We can give the definition of a specific item or a（n)________idea.

University of Arizona researcher Dr. William Rathji says that after a study based on looking into garbage cans, the average family wastes at least $150 per year in food.

"Homemakers go out of their way to save pennies at the store and then don't realize that waste of edible (可食用的) foods adds up much more at home," said Dr. Rathji. He was one of about 100 food experts who met in Boise for a conference on food waste and ways to prevent it.

American families throw out between 8% and 20% of edible food at a cost of $4.5 billion per year. That's almost as much as the federal government spends every year for food stamps and child nutrition programs.

He found that food items which are costly and in short supply tend to be wasted more. During the 1973 meat shortage, meat waste increased to 9%, compared with 3% in 1974 and 1975. Sugar and sugar products waste jumped to 19% in 1975, when sugar prices doubled from the previous year.

Dr. Rathji theorizes that high prices force consumers to experiment, sometimes buy in large quantities. In the case of meat, sometimes low-priced cuts for unappetizing varieties are purchased, consumers then tend to waste more.

His theory is that the more variety in food bought, the more wasted. Regular bread is wasted at about a 10% rate, but specialty breads and rolls are wasted at a 20% rate.

If people are eating the same thing every day, they learn how to manage it. But if you're trying to pull something out of the cookbook every night, that's bound to be some waste.

Another finding is that lower income families waste less food than middle and upper income families. And the study found that dog food, which accounts for 8% of a shopping cart, is rarely wasted. Fresh produce and frozen items are more likely to be wasted.

The study also showed people with the most knowledge of safe, edible food waste the least. Much food is tossed out because a homemaker suspects it is spoiled when it is not.

1、Large quantities of food are thrown out because a homemaker____.

A、thinks they are not delicious

B、 says they taste bitter and hot

C、thinks they smell bad

D、 suspects they are spoiled when they are not

2、American families throw out between____of edible food every year.

A、5%～8%

B、 8%～10%

C、 20%～28%

D、8%～20%

3、When sugar prices doubled, waste of sugar____.

A、went down

B、went up

C、stayed the same

D、was cut in half

4、Which of the following statements is true?____

A、American housewives are not good homemakers.

B、Upper-income families are more wasteful than lower-income ones.

C、American families throw away almost as much food as they consume.

D、Americans waste a great deal of dog food.

5、When do American families waste more food?____

A、When prices are high.

B、When food is scarce.

C、When they think it is spoiled.

D、All of the above.

单元作业 The following essay of “HEALTH AND HEALING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS” is a typical 5-paragraph argumentative essay with the Point-by-Point pattern. Please analyze the pattern in detail. HEALTH AND HEALING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Throw out the bottles and boxes of drugs in your house. A new theory suggests that medicine could be bad for your health, which should at least come as good news to people who cannot afford to buy expensive medicine. However, it is a blow to the medicine industry, and an even bigger blow to our confidence in the progress of science. This new theory argues that healing is at our fingertips: we can be healthy by doing Reiki on a regular basis. Supporters of medical treatment argue that medicine should be trusted since it is effective and scientifically proven. They say that there is no need for spiritual methods such as Reiki, Yoga, Tai Chi. These waste our time, something which is quite precious in our material world. There is medicine that can kill our pain, x-rays that show us our fractured bones or MRI that scans our brain for tumors. We must admit that these methods are very effective in the examples that they provide. However, there are some “every day complaints” such as back pains, headaches, insomnia, which are treated currently with medicine. When you have a headache, you take an Aspirin, or Vermidon, when you cannot sleep, you take Xanax without thinking of the side effects of these. When you use these pills for a long period, you become addicted to them; you cannot sleep without them. We pay huge amounts of money and become addicted instead of getting better. How about a safer and more economical way of healing? When doing Reiki to yourself, you do not need anything except your energy so it is very economical. As for its history, it was discovered in Japan in the early 1900s and its popularity has spread particularly throughout America and Western Europe. In quantum physics, energy is recognized as the fundamental substance of which the universe is composed. Reiki depends on the energy within our bodies. It is a simple and effective way of restoring the energy flow. There are no side effects and it is scientifically explained. Opponents of alternative healing methods also claim that serious illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer cannot be treated without drugs. They think so because these patients spend the rest of their lives in the hospital taking medicine. How can Reiki make these people healthy again? It is very unfortunate that these patients have to live in the hospital losing their hair because of chemotherapy, losing weight because of the side effects of the medicine they take. Actually, it is common knowledge that except for when the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, drugs also cannot treat AIDS or cancer. Most of the medicine these patients use are to ease their pain and their sufferings because of the medical treatment they undergo. Instead of drugs which are expensive and have many side effects, you can use your energy to overcome the hardships of life, find an emotional balance, leave the stress of everyday life and let go of the everyday worries. Most of the chronic conditions such as eczema or migraine are known to have causes such as poor diet and stress. Deep-rooted anger or other strong emotions can contribute to viral infections as well. Since balancing our emotions and controlling our thoughts are very important for our well-being, we should definitely start learning Reiki and avoid illnesses before it is too late. Some people may still maintain that in our material world, everything depends on time. It is even “lacking time” that causes much of the stress that leads to the illnesses we mentioned. How would it be possible to find time to do Reiki to ourselves and the people around us when we cannot even find time to go to the theater? This is one good thing about Reiki; it does not require more than 15 minutes of our time. There is no need for changing clothes or special equipment. It is a wonderfully simple healing art, an effective method of relaxation and stress-relief. Most important of all, it is less time consuming than medicine if we think of all the time we spend taking medicine for some complaints and taking some more for the side effects as well. Having said these, resistance to Reiki would be quite illogical. Reiki is natural and drug-free. What is more, it is easy to learn by anyone, regardless of age and experience. It can be used anywhere, anytime. It also enhances physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being and the benefits last a lifetime. It is definitely high time to get away from the drug boxes we store in our drug cabinet! (Source: http://www.buowl.boun.edu.tr/students/types%20of%20essays/ARGUMENTATIVE%20ESSAY.htm) 1) Introduction: A) Explanation of the issue: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ B) Thesis statement: ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 2) Body Paragraph1: Statement of the others’ argument:__________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Rebuttal with your own counterargument:____________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Paragraph 2: Statement of the others’ argument:__________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Rebuttal with your own counterargument:____________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Paragraph 3: Statement of the others’ argument:__________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Rebuttal with your own counterargument: ____________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 3) Conclusion:_________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________