2. 考研
  3. Some years ago two nutrition experts went grocery shopping. For a dollar, Adam Drewnowski and S. E. Specter could purchase 1,200

Some years ago two nutrition experts went grocery shopping. For a dollar, Adam Drewnowski and S. E. Specter could purchase 1,200

admin2013-09-16  1
问题     Some years ago two nutrition experts went grocery shopping. For a dollar, Adam Drewnowski and S. E. Specter could purchase 1,200 calories of potato chips or cookies or just 250 calories worth of carrots. This price difference did not spring into existence by force of any natural laws but largely because of antiquated agricultural policies. Public money is working at cross-purposes: backing an overabundance of unhealthful calories that are flooding our supermarkets and restaurants, while also battling obesity and the myriad illnesses that go with it. It is time to align our farm policies with our health policies.
    In past years farm subsidies have been a third rail of American politics—never to be touched. But their price tag, both direct and indirect, has now brought them back into the debate and created an imperative for change. Conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and arthritis are strongly correlated with excess poundage and run up medical bills of nearly $ 150 billion every year. The government has poured billions of dollars into dietary campaigns.
    Agricultural subsidies undercut those efforts by skewing the market in favor of unhealthful calories. Much of the food we have to choose from—and how much it costs—is determined by the 2008 farm bill. Federal support for agriculture, begun in earnest during the Great Depression, was originally intended as a temporary lifeline to farmers, paying them extra when crop prices were low. Nearly eight decades later the benefits flow primarily to large commodity producers of corn and soy, which are as profitable as ever.
    The current farm bill gives some $ 4. 9 billion a year in automatic payments to growers of such commodity crops as corn and soy, thus driving down prices for corn, corn-based products and corn-fed meats. Cows that are raised on corn, rather than grass, make meat that is higher in calories and contains more omega-6 fatty acids and fewer omega-3 fatty acids—a dangerous ratio that has been linked to heart disease.
    Cheap corn has also become a staple in highly processed foods, from sweetened breakfast cereals to soft drinks, that have been linked to an increase in the rate of type 2 diabetes, a condition that currently affects more than one in 12 American adults. Between 1985 and 2010 the price of beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup dropped 24 percent. Over the same period the price of fresh fruits and vegetables rose 39 percent. For families on a budget, the price difference can be decisive in their food choices.
    There is no dearth of policy options. Research groups recommend leveling the playing field by extending subsidies and insurance programs more widely to fruit and vegetable producers. The government can also use its own purchasing power, through school lunch programs and institutional buying decisions, to fill people’s plates with healthy choices. The imperative, however, is clear; any new farm bill should at the very least remove the current perverse incentives for people to eat unhealthily.
Farm subsidies have recently aroused concern because of______.
选项 A、the dramatic change in people’s dietary habits
B、the public debate about food prices
C、the unfair flow of benefits from them
D、the huge increase in medical expenses
答案D
解析 [A]选项的误区在于“人们饮食习惯已发生巨大变化”是从第一、二段可以推知的事实，但这并非农业补贴引起关注的原因。[B]选项的误区在于将“价格标签”生硬理解为“食品的价格”。但根据原文可知，“价格标签”实际上指的是健康食品和非健康食品的价格差异。文中并未提及人们就“当前美国的食品价格”存在诸多争议。[C]选项的误区在于第三段首句指出“农业补贴在向不健康食品倾斜”，但这只是对当前农业政策内容的客观说明，不是农业补贴引起关注的原因。
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/NXYRFFFM
0

考研英语一

相关试题推荐
随机试题
最新回复(0)