阅读理解
There's a new frontier in 3D printing
that's beginning to come into focus: food. Recent development has made possible
machines that print, cook, and serve foods on a mass scale. And the industry
isn't stopping there.
Food production
With a 3D printer, a cook can
print complicated chocolate sculptures and beautiful pieces for decoration on a
wedding cake. Not everybody can do that — it takes years of experience, but
a printer makes it easy. A restaurant in Spain uses a Foodini to
"re-create forms and pieces" of food that are "exactly the
same," freeing cooks to complete other tasks. In another restaurant, all
of the dishes and desserts it serves are 3D-printed, rather than farm to table.
Sustainability(可持续性)
The global population is expected
to grow to 9.6 billion by 2050, and some analysts estimate that food production
will need to be raised by 50 percent to maintain current levels. Sustainability
is becoming a necessity. 3D food printing could probably contribute to the
solution. Some experts believe printers could use hydrocolloids (水解胶体) from plentiful renewables like algae(藻类) and grass to replace the familiar ingredients(烹饪原料). 3D printing can reduce fuel use and emissions. Grocery stores of
the future might stock "food" that lasts years on end, freeing up
shelf space and reducing transportation and storage requirements.
Nutrition
Future 3D food printers could
make processed food healthier. Hod Lipson, a professor at Columbia University,
said, "Food printing could allow consumers to print food with customized
nutritional content, like vitamins. So instead of eating a piece of yesterday's
bread from the supermarket, you'd eat something baked just for you on
demand."
Challenges
Despite recent advancements in
3D food printing, the industry has many challenges to overcome. Currently, most
ingredients must be changed to a paste(糊状物) before a printer can use them,
and the printing process is quite time-consuming, because ingredients interact
with each other in very complex ways. On top of that, most of the 3D food
printers now are restricted to dry ingredients, because meat and milk products
may easily go bad. Some experts are skeptical about 3D food printers, believing
they are better suited for fast food restaurants than homes and high-end
restaurants.
(1)
What benefit does 3D printing bring to food production?
A . It helps cooks to create new dishes.
B . It saves time and effort in cooking.
C . It improves the cooking conditions.
D . It contributes to restaurant decorations.
(2)
What can we learn about 3D food printing from Paragraphs 3?
A . It solves food shortages easily.
B . It quickens the transportation of food.
C . It needs no space for the storage of food.
D . It uses renewable materials as sources of food.
(3)
According to Paragraph 4, 3D-printed food ________.
A . is more available to consumers
B . can meet individual nutritional needs
C . is more tasty than food in supermarkets
D . can keep all the nutrition in raw materials
(4)
What is the main factor that prevents 3D food printing from spreading widely?
A . The printing process is complicated.
B . 3D food printers are too expensive.
C . Food materials have to be dry.
D . Some experts doubt 3D food printing.
(5)
What could be the best title of the passage?
A . 3D Food Printing: Delicious New Technology
B . A New Way to Improve 3D Food Printing
C . The Challenges for 3D Food Production
D . 3D Food Printing: From Farm to Table
答案: B
D
B
C
A