Part B Read the following text carefully and then
translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be
written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2.
Immediately after the Civil War, however, the diet began to
change. (61) Rail transportation increased the supply and improved the
quality of the milk that reached urban centers; cold storage and refrigerator
cars made possible the greater consumption of fresh vegetalbes, fresh fruits,
and fresh fish; and commercial canning extended the range of appetizing and
healthy foods. Subsequently food statistics indicated an increased
consumption of dairy products, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, sugar and syrups,
coffee, tea, cocoa, and spices. Decreased consumption was shown for meats,
potatoes, and grain products. (62) By and large, the American diet continued
to reflect a considerable reliance upon animal products, rather than on grains,
which meant that a relatively large acreage was required to feed the American
public. Whereas a grain and fish diet, such as in Japan, requires only a
quarter of an acre high-yield cropland and no pasture per capita, the American
diet requires about two and a half acres of cropland and ten acres of pasture
per capita. Also it indicated a shift toward the so-called protective foods,
toward those high in vitamins and proteins. (63) This change was greatly
furthered by governmental food inspection (the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed
in 1906), by the increasing use of mechanical refrigerators in the 1920’s and
1930’s and of freezers for frozen food during recent decades.
In the years after World War I, a food revolution took place that was
reminscent of the one that occurred after the Civil War. The output of the
food-manufacturing industry quadrupled from 1900 to 1940. (64) In that
interval, as we have mentioned earlier, home canning gave way to commercial
canning, and the labor of housekeeping was lightened.
Fortunately most of the major dietary changes that have taken place since the
middle of the 19th century have resulted in better nutrition for the population.
In part, these shifts have taken place because of a preference for new foods
rather than old, but in part, they have been made because the new foods were
advocated by nutritionists. Apparently American dietary customs were not so
deeply ingrained as to prevent change in the interests of better health. (65)
Possibly one factor that has contributed to the readiness of Americans to accept
new foods or food preparations is the general familiarity most have with a
variety of regional dishes coming from many different lands. Within a small
area in New York City or San Francisco, one can find restaruants specializing in
French, Italian, German, Turkish, Arabian, or Chinese cuisine. And at a Chinese
restaurant in the United States the chef and waiter are as likely as not to be
Oriental.