʃn]
n. 部分；比例；均衡；（复）规模 vt. 使成比例；使均衡；分摊
obesity [高考]
美[oʊˈbisəti] | 英[əʊˈbiːsɪti]
n. 肥胖；肥大
ineffective [高考]
美[ˌɪnɪˈfektɪv] | 英[ˌɪnɪˈfektɪv]
adj. 无效的；无能的；效率低的
data [高考]
美[ˈdeɪtə] | 英[ˈdeɪtə]
n. 数据；资料
loss [高考]
美[lɔːs] | 英[lɒs]
n. 遗失；丧失；损失；失败；失落；死亡
existence [高考]
美[ɪɡˈzɪstəns] | 英[ɪɡˈzɪstəns]
n. 存在；生存
quantity [高考]
美[ˈkwɑːntəti] | 英[ˈkwɒntəti]
n. 量；数量；大量
fancy [高考]
美[ˈfænsi] | 英[ˈfænsi]
vt. 想象；爱慕；认为；想要 n. 爱好；幻想；想像力 adj. 华丽装饰的；复杂的；引人注目的；时髦的；昂贵的，豪华的
raw [高考]
美[rɔː] | 英[rɔː]
adj. 未加工的；生的；原始的；湿冷的 n. 触到某人的痛处
agenda [高考]
美[əˈdʒendə] | 英[əˈdʒendə]
n. 议事日程
as a whole [高考]
美[æz ə hoʊl] | 英[æz ə həʊl]
整个来说；总体上
put forward [高考]
美[pʊt 'fɔːrwəd] | 英[pʊt 'fɔːwəd]
v. 提出
living [高考]
美[ˈlɪvɪŋ] | 英[ˈlɪvɪŋ]
adj. 活着的；生动的 n. 生活；生计
parliament [高考]
美[ˈpɑːrləmənt] | 英[ˈpɑːləmənt]
n. 议会；国会；一届议会的会期
sheer [高考]
美[ʃɪr] | 英[ʃɪə(r)]
adj. 极轻薄的；陡峭的；全然的 adv. 垂直地 v. 避开；转向 n. 偏航；透明薄织物
where [高考]
美[wer] | 英[weə(r)]
adv. 在哪里；在那个地方 conj. 在 ... 地方
would [高考]
美[wʊd , wəd] | 英[wʊd , wəd]
aux. 将；可能；大概；总会；愿意；will的过去式
insecure [四级]
美[ˌɪnsɪˈkjʊr] | 英[ˌɪnsɪˈkjʊə(r)]
adj. 不安全的；不稳固的；不可靠的；缺乏安全感的；缺乏信心的
unrealistic [四级]
美[ˌʌnriːəˈlɪstɪk] | 英[ˌʌnrɪəˈlɪstɪk]
adj. 不切实际的；不实在的
live in [四级]
美[liv ɪn] | 英[liv in]
v. 住进
insecurity [六级]
美[ˌɪnsɪˈkjʊrɪti] | 英[ˌɪnsɪˈkjʊərɪti]
n. 不安全；不牢靠；局促不安；心神不定
reliably [六级]
美[rɪˈlaɪəblɪ] | 英[rɪ'laɪəblɪ]
adv. 可靠地；可信赖地；确实地
no fewer than [六级]
美[noʊ 'fjuːə ðən] | 英[nəu ˈfju:ə ðæn]
不少于；不下于；多至
strikingly [专四]
美['straɪkɪŋlɪ] | 英['straɪkɪŋlɪ]
adv. 显著地；突出地；惊人地；引人注目地
broke [专八]
美[broʊk] | 英[brəʊk]
adj. 一文不名的；破产的 v. 打碎；折断；违背；解决；中断（动词break的过去式）
saw [专八]
美[sɔː] | 英[sɔː]
n. 锯；谚语，格言 v. 锯，用锯割开；看见，明白（see的过去式）
failing [专八]
美[ˈfelɪŋ] | 英[ˈfeɪlɪŋ]
n. 失败；缺点；过失 adj. 衰弱的 prep. 如果没有
punitive [专八]
美[ˈpjunɪtɪv] | 英[ˈpju:nətɪv]
adj. 惩罚的；刑罚的
sucker [雅思]
美[ˈsʌkɚ] | 英[ˈsʌkə(r)]
n. 傻瓜；吸盘；吸管；[口]棒棒糖

重点讲解

We**** need**** to**** break the junk**** food**** cycle:**** how to**** fix Britain's failing food**** system****

我们需要打破垃圾食品循环：如何修复英国每况愈下的食品系统

When I was younger, and at war with my own body, I was a sucker for diets.

当我年轻的时候，在与自己的身体作战时，我曾一度沉迷于节食。

regime n.

1. （尤指未通过公正选举的）统治方式，统治制度，政权，政体

【例】a fascist/totalitarian regime 法西斯／极权主义政权

an oppressive/brutal regime 压迫民众的／残暴的政权

2. （机构、公司、经济等的）管理制度，组织方法

【例】Our tax regime is one of the most favourable in Europe.

我们的税收管理体制是欧洲最受欢迎的税收体制之一。

3. 饮食起居制度，养生法

【例】a dietary regime 饮食规则

我尝试过“交替饮食法”（号称“日瘦一斤，永不反弹”）、“比弗利山庄饮食法”（一个35天的计划，但我从来没有坚持超过三天）和许多惩罚性的低脂食谱，包括生胡萝卜和无糖饼干等。

regime n.

1. （尤指未通过公正选举的）统治方式，统治制度，政权，政体

【例】a fascist/totalitarian regime 法西斯／极权主义政权

an oppressive/brutal regime 压迫民众的／残暴的政权

2. （机构、公司、经济等的）管理制度，组织方法

【例】Our tax regime is one of the most favourable in Europe.

我们的税收管理体制是欧洲最受欢迎的税收体制之一。

3. 饮食起居制度，养生法

【例】a dietary regime 饮食规则

这些食谱我都没有坚持很久，但是每当我打破节食，我很快就会再度搜寻另一个同样不现实的减肥计划。无论新的计划和上一个相比有多么类似，它都让我觉得我在为自己眼中的身体问题做一些有意义的事情。

for a start 首先

【例】I'm not working there—for a start, it's too far to travel.

我不去那边干活儿——首先，路太远，去不了。

【近义词组】for starters

【拓展】at first, at the beginning, above all, in the first place

sheer adj.

1. （用于强调）纯粹的

【例】His music is sheer delight.

他的音乐是纯粹的快乐。

2. 陡峭的; 完全垂直的

【例】There was a sheer drop just outside my window.

就在我的窗外有一个陡坡。

3. （织物等）极薄的，透明的

【例】sheer nylon 透明尼龙

Personal weight-loss diets have a lot in common with obesity policies in England and beyond. For a start, the sheer quantity of these policies is astonishing.

个人减肥食谱与英国和其他国家的肥胖症政策有很多共同之处。首先，这些政策的数量之多令人吃惊。

for a start 首先

【例】I'm not working there—for a start, it's too far to travel.

我不去那边干活儿——首先，路太远，去不了。

【近义词组】for starters

【拓展】at first, at the beginning, above all, in the first place

sheer adj.

1. （用于强调）纯粹的

【例】His music is sheer delight.

他的音乐是纯粹的快乐。

2. 陡峭的; 完全垂直的

【例】There was a sheer drop just outside my window.

就在我的窗外有一个陡坡。

3. （织物等）极薄的，透明的

【例】sheer nylon 透明尼龙

Earlier this year, two researchers based at the University of Cambridge—Dolly Theis and Martin White—published a paper showing that from 1992 to 2020, there were no fewer than 689 separate obesity policies put forward in England.

今年早些时候，剑桥大学的两位研究人员多莉·西斯和马丁·怀特发表的一篇论文显示，从1992年到2020年，英格兰提出的独立肥胖症政策超过689项。

put forward 提出 (计划、建议、名称)

【例】He has put forward new peace proposals.

他已提出了新的和平建议。

和所有失败的节食食谱一样，这些提议几乎没有任何一个实现了其意义。相反，它们的主要作用是提醒肥胖症患者，光是他们的存在都被政府视为一场危机。

mere adj.

1. 仅仅的；只不过（用于强调数量之少）

【例】It took her a mere 20 minutes to win.

她只花了20分钟就赢了。

2. 单单的(用来指某事虽小却有重要影响)

【例】The mere mention of food had triggered off hunger pangs.

单单提到食物就引起了阵阵的饥饿感。

While England is not alone in failing to reduce the prevalence of obesity—the World Health Organization reports that it has more than tripled worldwide since 1975—"obesity policy" in England has been strikingly ineffective.

虽然英格兰并不是唯一一个未能降低肥胖率的地区——世界卫生组织的报告显示，自1975年以来，全球范围内的肥胖率已经增加了两倍多——但是英格兰的“肥胖症政策”却没有起到一点效果。

prevalence n. 流行，盛行

【例】prevalence of disease 疾病的流行

【拓展】prevail v.

1. 普遍存在；盛行；流行

【例】Those beliefs still prevail among certain social groups.

这些信念在某些社会群体中仍很盛行。

2. 被接受；战胜；压倒

【例】Justice will prevail over tyranny.

正义必将战胜暴虐。

【拓展】prevalent adj. 流行的；普遍存在的；盛行的

【例】a prevalent view 普遍的观点

(I say**** England because since devolution****,**** Scotland****,**** Wales and Northern**** Ireland have**** their own separate**** health**** policies****.)

(我说英格兰是因为自从权力下放后，苏格兰、威尔士和北爱尔兰都有了各自独立的居民健康相关的政策）。

Between 1993**** and 2015****,**** obesity among England's adult population**** rose**** from**** 14****.9%**** to**** 26****.9%. Twice as**** many**** adults**** in**** the UK**** are living**** with**** obesity as**** in**** Italy,**** Sweden**** or**** Switzerland.****

1993年至2015年期间，英格兰成年人中的肥胖率从14.9%上升到了26.9%。在英国，患有肥胖症的成年人数量是意大利、瑞典或瑞士的两倍。

At**** the same**** time****,**** levels**** of**** hunger**** in**** the UK**** are some**** of**** the highest in**** Europe****.**** Nearly**** one in**** five**** 15****-year****-olds**** live**** in**** a household where the adults**** are food**** insecure****,**** which is**** a fancy way of**** saying**** that**** they**** can't reliably**** afford**** enough**** food****.****

与此同时，英国的饥饿程度在欧洲是最高的。近五分之一的15岁儿童生活在一个成年人没有办法保障食物供给的家庭中，简单来说就是他们无法可靠地负担起充足的食物。

Covid has brought to the surface some hard truths about the British food system, and what a poor job it does of feeding the population as a whole.

新冠肺炎让人们看到了关于英国食品系统的一些残酷事实，以及英国在养活所有人口方面做得多么糟糕。

better-off adj. 有较多钱的，较宽裕的；更好的

【例】The better-off people live in the older section of town.

经济条件好的人住在城市的老区。

【拓展】be better off doing sth 最好做某事

【例】If you've got bags, you're better off taking a taxi.

如果你有行李，你最好乘坐出租车。

carry on

1. 继续

【例】Her bravery has given him the will to carry on with his life and his work.

她的勇气激发了他继续生活和工作下去的意愿。

2. 开展，参与

【例】The consulate will carry on a political dialogue with Indonesia.

领事馆将与印度尼西亚展开政治对话。

【拓展】carry out 执行；实行

【例】carry out a contract 执行合同

plunge v. & n.

1. 作动词

1）使突然前冲（或下落）

【例】At least 50 people died when a bus plunged into a river.

一辆公共汽车冲进了河里，至少有50人死亡。

plunge into 经历，陷入（不快的事）

【例】The country plunged deeper into recession.

那个国家进一步陷入经济萧条之中。

2）（价格、温度等）暴跌；骤降；突降

【例】Stock markets plunged at the news of the coup.

政变的消息一传来，股票市场便暴跌。

【拓展】plummet v. 暴跌；速降

【例】Share prices plummeted to an all-time low.

股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。

2. 作名词，（价格、数量的）暴跌，猛降，骤减

【例】a dramatic plunge in profits 利润锐减

As the first lockdown hit in March 2020, plenty of better-off British households were able to carry on eating much as before, while millions more were plunged into food poverty.

在2020年3月的第一次封锁中，虽然有许多经济条件较好的英国家庭仍能像以前一样继续获取食物，但更多的人则陷入了食物贫困之中。

better-off adj. 有较多钱的，较宽裕的；更好的

【例】The better-off people live in the older section of town.

经济条件好的人住在城市的老区。

【拓展】be better off doing sth 最好做某事

【例】If you've got bags, you're better off taking a taxi.

如果你有行李，你最好乘坐出租车。

carry on

1. 继续

【例】Her bravery has given him the will to carry on with his life and his work.

她的勇气激发了他继续生活和工作下去的意愿。

2. 开展，参与

【例】The consulate will carry on a political dialogue with Indonesia.

领事馆将与印度尼西亚展开政治对话。

【拓展】carry out 执行；实行

【例】carry out a contract 执行合同

plunge v. & n.

1. 作动词

1）使突然前冲（或下落）

【例】At least 50 people died when a bus plunged into a river.

一辆公共汽车冲进了河里，至少有50人死亡。

plunge into 经历，陷入（不快的事）

【例】The country plunged deeper into recession.

那个国家进一步陷入经济萧条之中。

2）（价格、温度等）暴跌；骤降；突降

【例】Stock markets plunged at the news of the coup.

政变的消息一传来，股票市场便暴跌。

【拓展】plummet v. 暴跌；速降

【例】Share prices plummeted to an all-time low.

股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。

2. 作名词，（价格、数量的）暴跌，猛降，骤减

【例】a dramatic plunge in profits 利润锐减

According to data from the Food Foundation, during the first two weeks of lockdown in the spring of 2020, the proportion of households facing food insecurity doubled to more than 15%.

英国食品基金会的数据显示，在2020年春季封锁的头两个星期，面临食品不足危机的家庭比例翻了一番，达到了15%以上。

counterpart n. 职位（或作用）相当的人；对应的事物

【例】The Foreign Minister held talks with his Chinese counterpart.

外交部长与中国外交部长举行了会谈。

Black and Asian people have been twice as likely to suffer hunger during the pandemic as their white counterparts.

黑人和亚洲人在大流行期间忍饥挨饿的可能性是白人的两倍。

counterpart n. 职位（或作用）相当的人；对应的事物

【例】The Foreign Minister held talks with his Chinese counterpart.

外交部长与中国外交部长举行了会谈。

正如马库斯·拉什福德在2020年6月给议会的一封关于食品贫困的信中所说，“这是一个系统故障”。但这是一个已经存在了几十年的系统故障，只不过这次新冠疫情把它最终推上了国家议程。

agenda n. 待议事项，议事日程

【例】Does television set the agenda on foreign policy?

电视安排了有关外交政策的议题了吗？

【拓展】at the top of the agenda 当务之急

【例】For the government, education is now at the top of the agenda.

对政府来说，现在教育是当务之急。

be high on the agenda 高度重视

【例】In our company, quality is high on the agenda.

我们公司高度重视质量。

课后练习

Which of the following statements is true about the author’s attempt at dieting?
A. The purpose of dieting was to fight against disease.
B. None of the dietary regimes delivered satisfactory results.
C. Most of the diet plans took a short time to take effect.
D. Going on a diet was a productive practice to stay healthy.
What do personal weight-loss diets and national obesity policies have in common?
A. Both of them can produce astonishing effects on health.
B. Both of them are designed according to scientific research.
C. Both of them have been put forward in large quantities.
D. Both of them have contributed to reducing obesity rates.
What do we know about the hunger issue in the UK?
A. Levels of hunger are decreasing as obesity rate increases.
B. The issue is caused by the high prices of food in the UK.
C. Covid has exposed the inefficiency of British food system.
D. Almost all the households suffered hunger during the lockdown.
Marcus Rashford holds that food poverty is caused by ____.
A. gap of wealth
B. neglect of children
C. racial discrimination
D. policy failure
It can be implied from the text that ____.
A. weight-loss diets can increase the risk of obesity.
B. waste of food is common in well-off households.
C. covid has caused a widespread food crisis.
D. government will stop ignoring food insecurity.