If you, like me, distrust school cafeterias, you pack homemade lunches for your children, as I did until my sons fi nished high school. But in the rush to get youngsters up, dressed, fed and off to school on time, the safety of that packed lunch easily can be overlooked.

While there are no statistics on how often schoolchildren are sickened by the lunches they bring from home, it’s far better to be safe than sorry, said Nancy Donley, the president of STOP FOODBORNE ILLNESS, an advocacy organization. Ms. Donley, who lives in Chicago, knows the risks all too well. In 1993 she lost her only child, 6-year-old Alex, to one of the nastiest food contaminants, innocently consumed in store-bought ground meat. Rather than retreat into a fetal position, she channeled her grief and anger into helping others avoid a similar tragedy.

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in six Americans will be felled by food poisoning this year, with 128,000 hospitalized and 3,000 people dying as a result. Thirty-one organisms are known causes of 9.4 million of these illnesses, but 38.4 million people will be sickened by unknown pathogens. Our extraordinarily complex food supply, with commodities coming in year round from all over the world, has seriously challenged government efforts to keep consumers safe.

“Over the years, we’ve made progress in some areas but gone backward in others,” Ms. Donley said in an interview. “With so many deaths and illnesses each year from contaminated foods, there’s still a long way to go.”

While organizations like hers press for stricter inspection standards from the government and tighter controls from the food industry, Ms. Donley believes that consumers also must protect themselves as best they can.

“It’s important for the public to understand there are risks in food, and it’s up to them to try to mitigate those risks,” she said. And since children are among the most vulnerable to severe consequences of food poisoning, it makes sense to start with the lunches they take to school.

A standard rule of food safety is to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot until it is time to eat them. Temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees, not uncommon in packed lunches that sit in warm classrooms for hours, are ideal conditions for bacterial growth. Insulated lunch boxes can help keep food safer. The best box (hard-sided or soft) has an insulated lining and a pocket in which to place a thin freezer pack to help keep the contents cold until they are consumed.

What to put in those boxes? Foods like peanut butter and sliced cheese can tolerate room temperatures without spoiling, especially if insulation is lacking. Also consider pantry-safe foods packed in easy-to-open containers, like tuna that can be eaten out of a fl ip-top can, with or without bread.

Boxed milk or juice sold unrefrigerated is also a safe bet. And you can freeze these (as well as a water bottle) ahead of time and use them as cold packs; as they defrost, they’ll keep the rest of the lunch chilled. A number of sandwiches—for example, those made with lunch meats, tuna or egg salad—can be made the night before and frozen as well; they’ll defrost by lunch time. If your child likes lettuce and tomato, pack them separately to be put on the sandwich before eating. If you include cut-up vegetables, be sure they are washed fi rst and packed in a clean container. Dried fruits and whole fruits like apples, bananas, oranges and grapes can round out the meal and can be kept safely at room temperature. But all fresh fruits, even those that will be peeled, must be washed before they are put in the lunch box.

Before preparing food, wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds. Counter-tops and cutting boards should be washed as well; they can be sanitized. For the sake of convenience, I use a spray-on bleach product to clean my countertops and sink, and I wash everything that comes into contact with raw animal products immediately after use.
Of course, any surface, utensil or hand that comes into contact with raw meat, poultry, fish or eggs must always be thoroughly cleaned before being used for other foods, including those same foods after they are cooked.

Ideally, children should wash up before lunch, but that may not happen when they have only 15 to 20 minutes to eat. Alternatively, put a pocket-size hand sanitizer or moistened antibacterial towelette in the lunch box and instruct them to use it before they eat.

From The New York Times, August 29, 2011

1. According to the author, the safety of homemade lunches ______.

A. is obviously ensured

B. can be easily ignored

C. is no better than food in school cafeterias

D. is known to all the people

2. Some parties are mentioned in the article in terms of taking responsibility of mitigating the

food poisoning EXCEPT ______.

A. the government   B. the food industry       C. the press        D. consumers

3. In order to ensure food safety you should ______.

A. keep packed lunches between 40 degrees and 140 degrees

B. keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot

C. put the food in lunch boxes with a soft lining and a pocket

D. keep the lunch boxes in warm classrooms

4. ______ can perfect the meal.

A. Peanut butter or sliced cheese         B. Boxed milk or juice

C. Tuna or egg salad     D. Dried fruits and whole fruits

5. If there is not enough time to have lunch, children can wash up by using ______.

A. a spray-on bleach product   B. warm water

C. soap     D. a pocket-size hand sanitizer

1. B

本题为细节题。根据题干我们可以参考文章第一段But in the rush to get youngsters up, dressed, fed and off to school on time, the safety of that packed lunch easily can be overlooked得知 ，人们常常对学校食堂提供的食物抱有不信任的态度 ，但是早上为了帮助孩子起床 、穿衣、吃饭并准时出发去学校，时间会非常匆忙，以至于会忽视所准备的午饭的安全性。因此选择B 。

2. C

本题为细节题。文章第五段While organizations like hers press for stricter inspection  standards  from the government and tighter controls from the food industry, Ms. Donley believes that consumers also must protect themselves as best

they can这段话中提到需要对食物安全进行监督的方面有政府、食品行业以及消费者自身，并没有提到媒体，所以应该选择C。

3. B

本题为细节题。文章第七段第一句话告诉我们A standard rule of food safety is to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot ，因此选项B正确；本段还提出不要把食物保持在40~ 140摄氏度之间 ，因为此温度有利于细菌的滋生，因此选项A和D错误 ；同时本段还提到了有隔热作用的午餐盒（Insulated lunch boxes can help keep food safer. ），并且文章还指出，最好带有隔热衬里和一个可以放置轻薄冷冻包装的小袋子，因此选项C错误 。综上所述应选择B 。

4. D

本题为细节题。文章第八段提到选项A（foods like peanut butter and sliced cheese）可以放在常温下；第九段提到选项B（boxed milk or juice sold unrefrigerated）也是一个安全的选择，你也可以提前冷藏一下，那么当解冻的时候，正好也可以冷却其他的午餐。这一段还提到了选项C（tuna or egg salad）可以前一天晚上准备并冷藏起来。同时还可以吃一些水果dried fruits and whole fruits ，使午餐更加完美，当然水果可以放在常温下。综上所述应选择D。

5. D

本题为细节题。先分析一下四个选项 ：选项A可以用来清洗厨房的工作台面和洗涤槽  （I use a spray-on bleach product to clean my countertops and sink ）；选项B和C是在准备食物之前用来洗手的；选项D是在没有太多时间吃午饭的时候 ，方便起见用来洗手的。综上所述应选择D 。

参考译文

如果你也像我一样讨厌学校餐厅的伙食，你就会为你的孩子装一盒自己做的午饭，我就是这样做的，直到我的儿子们高中毕业。但是你每天早上要叫孩子们起床、给他们穿衣服、做早饭并及时把他们送到学校，你很容易就会忽视所准备的午饭的安全性。

南希 • 唐利是倡导组织 “防止食源性疾病” （STOP FOODBORNE ILLNESS ）的总干事，她认为，虽然没有数据统计学生吃 自备午餐的发病率 ，但注意安全总不会出错。唐利女士住在芝加哥 ，她非常了解其中的危险。1993年，她6岁的独子亚历克斯因食用从商店购买的含有食物污染物的碎 肉而无辜中毒身亡。她并没有因此自怜自哀 ，而是把痛苦和愤怒转化成力量 ，帮助别人避免类似的悲剧。

根据疾病控制与防治中心（Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ）最新的数据，今年将会有六分之一的美国人因食物中毒而病倒，其中12.8万人将接受住院治疗，最终有3000人死去。在诸多食物中毒的病例中，有940万例是由已知的31种有机物导致的，但是有3840万人因未知病原体致病。每年源源不断地从世界各地进口的食品，种类异常繁多，保障食品安全成了政府的一大挑战性工作 。

 “这些年，我们在一些领域取得进步，但在其他领域却倒退了。”唐利女士在一次采访中说， “每年有这么多因受污染食物导致的死亡和疾病事故 ，我们还有很长的路要走”。 虽然有像她这样的组织强烈要求政府建立更严格的检验标准并且更加严格地控制食品产业 ，但唐利女士认为消费者也必须尽量自我保护。

 “公众一定要知道食物中的危险，而且他们自己应该尽力减少这些危险的发生。”她说 。而且 ，由于儿童最容易受到有毒食物的严重危害，所以防止此类危险应该从为他们做的午餐开始 。

保证食品安全的一个准则是在食物被食用之前，让冷的食物保持冷藏，让热的食物保温 。华氏40度至140度之间是细菌生长的最适宜温度 ，而饭盒放在温暖的教室里几个小时通常都保持着这个温度。保温饭盒能够让食物保存得更安全。最好的饭盒（硬盒或软盒）有一个保温内衬和一个装有轻薄冷冻包的口袋，保证食物在食用前保持冷藏 。

饭盒里应该装哪些食物呢？像花生酱和切片奶酪这样的食物能够在室温下，尤其是在没有保温包装的情况下保存。还有一些适宜在餐具室中保存的装在易开容器中的食品，如翻盖易拉罐装的金枪鱼，可以配面包，也可不配。

未冷冻而出售的盒装牛奶或果汁也是非常安全的。你可以事先把它们（以及一个装水的瓶子）冻成冰 ，用作冷藏袋；当它们解冻时，它们会让其余的食物保持低温。在前一天晚上可以做一些三明治——例如加午餐肉、金枪鱼或鸡蛋沙拉的三明治——然后冷冻 ；它们也可以在午饭前解冻。如果你的孩子喜欢生菜和西红柿，应把它们单独包装 ，在食用前加入三明治即可。如果你准备了切好的蔬菜，确保先把菜洗好并装入一个干净的容器中。水果干和像苹果、香蕉、橙子和葡萄这样整个的水果可以放在饭盒外围，并在室温下保存。但是所有的新鲜水果，即使是要剥皮吃的，在放入饭盒前也必须清洗。

准备食物前，用温水和肥皂洗手20秒。洗手池和菜板也要清洗；可以给它们消毒。出于方便，我使用漂白喷剂清洁洗手池和水池，任何接触过生肉的器具，在使用完后，我都要清洗它们 。

当然 ，任何接触过生肉、家禽、鱼或蛋类的表面、器具或手在接触其他食物，包括同样的做熟的食物之前，都要彻底清洗 。

儿童要在午饭前洗手 ，但是由于他们只有15到20分钟的午饭时间，所以可能没时间洗手。另一个方法就是在饭盒中放一个小净手器或者抗菌湿餐巾纸 ，指导孩子在饭前使用。

重点、难点词汇

advocacy n. 拥护 ，提倡 ；主张               

insulate vt. 隔离 ；使隔绝

contaminant n. 污染物                   

lining n. （用纸、塑料、金属做成的）衬层

retreat vi. 退缩 ；逃避                  

flip-top adj . 有易拉盖的

fetal adj . 胎儿的；像胎儿一样 的               l

ettuce n. 莴苣

fell vt. 击倒 ；致 ……于死地                                 

cut-up adj . 切碎的；割碎的

hospitalize vt. 送 ……进医院治疗                           

round out: 使 ……更完美

organism n. 微生物                                      

countertop n.   （厨房的 ）工作 台面

pathogen n. 病原体                                      

sanitize vt. 给……消毒 ；使 ……卫生

mitigate vt. 减轻 ；缓解                                 

bleach n. 漂 白剂

vulnerable adj . 易受伤害的                              

utensil n. 器皿 ，用具

长句疑难句分析

1. While there are no statistics on how often schoolchildren are sickened by the lunches they bring from home, it s far better to be safe than sorry.

本句包含形容词的比较级better  ... than  ...。在此结构中，常见的比较级修饰语有 ： much、a little、a great deal、far、by far、even、will、still、a bit、a little、rather、any 。

如 ：This movie is far more interesting than I expected. 这部电影比我原想的有意思得多。

2. Of course, any surface, utensil or hand that comes into contact with raw meat, poultry, fish or eggs must always be thoroughly cleaned before being used for other foods, including those same foods after they are cooked.

本句包含that引导的限制性定语从句（限制性定语从句that comes into contact with raw和before引导的时间状语从句（时间状语从句before being used for other foods ，由于其主语与主句的主语相同，即any surface, utensil or hand，于是省略主语，用动词的现在分词来表示 ）。