W A T C H ,
L I S T E N
A N D
S P E A K
Unit 1
Food Quality
Part Ⅰ
View, Listen and Speak
Task One: Food Additives (1)
Food additives are widely used in many countries. However, the discovery a number of
years ago that the food additive Sudan Red was harmful to human health led to a backlash against
all food additives.
For example, the milk we drink in the morning has calcium added to it; numerous beverages
contain calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and other minerals; store bought salt contains
iodine, zinc and silica; and potato chips have as many as 10 types of food additives, such as
spices, edible pigments, citric acid, flavor additives, sweetening agents and silica.
MSG and condiments are considered food additives. Yeast powder is also a food additive
too and is usually added to steamed breads. Even sodium carbonate is a food additive, too, and is
often added to make congee.
To better understand the functions of food additives, Nature & Science did two interesting
experiments at a bakery.
Flour, eggs, sugar, salt and soda are the basic materials used in baking cakes.
First, let’s make a cake without any additives. Mixing egg yolks and whites evenly, we then
add some sugar into it. When the egg and sugar are (done) being mixed, we immediately add
flour, water, soda and bulking agents into the mixture and rapidly mix them to make the batter.
All this must be done within 10 to 30 seconds after which the batter must be immediately placed
into the oven to bake.
Now, let’s make some cakes with additives. When the eggs and sugar are being mixed, we
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答案
八年级地理上册填图题岩土工程勘察试题省略号的作用及举例应急救援安全知识车间5s试题及答案
add some cake oil to the mixture. The cake oil is composed of acidity regulators, antioxidants,
vitamin C and sodium bicarbonate. It can make the egg-sugar mixture rapidly inflate. After
flour, water and soda are poured into the egg-sugar mixture, the cake oil can form compound
membranes with proteins in the cake batter. This can significantly improve the strength and
stability of bubbles in the batter and make sure that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Even after the batter is left for some time, the bubbles will not disappear.
After the cakes are taken out of the oven we can see that the cakes that had the oil added to
them are much nicer to look at and are more flexible than those without the additives. Even the
insides of the cakes are remarkably different. The internal structure of the cake without additives
is uneven and brittle. But the internal structure of the cake with additives is even, soft and flexible
and tastes delicious and moist.
The benefits of food additives do not just apply to cakes but also to many other foods.
Emulsifiers are what give ice cream its delicious taste. The sweeteners lead to low-calorie,
low-sugar products.
Without edible pigments, there wouldn’t be various colorful candies.
Without preservatives, canned foods couldn’t be preserved for months on end, making it
difficult to get them to consumers’ hands before they go bad. Preservatives can prevent the growth
of bacteria and ensure the freshness of nutrition in the food for a short period of time. From this
aspect, food additives are very important to our health. Without them, we can hardly imagine
what life would be like. Food additives can keep and improve the color and flavor of foods. They
can even increase the nutritional value of certain foods and improve the quality of our life. With
the rapid development of the food industry, the type and usage of food additives have increased
dramatically, and they have been applied more widely and become an indispensable aspect of
modern food processing.
Task Two: Food Additives (2)
Food additives are widely used in many countries. Several years ago, the discovery that
something called Sudan Red was harmful to human health led to a backlash against all food
additives. In toxicology, the dosage decides the toxicity.
If the intake of a substance is below its acceptable intake level, damage to the human health
is within an acceptable scope. After evaluating the safety of a food additive, scientists put forth
its acceptable daily intake (ADI) per kilogram of an average person’s body weight as the basis for
governments to stipulate the applications and maximum dosages of food additives.
The Food Safety and Toxicology Evaluation Procedures issued by the Chinese Ministry of
Unit
1
Food Quality
Health require that every food additive must undergo oral acute toxicity tests, genetic toxicity
tests, teratogenic tests, 90-day feeding trials and carcinogenic tests in animals.
According to their toxicological data, food additives are divided into 3 categories: very safe,
safe and unsafe. The first category of food additives have no restrictions related to their usage in
food processing. They do not need ADI values but simply reference dosages.
For example, after a large number of biochemical and toxicological researches, the
international Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) announced that it planned to
cancel the acceptable daily intake restriction of monosodium glutamate (MSG).
This shows that MSG is a very safe food additive. China’s standards stipulate that MSG can
be used in various types of food according to the practical needs of food production. For example,
the maximum reference dosage of MSG is 1.3 milligrams per kilogram in candy, 190 milligrams
per kilogram in condiments and 4,300 milligrams per kilogram in soups.
The second category of food additives is food additives deemed safe. JECFA has established
ADI values for each of them.
Their uses in food processing are restricted. For instance, long-term animal experiments
show that lemon yellow has the weakest toxicity of synthetic pigments and is a safe food additive.
Its ADI is 0―7.5 milligrams per kilogram. In China, it is stipulated that its maximum dosage is
0.1 grams per kilogram in fruit juices, drinks, candies and shrimps and 0.02 grams per kilogram
in ice cream.
The third category of food additives is unsafe. According to toxicological data, such
additives are considered to be unsafe for use in food. In 2002, the Chinese Ministry of Health
announced the prohibition of 59 types of natural raw materials in food, They are unsafe and if
they are found in any food product, the company in question would be subject to legal action.
Now that there are so many toxicological regulations overseeing the safety of food additives,
why do so many consumers think food additives are a food safety issue? This perception is in part
caused by the bad behavior of a very small minority of food processing companies who violate
the state’s health standards through the use of illegal food additives. They increase the dosage of
food additives or add some things that are not food additives into food. Consumers should stand
up and safeguard their rights.
They have the right to know what additives are in the food they are buying. For example,
soy sauce usually has preservatives added. When a consumer buys a bottle of soy sauce in the
supermarket, he can read the specific name of the preservative, say sodium benzoate or potassium
sorbate, on the label of the bottle. Similarly, the specific names of sweeteners, such as xylitol and
acesulfame potassium, added to soy sauce should also be marked on the label.
When a type of food is added with more than 2 coloring agents, their specific names, such
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as Fancy Red and Bright Blue, should be clearly marked on the label. So when consumers buy
food at the market, they can read the instructions on food packages to know what additives are in
them.
This red liquid is called Carmine. It’s a synthetic edible pigment. Its acceptable daily intake
(ADI) is up to 4 milligrams per kilogram. Its maximum dosage is no more than 0.1 grams per
kilogram in candy and no more than 0.025 grams per kilogram in soy milk and sausage casing.
It is important that we correctly understand food additives and what they are. We shouldn’t
regard them as harmful, nor should we be misguided by attempts to exaggerate their benefits.
Task Three: Sanlu Milk
Investigation Continues into Sanlu Milk Powder
Chinese authorities are launching an investigation, following reports of kidney stones in
infants, after they were fed powdered milk made by Sanlu Company in Hebei Province. Sanlu has
already admitted to contamination of the product.
Friday saw investigators from the Ministry of Health, the quality watchdog and relevant
departments visiting affected children in hospitals. They then visited Sanlu’s headquarters in
Shijiazhuang city, to take samples, and check on how the local government was dealing with the
incident.
An initial investigation shows milk powder containing melamine, which is used in making
plastics, fertilizers and cleaning products.
The quality regulator has launched a nationwide probe into all baby milk powders.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health is sharing relevant information with the World Health
Organization.
Part Ⅳ
Further Development
Food Safety to Be Resolved in China
Well, The recent series of food safety scandals to hit China has prompted calls for a revamp
to supervision practices. During the 3rd China Food Safety Forum, participants committed to
implement stricter law enforcement to assure food safety in China.
To buy or not to buy, it is a question many have to ponder now, as a wave of food safety
scares has renewed fears in China over continued problems. Shoppers told us they hope food
Unit
1
Food Quality
safety violations will be resolved in a more effective and timely manner.
(A Beijing resident)
“I often buy food and other products that are popular and have a good reputation.”
During the 3rd China Food Safety Forum, about 10 governmental departments related to
food safety vowed to implement (more) stricter enforcement to assure the quality of food.
(Yu Jun, vice director general of Department of Food Safety of State Council of China)
“We will improve our monitoring system. We are urging the local governments to standard
enterprises. Companies and individuals will be handed severe penalties if they break food safety
or other laws pertaining to the quality of food.”
In China, there are about 500 thousand food production companies. But for many of them, a
weak food value chain is the main problem. When a scandal emerges, the public interrogates not
only supervisory agencies, but also blames the food company at the center of the controversy.
(Huang Qitai, chief scientist of Synutra International, Inc)
“I think the food safety problem depends on the people in the company. We should raise our
company’s culture to a new level in order to win the respect of consumers, so we do not see the
illegal additives in our food today.”
A publicity week on China Food Safety is also beginning around the country. The aim is to
make people know more about the State’s standard of food safety and the knowledge of additives
in food.
Tainted food scandals have caused nationwide concern. As, it is urgent for related
departments to more strictly enforce laws and regulations to resolve the country’s food safety
problems, which concern everyone’s health.
练习答案
Unit One Food Quality
Task One
1. 1) D
2) B
3) A
4) C
5) D
2. 1) materials
2) additives
3) sugar
4) mixture
5) oven
6) composed
7) inflate
8) stability
9) Even after the batter is left for some time, the bubbles won’t disappear.
10) But the internal structure of the cake with additives is even, soft and flexible and tastes
delicious and moist.
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Task Two
1. 1) A 2) B
Task Three
1. 1) B 2) A
3) D
3) A
4) B
4) D
5) D
5) B
2. 1) investigation
5) quality watchdog
2) kidney stones
6) affected
3) contamination
7) headquarters
4) investigators
8) samples
9) how the local government was dealing with the incident
10) which is used in making plastics, fertilizers and cleaning products
W A T C H ,
L I S T E N
A N D
S P E A K
Unit 2
Job Hunting
Part Ⅰ
View, Listen and Speak
Task One: Graduates Feel Market Squeeze
According to the job fairs we’ve just seen and also recent surveys show the hiring prospects
are bleak for this year’s college graduates. In China’s financial hub—Shanghai, and the country’s
export base—Guangdong province, most students are still waiting for job offers. As Wang Xiqing
reports.
Seven out of ten here still haven’t found a job, and most of them are desperate.
On average, these students in Shanghai have sent out thirty to fifty applications each. And in
extreme cases, some have posted copies of their resumes six hundred times.
Surveys show students’ minimum salary expectations are between two to three thousand
yuan a month. Foreign or multi-national companies top the list in applications, while small
private companies are the least favored, because of fears they could go bust the next day.
Many students say they’re willing to work as interns in the hope that excellent performance
during their probation period(实习期,试用期)might win them a contract. However, only a
very small proportion of companies are actually willing to take on interns. And even if they do,
that often means low-value positions like answering phone calls at reception.
The situation is even worse in Guangdong, where only 8.4% of final year students have
signed labor contracts.
Over 330,000 local college students will graduate in July, 14% more than last year. And
adding the number of graduating students from other provinces coming to Guangdong in search
for jobs, the army of young job seekers in the province will top 500,000 this year.
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To rub salt into the wound the demand for graduates has dipped by 20%, as companies are
trying to limit their labor costs in the wake of the economic slowdown.
The unfortunate figures mean that all their efforts to hunt down a job could prove to be
fruitless.
(A graduate student in Guangdong)
“Whether you’re from an urban or rural area, if you’re unemployed, then you should
expect some kind of minimum subsidy from the government. But we graduates are not officially
considered to be unemployed. We’re called people awaiting jobs. I’m very disturbed by this
definition.”
The employment situation was a top concern during the government’s political sessions
earlier this month. Officials acknowledged that hiring prospects in China are grave, and a slew of
measures have been announced in the hope of relieving the situation.
A total of 7.1 million college graduates will chase jobs this year, including 1 million who
failed to secure employment last year.
Task Two: New Year, New Job
(Tracy) If you look at any list of New Year’s resolutions, you wouldn’t be surprised to see
“Find a better job” right at the top. Vera Gibbons of Kiplinger’s personal finance magazines is
here to have some tips to help you get a better job or maybe take on a career change.
(Vera Gibbons) That’s right. Good morning, Tracy! Nice to see you.
(Tracy) Nice to see you, too. Happy new year.
(Vera Gibbons) The same to you.
(Tracy) Start the new year, start looking for a new job, it’s amazing. How many people are
actually doing that?
(Vera Gibbons) Yes, one survey finds that 75% of American workers plan to look for a new
job this year. They’re unhappy with the pay, they’re unhappy with the situational they work, they
want new challenges since there’s no room for advancement with their current employer, so a lot
of people are going to be out there looking for work. This is a time of the year where we’re more
inclined to take the bull by the horns, take the initiative to go out there and find a good job…
(Tracy) Resolution thing.
(Vera Gibbons) Yes.
(Tracy) Is there a good time to go about doing this?
(Vera Gibbons) Well, opportunities pop up all the year along, but, yes, the heaviest of hiring
does take place in the beginning of the year: they fire at the end of the year and they hire in the
Unit
2
Job Hunting
new.
(Tracy) They fire for Christmas. So if you think about doing, you really should get out there
now.
(Vera Gibbons) Get out there now, and get the ball rolling, yes.
(Tracy) What about the job market in 2007? What does it look like?
(Vera Gibbons) It is softening a little bit, job growth is a little slowing down some because
of the contraction in housing and auto-sell sector, but that’s been offset a bit by the service sector.
These companies are high in the service industry. We’re actually expecting 1.3 million jobs be
created this year, and once a writer by Career Role Builder actually found that 40% of employers
will be hiring full-time employees this year, so it’s not a bad time, it’s not great, it’s, it’s OK.
(Tracy) OK, so if you’re ready take the plunge, if you want to get out there, you have some
tips, No. 1 is “Do some soul searching”.
(Vera Gibbons) Yes, I just think in order to get out a job that isn’t going anywhere career,
that’s gonna drift, you really need to sit down and be proactive here. You can’t be reactive, you
have to be proactive. Motivation is really the key to make any changes in your personal life.
People may sit back and say: well, getting a paycheck and benefits are good, why rock the boat?
Here’s the thing: we’re spending half of our life in workplace. If you’re unhappy, do some soul
searching, figure out where you are, where you would like to go.
(Tracy) And part of that, as you say, is “Prioritize your options”, what do you mean?
(Vera Gibbons) Yeah, I mean write down five to ten things that are important to you in your
job and career, maybe you want a better work-life bounce, a more flexible schedule, whatever
that happens to be, take a look at what makes you happy, what makes you unhappy, take a look
at your goals, your dreams, your aspirations and then put together a plan to actually reach those
goals because you are more inclined to get there if you have a plan in place.
(Tracy) Good idea, you can actually write this all out. Also when you go out there for the job
search, you gotta have the resume, so you say “Make the resume stand out”.
(Vera Gibbons) Yeah, you know, with the employees only spend about 10 seconds looking at
your resume…
(Tracy) Ten seconds?
(Vera Gibbons) Yeah, and get this on average, for every 245 resumes, they get the interview.
One person per 245 resume, so it’s very competitive. You need to have your resume stand out,
Keep it thin, keep it short, keep it to the point, focus on your measurable accomplishments. And
because you’ll be looking for different jobs, you should be highlighting different skills different
experiences that may be relevant for one position and may not be relevant for another, so you
wanna highlight different ones, have several different versions of resumes all ready to go, then
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get out there, do the networking.
(Tracy) Ok, just briefly, you say do not look online, you need to hand this out, hand out to
your friends, do lots of networking.
(Vera Gibbons) A lot of networking , that’s the key.
(Tracy) Vera Gibbons, thanks.
(Vera Gibbons) Thanks.
Task Three: Laid-off Workers in China
In over two decades of opening up, China has gradually reformed into a market economy.
One major move was to restructure the large state-owned enterprises (SOEs ). Some practices
were successful and benefited many. But on the other side of the coin, several companies lost
their competitiveness, and had to lay off workers in order to survive. In today’s Working Asia,
Zou Yue brings us a story about laid-off workers.
Everyday they walk into the factory to work, but now they have to worry about their jobs.
For the 4 thousand workers at the state-owned Wuhan Boiler Factory, the country’s reform drive
has meant new challenge