高中英语阅读理解试题
Convenience(方便) Foods
Instead of buying only fresh foods, Americans nowadays buy many more convenience foods. These are foods which are ready partly or completely prepared. Many of them are frozen, such as frozen dinner, heat-and-serve French fries, and frozen pizzas. There are also many canned convenience foods, such as ready-made spaghetti, soups, stews(炖熟的菜 )and vegetables.
Convenience foods save time and trouble. They are popular with people who are busy or who don’t like to cook or wash dishes. But they often cost more than fresh, unprepared foods and many contain man-made additives. Also, many people feel they don’t taste as good as home-cooked foods.
Health Food and Co-ops
In the 1960s, a “back-to-the-earth” movement was started by young people in the United States. The movement was a reaction against the harmful effects of technology. From the movement came a new understanding of food and health. Many people now prefer natural and organic(有机的) foods to the prepared foods sold in health foods stores and in food co-ops, which are small stores where customers help manage the store. In co-ops, food is usually not packaged. Customers bring their own bags and jars and scoop(汲取) their food out of boxes or baskets.
The Diet Craze(节食热)
These days Americans are more and more concerned with their weight. Perhaps as many as 70 million Americans are on weight-dollar business.
American supermarkets sell a variety of diet food such as soft drinks, diet candy, and diet salad dressings. Dieters also spend money on diet pills, exercise machines, and jogging suits(健美服). Each year dozens of new diets are popularized. They have such names as the Miracle(奇效的) Diet, the Nine-day Wonder Diet, and the East 24-hour Diet. There is even one called the Ice Cream Diet, which advises the dieters to eat only ice cream for lunch and dinner! For dieters who cannot lose weight on their own, there are many well-organized diet groups, which offer help and encouragement.