新奇事件簿 联合国提倡多吃昆虫缓解粮荒

A new United Nations report says that we should all eat insects. The report is from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. It is called "Edible¹ Insects: Future Prospects² for Food and Feed Security". The U.N. says it is important we eat insects to help the Earth. It gave three reasons why we should be adding insects to our diet. The first is they are good for our health. "Insects are healthy, nutritious³ alternatives to mainstream⁴ staples⁵ such as chicken, pork, beef and even fish." The second reason is they are better for the environment than breeding cows, sheep, and other animals. Finally, "insect farming" would help millions of poor families around the world eat and start a small business.

一项新的联合国报告指出，我们都应该食用昆虫。这是联合国粮食及农业组织所做出的报告。报告的名称叫作“食虫：未来食品安全。”联合国称，食用昆虫能够帮助我们拯救地球。就为什么应该食用昆虫，联合国给了如下三个原因。第一，昆虫有益健康。食用昆虫非常健康，昆虫富含大量能够替代主食的营养物质，例如鸡肉、猪肉、牛肉，甚至是鱼类。第二个原因是，对保护环境而言，食用昆虫要比饲养牛、羊等牲畜更加利于环保。最后，“昆虫养殖业”将解决全球上百万家庭的吃饭问题，帮助他们开始进行小本经营。

Many cultures already include insects in their diet. The report says: "Many people around the world eat insects out of choice, largely because of the [tastiness]….More than 1, 900 species have reportedly been used as food." However, most people in Western or "developed" countries think the idea of eating insects is disgusting. The report says governments need to educate Westerners about the benefits of eating bugs⁶ so they get over the "disgust factor". Ento, a company in London that sells insect-based food, said it is difficult to get people to eat creepy-crawlies. It told the "New Scientist" magazine: "On paper, insects are fantastic, but on a plate, most people won't touch them."

在许多不同文化中，人们已经开始将昆虫列入食谱。报告称：“就食用昆虫而言，全球许多人口是出于自己的选择，而大部分原因是因为它味道鲜美。有报道称，有超过1900种昆虫用于食材。然而，绝大多数西方国家，或是发达国家认为食用昆虫很恶心。报告称，政府需要将食用昆虫的好处讲授给西方民众，这样他们才能战胜“恶心”的心理因素。一个名叫“Ento”的伦敦公司销售昆虫食物，公司称，让人们去直接食用瘆人的爬行动物，这非常难。公司在《新科学家》杂志上称：“如果把昆虫放在纸上，人们会觉得昆虫很棒，但是要是让他吃下，绝大多数人都不会触碰它。

1 edible   

n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的

参考例句：

• Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。
• This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。

2 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

3 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

4 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

5 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

6 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》