現代人從餐廳或外賣店購買午餐已經是家常便飯了，但這種習慣可能正在對地球造成破壞，因為購買外賣食品會產生很多食品包裝垃圾。那么如何減少由于買外帶食品而帶來的垃圾呢？本集《隨身英語》介紹一些商家為了鼓勵減少一次性餐具的使用而向顧客推出的促銷活動。

Vocabulary: eating 詞匯: 飲食

A lunch break – it’s an important and often necessary part of our working or school day. It’s a chance to stop your tummy rumbling, grab a bite to eat and maybe chat with some friends. And now we’re spoilt with an array of places to buy our lunch from, all offering tempting dishes and humble sandwiches to eat on the go.

But our appetite for buying our lunchtime fare is not just costing us money, there might be a cost in terms of damaging our planet too. Just grabbing a sandwich, crisps and maybe a cake and coffee can produce at least four items of waste. Cartons, cups, wrappers and plastic cutlery are all part of our disposable feast in addition to the food waste we create. Some experts say throwing away food, which produces methane as it rots, is a bigger cause of climate change than plastics.

But regardless of what causes the most damage, the solution, according to an environmental campaign group called Hubbub, is to eat packed lunches. Tessa Tricks from the group says "People are saying that they are buying food to take out because life has got busier." And she says people think they are being more efficient; but she argues that it’s usually healthier and cheaper to make your own lunch. It means you can eat the things you really want and make the quantity that you actually need.

Of course, preparing your lunch is another thing to fit into your morning scramble of getting ready for work, so if you haven't got time and you are going to buy lunch, an alternative Hubbub suggests is to take your own container to a shop and ask them to put your food in it. The idea of using reusable coffee cups for hot drinks and refilling water bottles has already proved successful, so this could be another step in the right direction. A trial in East Anglia (in the UK) showed that offering a 10% price reduction did persuade some customers to come prepared with their own lunch box.

The problem with eating on the move is that you might want to carry your grub in something that is disposable, so it’s a good idea to make sure it’s something that is recyclable and not to take extra sachets of sauce or utensils that you’re not going to use. The message seems to be that if we give our lunchtime eating habits some thought, we can all do our bit in helping reduce climate change and damage to our environment. That is something for all of us to chew on!

詞匯表

lunch break 午餐休息
grab a bite to eat 吃點兒東西
dish （一道）菜
sandwich 三明治
on the go 外帶，在路上吃
appetite 食欲，胃口
fare （由指飯館里的）飯菜
carton 硬紙盒，塑料盒
wrapper 包裝紙，包裝材料
cutlery 餐具（刀、叉、匙等）
disposable 一次性的
feast （諷刺的）“盛宴”
packed lunch （自帶）盒裝午餐
container （餐）盒，容器
reusable 可重復使用的
lunch box 飯盒
grub 食物
sachet （僅夠用一次的）小包，小袋
utensil 廚房用具
chew on 仔細考慮，好好想想

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. How many items of waste can buying our lunch sometimes create?

2. What reasons have some people given for having to buy takeaway food for lunch?

3. What does Hubbub suggest taking when buying your food for lunch?

4. True or false? In a trial in East Anglia, more customers brought their own lunch boxes when they got a reduction on the quantity of food they bought.

5. What phrase is used in the article to mean ‘action that gets closer to a successful result’?

2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. I’m going to be late for my next meeting so I’ll grab something ______.

go on           the on go        on the go          on a go

2. On holiday in France we found a great restaurant serving traditional ______.

feasts          fare                 appetite            sachets

3. The children made a real mess after the party: There were sweet ______ everywhere!

wrappers     dishes            cutlery             grub

4. I’m ______ which subject to study at university – it depends on what will lead to a better job.

chewing at   chewing on     chewing up      chew on

5. I took a ______ camera with me when I went snorkelling. I didn’t want to risk getting my expensive digital camera wet!

utensils        reusable          container         disposable

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. How many items of waste can buying our lunch sometimes create?
Just grabbing a sandwich, crisps and maybe a cake and coffee can produce at least four items of waste.

2. What reasons have some people given for having to buy takeaway food for lunch?
According to Hubbub, some people say their lives have got busier and buying food to-go is more efficient.

3. What does Hubbub suggest taking when buying your food for lunch?
Hubbub suggests taking your own container to a shop and asking them to put your food in it.

4. True or false? In a trial in East Anglia, more customers brought their own lunch boxes when they got a reduction on the quantity of food they bought.
False. In a trial in East Anglia, a 10% price reduction persuaded some customers to come prepared with their own lunch box.

5. What phrase is used in the article to mean ‘action that gets closer to a successful result’?
The phrase is ‘a step in the right direction’. "The idea of using reusable coffee cups for hot drinks and refilling water bottles has already proved successful so this could be another step in the right direction."

2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. I’m going to be late for my next meeting so I’ll grab something on the go.

2. On holiday in France we found a great restaurant serving traditional fare.

3. The children made a real mess after the party: There were sweet wrappers everywhere!

4. I’m chewing on which subject to study at university – it depends on what will lead to a better job.

5. I took a disposable camera with me when I went snorkelling. I didn’t want to risk getting my expensive digital camera wet!