英语论文网

　　"Clean your plate!" and "Be a member of the clean-plate -club!" Just about every kid in the US has heard this from a parent or grandparent. Often，it's accompanied by an appeal:" Just think about those starving orphans in Africa!" Sure, we should be grateful for every bite of food. Unfortunately, many people in the US take too many bites. Instead of staying "clean the plate", perhaps we should save some food for tomorrow.

　　According to news reports, US restaurants are partly to blame for the growing bellies. A waiter puts a plate of food in front of each customer, with two to four times the amount recommended by the government, according to a USA Today story. Americans traditionally associate quantity with value and most restaurants try to give them that. They prefer to have customers complain about too much food rather than too little.

　　Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University, told USA Today that restaurant portion sizes began to grow in the 1970s, the same time that the American waistline began to expand.

　　Health experts have tried to get many restaurants to serve smaller portions. Now, apparently，some customers are calling for this too. The restaurant industry trade magazine QSR reported last month that 57 percent of more than 4,000 people surveyed believe restaurants serve portions that are too large; 23 percent had no opinion; 20 percent disagreed. But a closer look at the survey indicates that many Americans who can't afford fine dining still prefer large portions. Seventy percent of those earning at least $150,000 per year prefer smaller portions; but only 45 percent of those earning less than $25,000 want smaller.

　　It's not that working class Americans don't want to eat healthy. It's just that，after long hours at low-paying jobs，getting less on their plate hardly seems like a good deal. They live from paycheck to paycheck ，happy to save a little money for next year's Christmas presents.

　　词汇：

　　orphan n.孤儿

　　belly n.肚子

　　nutrition n.营养

　　waistline n.腰围

　　paycheck n.薪金支票

　　注释:

　　1. Be a member of the clean - plate club! 做清盘俱乐部的成员

　　2. Just think about those starving orphans in Africa! 只要想想在非洲挨饿的孤儿们!

　　3. take too many bites 吃得太多

　　4. A Waiter puts a plate of food in front of each customer，with two to four times the amount recommended by the government, according to a USA Today story. 根据《今日美国》刊登的一个故事，服务员给每个顾客一盘饭菜，其量是政府推荐的2至4倍。

　　5. It's just that, after long hours at low-paying jobs, getting less on their plate hardly seems like a

　　good deal. 事情是这样的，美国工人觉得做许多个小时低收入的工作下来，盘子里的饭菜量小有点不合算。

　　练习：

　　1. Parents in the United States tend to ask their children

　　A to save food.

　　B to wash the dishes.

　　C not to waste food.

　　D not to eat too much

　　2. Why do American restaurants serve large portions?

　　A Because Americans associate quantity with value.

　　B Because Americans have big bellies.

　　C Because Americans are good eaters.