Climate change: Will insect-eating dogs help? 應對氣候變化:讓寵物狗改吃蟲子

1955

你有沒有因為環保人士把氣候變化歸咎於自家的寵物狗而感到煩惱不已?別怕,現在只要給你家 「汪汪」 喂用黑色兵蠅做成的狗糧,不用喂什麼巴西牛肉,它也能長得胖胖的。一家寵物食品製造商說,他們的一款新產品中含有 40% 的兵蠅幼蟲。

文字稿

It’s estimated that pets consume around 20% of the world’s meat. That’s led some owners to worry about the impact of their dog on the planet, as meat production is a major source of greenhouse gases.

據估計,寵物吃掉全球20%的肉類。這使一些寵物主人開始擔心自家狗給地球造成的影響,因為肉類生產是溫室氣體的主要來源。

Vegan dog foods are on sale but environmentalist owners wanting to treat their pet to animal protein can now turn to a Dutch product called Yora. The grubs of black soldier flies make up 40% of it.

純素狗糧已有售,但那些注重環保的、想給寵物吃動物蛋白的狗主人們現在可以轉向一款叫作 Yora 的荷蘭產品。這個產品中含40% 的黑色兵蠅幼蟲。

Insects do use a fraction of the water and land of cattle. So this looks an environmental boon. But it’s not quite so simple. Normal dog food is mostly offal, so dogs are typically eating meat that humans have rejected. To really make an environmental difference, owners would need to join their dogs in cutting down on the meat.

昆蟲的用水和用地面積是牛所用的極小的一部分。所以這款產品看來對環境大有裨益。但事情並沒有那麼簡單。普通狗糧的原料大多是動物下水,所以狗吃的通常是人類不要的肉類。要想對環境做出實質性改變,狗主人需要和他們的狗一起少吃肉。

1. 詞彙

consume 大量吃、消耗
meat production 肉類生產
greenhouse gases 溫室氣體
vegan 純素的
environmentalist 注重環保人士
animal protein 動物蛋白
grubs 幼蟲
soldier flies 兵蠅
a fraction of 極少的一部分
cattle 牛的總稱
boon 有益處的事物
offal 動物內臟
cutting down on 減少…的攝入

2. 閱讀理解:請在讀完上文後,回答下列問題 。

1. True or false? Insects use more water and land than that of cattle.

2. How much of the world’s meat do pets consume?

3. What would owners need to do in really make an environmental difference?

4. Which word in the text is a synonym of 『usually’?

3. 答案

1. True or false? Insects use more water and land than that of cattle.
False. Insects do use a fraction of the water and land of cattle, which means they use only a small part of what cattle use.

2. How much of the world’s meat do pets consume?
It’s estimated that pets consume around 20% of the world’s meat.

3. What would owners need to do to really make an environmental difference?
To really make an environmental difference, ownerswould need to join their dogs in cutting down on the meat.

4. Which word in the text is a synonym of 『usually’?
Typically.