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我们生活的世界究竟有多安全？从我们吃进口中的食品安全程度就可以略见一二。近年来，关于食品安全的讨论不绝于耳。疯牛病、禽流感、毒牛奶、毒猪肉轮番轰炸；三聚氰胺、二恶英这类冷门陌生的化学名词也开始成为热点。俗话说，民以食为天。今天，我们就一起来关注一下这个“天”大的问题！
First we had 1)BSE; then we had 2)Foot and Mouth followed by bird flu, and now there is another food scare—this time involving pigs. Anyone who has bought Irish bacons, sausages or other pork products over the past two months has been told to destroy them amid fears they could be poisoned.
Ireland’s Food Safety Authority is recalling all pork products made in the country since 1st September because super high level of 3)dioxins have been found at 9 farms across Ireland; some are as much as 200 times the recommended amount. And it’s thought it 4)contaminated animal feed, which may be sold to more than 40 farms is to blame.
The main message to consumers is if you have any Irish pork products in your fridges, get rid of them. But don’t panic. The risk here isn’t thought to be great. Dioxins are harmful if you are exposed to them over a long period of time, but as this 5)outbreak only started two months ago, the danger is very slight. Plus the UK gets most of its pork products from countries other than Ireland. So, the amount of affected meat on the market here is minimal.
It’s a different story in Ireland though. Britain may not rely on Irish pork but the UK is still one of Ireland’s biggest customers. Not only that, all bacons, hams, sausages and even things like meat pizzas are having to be destroyed. And it could spell disaster for Ireland’s 400 pig farmers in the 6)run-up to Christmas. Their representatives insist this scare affects less than 10 percent of the products on the market at the moment; and that all meat produced from now on will be perfectly safe. Still, it’s likely to
7)dent consumer confidence on both sides of the Irish Sea at one of the most important times of year for the meat industry.
先是疯牛病，然后是口蹄疫，紧跟着禽流感，现在又有另外一场食品危机——这一次，与猪有关。在过去两个月间购买了爱尔兰熏肉、香肠或其他猪肉制品的顾客已经被告知要彻底销毁这些猪肉制品，以防中毒。
爱尔兰食品安全部门宣布招回9月1号以后本国生产的所有猪肉制品，因为在爱尔兰9个农场中查出猪肉内含有超高含量的二恶英（致癌物质），有的甚至达到了推荐含量的200倍。据悉，卖往超过40多家农场的动物饲料受到了污染有可能是这次事件的起因。
对消费者来说，该事件的最主要信息是，如果你冰箱里还有爱尔兰猪肉制品，请马上扔掉它们。但是不必惊慌，这次事件并不会对人体构成很大的风险。二恶英需要在体内长期积聚才会散发毒性，由于这次事件仅仅发生在两个月前，它对人体的影响是相当轻微的。加上英国还从除爱尔兰之外的多个国家进口猪肉制品，因此英国市场上的问题猪肉数量并不多。
但是在爱尔兰，情况却大不一样。英国或许可以不依赖于爱尔兰的猪肉进口，但英国确是爱尔兰猪肉制品市场的最大客户之一。不仅如此，所有熏肉、火腿、香肠，甚至像肉类比萨这些东西都必须销毁掉。对于正在为圣诞来临做准备的全爱尔兰400多位农场主来说，这可谓灾难。养猪场代表坚称到目前为止，这次事件受影响的猪肉不到市场的百分之十，而在这之后生产的肉制品将会百分百安全。然而，在这个全年最重要的时刻，爱尔兰海峡两岸的消费者对于肉制品产业的信心却依然低下。
Discussion Forum
七嘴八舌讨论区
您如何看待当前的食品安全问题？
What do you think of current food safety?
Opinion 1
I really don’t care. All food tastes good to me. The more you know, the less you wanna eat. Ignorance is bliss for me. I just enjoy pigging out with my chums at our favorite pizza house.
Tips:
说话者一点也不担心食物安全问题。他认为要是人知道得越多，吃得就越少。在他看来，无知是一种幸福（Ignorance is bliss for me.）。所以他照样快乐地跟好友们（chums）在比萨饼店大吃一顿（pig out）。你认同他的观点吗？大家都知道猪是贪吃的动物，那么俚语pig out意思就是“狼吞虎咽地大吃”。
Opinion 2
I don’t think we should jump to a conclusion before we test the water.I have total trust in our government to fix the problem. I just want to be a good-time Charlie.
Tips:
看来说话者很谨慎，而且很有信心政府能解决问题。习语jump to a conclusion指“跳向一个结论”，也就是说，没有经过仔细推敲、深思熟虑而草率下结论。俚语test the water(s)意思是“探索可能采取的行动”。说话者认为在没有对食物安全问题调查清楚之前不要匆匆地下结论。她只想做个快乐的普通人（a good-time Charlie）。
Opinion 3
Boy! What do you think? I guess I am going to be on a diet in order to avoid food safety problems.
For the sake of our health, we should keep our eyes peeled and our fingers crossed when we select our food.
Tips:
感叹语“我的天啊！”有很多表达方式。“Boy!”就是其中之一。词组for the sake of意思是“为了……的利益；为了……起见”，它在口语中很常用。keep one’s eyes peeled就是指“让眼睛睁开”，比喻保持警惕；多加小心。原来基督教信徒除了会在胸口划十字来祈祷，也会把手指打成十字（cross one’s fingers）求上帝保佑，喻指“希望好的结果会发生”。说话者为了逃避食物安全问题打算节食减肥，她还建议在选择食物的时候要多留神，提高警惕。
Opinion 4
I am glad the government is not keeping the problems under their hat.Actually, solutions should be given before the cat is let out of the bag. Otherwise the problems snowball.
Tips:
说话者很高兴政府没有把问题隐瞒着（keep something under one’s hat），但解决方法应该在问题还没浮上水面前就得有所交代，否则问题只会像滚雪球（snowball）那样，越滚越大。习语let the cat out of the bag意为“泄漏秘密”；相反，keep something under one’s hat就是指“将某物藏在帽子里”，喻指“保守秘密”。
Opinion 5
Well, it’s hard not to be worried. Now whenever I am having my grub, the question will pop into my head, “Is this safe?” Food companies should definitely face the music and the government gotta punish the bad eggs right away.
Tips:
说话者在这儿用了好几个非常口语化的俚语，“grub”相当于“food”；“pop into”相当于“appear”；“bad eggs”相当于“bad guys”。而face the music字面意思是“面对乐器”，喻指“面对现实，承担后果”。说话者每逢吃东西的时候，都会担心食物的安全问题。她认为政府要马上严惩食品行业里的那些大坏蛋。
Opinion 6
Come on! Don’t make such a fuss. It’s not the end of the world. If something is wrong with the pork, eat something else. In fact, it’s a good time to lose weight as our choices of safe food are limited now. Don’t be a baby!
Tips:
说话者很不客气地批评了人们过度紧张的态度。Don’t make such a fuss.意为“不要这么大惊小怪。”她认为既然现在安全的食物少了，便是个减肥的好时机。当劝告别人不要像个孩子那样发牢骚时，就可以说 Don’t be a baby!
Opinion 7
All I want to say is: be aware, food makers! We will know where the bodies are buried with the aid of advance technology if you continue to put our healthy lives on the back burner. It’s never too late to confront the problem and prevent it from happening again.
Tips:
说话者在这里对食品制造商提出了警告，指出如果食物制造商继续把人们的生命健康搁置在一边（put sth. on the back burner），人们可以利用先进的技术知道内情（know where the bodies are buried）。习语know where the bodies are buried字面意思是“知道尸体埋在哪里”，喻指“知道内情，了解内幕”。句式It’s never too late to do sth.就是指“做某事永远也不会太晚”。
Opinion 8
I am licking my chops to experience an unpolluted life. Global warming, contaminated environment and now poisonous food, what’s next? The government ought to go all out to rebuild our customers’ confidence.
Tips:
说话者似乎对现实有点失望了。全球变暖、环境污染，还有现在的有毒食品，下一个坏消息将会是什么呢？因此说话者切盼（lick one’s chops）体验无污染的生活，并且认为政府应当全力以赴（go all out）重振消费者的信心。
First we had 1)BSE; then we had 2)Foot and Mouth followed by bird flu, and now there is another food scare—this time involving pigs. Anyone who has bought Irish bacons, sausages or other pork products over the past two months has been told to destroy them amid fears they could be poisoned.
Ireland’s Food Safety Authority is recalling all pork products made in the country since 1st September because super high level of 3)dioxins have been found at 9 farms across Ireland; some are as much as 200 times the recommended amount. And it’s thought it 4)contaminated animal feed, which may be sold to more than 40 farms is to blame.
The main message to consumers is if you have any Irish pork products in your fridges, get rid of them. But don’t panic. The risk here isn’t thought to be great. Dioxins are harmful if you are exposed to them over a long period of time, but as this 5)outbreak only started two months ago, the danger is very slight. Plus the UK gets most of its pork products from countries other than Ireland. So, the amount of affected meat on the market here is minimal.
It’s a different story in Ireland though. Britain may not rely on Irish pork but the UK is still one of Ireland’s biggest customers. Not only that, all bacons, hams, sausages and even things like meat pizzas are having to be destroyed. And it could spell disaster for Ireland’s 400 pig farmers in the 6)run-up to Christmas. Their representatives insist this scare affects less than 10 percent of the products on the market at the moment; and that all meat produced from now on will be perfectly safe. Still, it’s likely to
7)dent consumer confidence on both sides of the Irish Sea at one of the most important times of year for the meat industry.
先是疯牛病，然后是口蹄疫，紧跟着禽流感，现在又有另外一场食品危机——这一次，与猪有关。在过去两个月间购买了爱尔兰熏肉、香肠或其他猪肉制品的顾客已经被告知要彻底销毁这些猪肉制品，以防中毒。
爱尔兰食品安全部门宣布招回9月1号以后本国生产的所有猪肉制品，因为在爱尔兰9个农场中查出猪肉内含有超高含量的二恶英（致癌物质），有的甚至达到了推荐含量的200倍。据悉，卖往超过40多家农场的动物饲料受到了污染有可能是这次事件的起因。
对消费者来说，该事件的最主要信息是，如果你冰箱里还有爱尔兰猪肉制品，请马上扔掉它们。但是不必惊慌，这次事件并不会对人体构成很大的风险。二恶英需要在体内长期积聚才会散发毒性，由于这次事件仅仅发生在两个月前，它对人体的影响是相当轻微的。加上英国还从除爱尔兰之外的多个国家进口猪肉制品，因此英国市场上的问题猪肉数量并不多。
但是在爱尔兰，情况却大不一样。英国或许可以不依赖于爱尔兰的猪肉进口，但英国确是爱尔兰猪肉制品市场的最大客户之一。不仅如此，所有熏肉、火腿、香肠，甚至像肉类比萨这些东西都必须销毁掉。对于正在为圣诞来临做准备的全爱尔兰400多位农场主来说，这可谓灾难。养猪场代表坚称到目前为止，这次事件受影响的猪肉不到市场的百分之十，而在这之后生产的肉制品将会百分百安全。然而，在这个全年最重要的时刻，爱尔兰海峡两岸的消费者对于肉制品产业的信心却依然低下。
Discussion Forum
七嘴八舌讨论区
您如何看待当前的食品安全问题？
What do you think of current food safety?
Opinion 1
I really don’t care. All food tastes good to me. The more you know, the less you wanna eat. Ignorance is bliss for me. I just enjoy pigging out with my chums at our favorite pizza house.
Tips:
说话者一点也不担心食物安全问题。他认为要是人知道得越多，吃得就越少。在他看来，无知是一种幸福（Ignorance is bliss for me.）。所以他照样快乐地跟好友们（chums）在比萨饼店大吃一顿（pig out）。你认同他的观点吗？大家都知道猪是贪吃的动物，那么俚语pig out意思就是“狼吞虎咽地大吃”。
Opinion 2
I don’t think we should jump to a conclusion before we test the water.I have total trust in our government to fix the problem. I just want to be a good-time Charlie.
Tips:
看来说话者很谨慎，而且很有信心政府能解决问题。习语jump to a conclusion指“跳向一个结论”，也就是说，没有经过仔细推敲、深思熟虑而草率下结论。俚语test the water(s)意思是“探索可能采取的行动”。说话者认为在没有对食物安全问题调查清楚之前不要匆匆地下结论。她只想做个快乐的普通人（a good-time Charlie）。
Opinion 3
Boy! What do you think? I guess I am going to be on a diet in order to avoid food safety problems.
For the sake of our health, we should keep our eyes peeled and our fingers crossed when we select our food.
Tips:
感叹语“我的天啊！”有很多表达方式。“Boy!”就是其中之一。词组for the sake of意思是“为了……的利益；为了……起见”，它在口语中很常用。keep one’s eyes peeled就是指“让眼睛睁开”，比喻保持警惕；多加小心。原来基督教信徒除了会在胸口划十字来祈祷，也会把手指打成十字（cross one’s fingers）求上帝保佑，喻指“希望好的结果会发生”。说话者为了逃避食物安全问题打算节食减肥，她还建议在选择食物的时候要多留神，提高警惕。
Opinion 4
I am glad the government is not keeping the problems under their hat.Actually, solutions should be given before the cat is let out of the bag. Otherwise the problems snowball.
Tips:
说话者很高兴政府没有把问题隐瞒着（keep something under one’s hat），但解决方法应该在问题还没浮上水面前就得有所交代，否则问题只会像滚雪球（snowball）那样，越滚越大。习语let the cat out of the bag意为“泄漏秘密”；相反，keep something under one’s hat就是指“将某物藏在帽子里”，喻指“保守秘密”。
Opinion 5
Well, it’s hard not to be worried. Now whenever I am having my grub, the question will pop into my head, “Is this safe?” Food companies should definitely face the music and the government gotta punish the bad eggs right away.
Tips:
说话者在这儿用了好几个非常口语化的俚语，“grub”相当于“food”；“pop into”相当于“appear”；“bad eggs”相当于“bad guys”。而face the music字面意思是“面对乐器”，喻指“面对现实，承担后果”。说话者每逢吃东西的时候，都会担心食物的安全问题。她认为政府要马上严惩食品行业里的那些大坏蛋。
Opinion 6
Come on! Don’t make such a fuss. It’s not the end of the world. If something is wrong with the pork, eat something else. In fact, it’s a good time to lose weight as our choices of safe food are limited now. Don’t be a baby!
Tips:
说话者很不客气地批评了人们过度紧张的态度。Don’t make such a fuss.意为“不要这么大惊小怪。”她认为既然现在安全的食物少了，便是个减肥的好时机。当劝告别人不要像个孩子那样发牢骚时，就可以说 Don’t be a baby!
Opinion 7
All I want to say is: be aware, food makers! We will know where the bodies are buried with the aid of advance technology if you continue to put our healthy lives on the back burner. It’s never too late to confront the problem and prevent it from happening again.
Tips:
说话者在这里对食品制造商提出了警告，指出如果食物制造商继续把人们的生命健康搁置在一边（put sth. on the back burner），人们可以利用先进的技术知道内情（know where the bodies are buried）。习语know where the bodies are buried字面意思是“知道尸体埋在哪里”，喻指“知道内情，了解内幕”。句式It’s never too late to do sth.就是指“做某事永远也不会太晚”。
Opinion 8
I am licking my chops to experience an unpolluted life. Global warming, contaminated environment and now poisonous food, what’s next? The government ought to go all out to rebuild our customers’ confidence.
Tips:
说话者似乎对现实有点失望了。全球变暖、环境污染，还有现在的有毒食品，下一个坏消息将会是什么呢？因此说话者切盼（lick one’s chops）体验无污染的生活，并且认为政府应当全力以赴（go all out）重振消费者的信心。