Danger in the Salad Bowl|谁知盘中飧，样样皆危险？

by Jeremy Beacock

New research gives you a reason not to eat your greens.

新的研究发现给了你不吃青菜的原因。

When you think of high-risk foods, the first thing that may come to mind is the beef imported from the US because of mad cow disease or the highly poisonous blowfish in Japan. However, a new study suggests that the riskiest foods are _(1)_ closer to home. A recent report _(2)_ by the American consumer watchdog, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, names the 10 foods which have caused the largest number of food poisoning cases in the US. The guilty foods are almost all _(3)_ to the American diet, and some are quite surprising.

Leafy greens, such as lettuce, top the list. According to the report, leafy greens have been linked to more than 350 food poisoning _(4)_, affecting more than 13,000 people between 1990 and 2006. The problem is that the leaves can become _(5)_, often with the dangerous E. coli bacteria (大肠杆菌), and can cross-contaminate other foods. Some of the other risky foods are _(6)_ surprising. It is well known that eggs, number two on the list, can carry salmonella (沙门氏菌). Oysters are all the way up at number four _(7)_ being only a small part of most people's diets. However, the other foods listed include such staples as potatoes, which caused _(8)_ 4,000 cases of food poisoning.

The full list also includes tuna, ice cream, cheese, tomatoes, bean sprouts, and berries. Although poor hygiene and lack of cleaning are usually the causes of the problem _(9)_ the actual food, these statistics are worrying. The US has a huge and complex food chain, and it is very easy for bacteria like salmonella or E. coli to enter the _(10)_. While part of the problem is solvable through legislation, the real solution is to wash and prepare everything you eat carefully.

(A) instead of  (B) infected    (C) far (D) nearly  (E) cycle

(F) released    (G) outbreaks   (H) less    (I) central (J) in spite of

　　当你想到高危险的食物，第一个浮现脑海的会是从狂牛症疫区的美国所进口的牛肉，或是日本含有剧毒的河豚。然而，一项新的研究显示最危险的食物就近在家中。最近由美国消费者权益保护机构『科学公益中心』所发表的一份报告中，列出在美国引发最多食物中毒案件的 10 大食物。这些『毒』食品几乎全都是美国人饮食中的主要食物，有些被点名的食物让人大感意外。

　　像莴苣这类绿叶蔬菜位居榜首。根据这份报告，在 1990 至 2006 年间，绿叶蔬菜与 350 多起食物中毒的案例有关，影响了 1 万 3 千多人。问题在于叶菜类会受到污染（通常是危险的大肠杆菌），而且会交叉污染其他食物。而有些危险食物则比较不那么令人意外。像是众所皆知可能含有沙门氏菌的蛋便位居第二。而尽管大多数人吃的数量不多，牡蛎还是一路超越其他食物，位居第四。不过其他榜上有名的还包括像是马铃薯等主食，引起了将近 4 千起食物中毒的病例。

　　完整的名单包括鲔鱼、冰淇淋、奶酪、蕃茄、豆芽以及浆果类。虽然卫生不佳和缺乏清洁而非食物本身通常才是真正引发问题的原因，但这些数据数据还是叫人担忧。美国的食物链既庞大又复杂，像沙门氏菌和大肠杆菌等病菌很容易就进入这个循环中。虽然透过立法能解决部分问题，但根本解决之道是仔细清理及烹煮送进口中的每样东西。

标准答案:   1. (C)  2. (F)  3. (I)  4. (G)  5. (B)
   6. (H)  7. (J)  8. (D)  9. (A)  10. (E)

For Your Information

林口长庚医院毒物科主任林杰梁表示，这些食物之所以被列为危险食物均与食用方式有关，并非食物本身不健康；国外习惯吃生菜拉沙，叶菜类从栽种、运送到食用容易细菌污染，而国人习惯熟食，只要熟沸，可以杀死绝大多数的细菌。

喜欢吃生菜色拉的人，要注意清洗过程用臭氧、清水、消毒，将残留的农药或细菌清洗干净，林杰梁看过有人生菜没清洗干净，上面还有蜗牛，还自解是『这证明是生机饮食』。他警告，蜗牛身上可能有广东住血线虫，一旦感染就可能寄生脑部，台湾已发现过病例。（数据源：联合新闻网）