“预制菜”你怎么看？

近日，罗永浩和西贝的“预制菜”之争持续发酵。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. What is the author's main purpose in the article?

A. To argue that microwave meals are unhealthy and should be avoided

B. To explain the scientific reasons why microwave meals often taste inferior

C. To describe the history of Louis-Camille Maillard's discoveries

D. To compare different types of ready meals available on the market

无注释原文：

The secret tricks in our microwave meals

From: BBC

I dutifully removed the cardboard sleeve, stabbed the film lid and set it in the microwave. Two minutes later, however, the dish that slopped onto my plate was unrecognisable.

We've all had one: the barely edible microwaveable ready meal. They might be ready in minutes, but crafting a recipe that works is an onerous process – one that requires a surprising amount of science. At the high end of the scale, this includes elegant techniques pioneered in Michelin-starred restaurants; at the other, plenty of E numbers.

To understand why, it helps to get to grips with the queen of chemical reactions, the Maillard reaction. First discovered by the French chemist, Louis-Camille Maillard, back in 1912, it's the most widely practiced chemical reaction on the planet. It happens in millions of kitchens every day, though very few people have heard of it.

Essentially, something delicious happens when you mix amino acids with certain kinds of sugars, then heat them up. New compounds begin to form, which turn the food brown and contribute to its flavour.

These Maillard by-products are responsible for the earthy sweetness of coffee and the malty, caramel notes in beer, as well as the appetising aroma of baked bread, chips, fried onions, barbecued meat, biscuits, toasted marshmallows, and most other foods that we find irresistible.

“It's a very complicated reaction,” says Steve Elmore, a flavour chemist at the University of Reading. Depending on the proteins and sugars involved, there are thousands of possible by-products. Amino acids with higher levels of nitrogen tend to lead to more nutty smells, while the more potent varieties, according to Elmore, tend to involve sulphur and smell of onions.

Microwaves work differently. Rather than heating the surrounding air, they bombard food with tiny, high-powered radio waves that heat up the molecules inside as they pass through. This relatively even cooking means the surface never gets hot or dry enough for the Maillard reaction to occur, leading to disappointingly pallid toppings on shepherd's pies and lasagnes.

This also means that ready meals tend to taste a bit bland. One early study found that beef cooked in the microwave had just a third of the scrumptious aromatic chemicals of meat that was cooked conventionally, while another found that microwave-baked bread was, frankly, disgusting.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为BBC官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

The secret tricks in our microwave meals

From: BBC

I dutifully removed the cardboard sleeve, stabbed the film lid and set it in the microwave. Two minutes later, however, the dish that slopped onto my plate was unrecognisable.

我仔细地拆掉纸盒包装，把塑料薄膜戳破，然后放进微波炉。两分钟之后，我把它移进我的盘子。不过现在它和包装图片毫无相似之处。

sleeve /sliːv/ 1）表示“袖子”，英文解释为“the part of a piece of clothing that covers some or all of the arm”如：short/long sleeves 短/长袖。

2）表示“封套，防护罩”，英文解释为“a cover to protect something”如：Can you put the record back in its sleeve, please? 你能把唱片放回封套里吗?

stab /stæb/ 意思也是（用刀）“刺，戳，捅”，英文解释为“to push a knife into someone or something.”

此外，也可以指“（用手指或手中尖物）戳；捅；按”，英文解释为“If you stab something or stab at it, you push at it with your finger or with something pointed that you are holding.”

短语：

📍stab sb in the back“背后捅人一刀，背后中伤某人，背叛某人”

film /fɪlm/ 熟词僻义，表示“薄薄的一层；薄膜”，英文解释为“a thin layer of something on a surface”如：a film of dust/oil/grease 薄薄的一层灰/油/油脂。

作动词，表示“拍摄（电影）”，英文解释为“to record moving pictures with a camera, usually to make a film for television or the cinema”举个🌰：Most of the scenes were filmed in a studio. 大多数场景是在摄影棚里拍摄的。

lid /lɪd/ 表示“盖，盖子”，英文解释为“a cover on a container, that can be lifted up or removed”举个🌰：Can you get the lid off this jar? 你能把罐子的盖打开吗？

slop /slɒp/ 表示“（使液体）晃荡；（使）溢出，溅出”，英文解释为“to cause a liquid to flow over the edge of a container through not taking care or making a rough movement”举个🌰：Careful, you've just slopped coffee all over the carpet! 小心，你刚才把咖啡溅得地毯上到处都是！

We've all had one: the barely edible microwaveable ready meal. They might be ready in minutes, but crafting a recipe that works is an onerous process – one that requires a surprising amount of science. At the high end of the scale, this includes elegant techniques pioneered in Michelin-starred restaurants; at the other, plenty of E numbers.

这就是我们每个人都有过的经历：难以下咽的微波炉速食食品。它们虽然在两三分钟就能做好，但却要去模仿要经过复杂工序才能制备的美食，这显然需要大量高科技才能做到。微波炉速食食品包罗万象，高级的有米其林星级餐厅里的复杂料理，普通的只不过是各种基本营养物质的机械组合。

edible /ˈed.ə.bəl/ 表示“（无毒而）可以吃的；适宜食用的”，英文解释为“suitable or safe for eating”举个🌰：Only the leaves of the plant are edible. 这种植物仅叶子可食。

craft /krɑːft/ 结合我们常见的aircraft/spacecraft/hovercraft等词猜测，craft可以表示“船，艇；飞行器，航空器”，英文解释为“a vehicle for travelling on water or through the air”如：naval craft 军舰，civilian craft 民用船，patrol craft 巡逻艇，rescue craft 救生艇。

🎬电影《外星人保罗》（Paul）中的台词提到：Hey, imagine if we got buzzed by a craft. 想象一下如果一艘飞船从我们头上掠过。

📍补充：hovercraft 气垫船，military aircraft 军用飞机，a manned/unmanned spacecraft 载人/无人的宇宙飞船。

此外，craft作名词还可以指“工艺，手艺；技术”，英文解释为“skill and experience, especially in relation to making objects; a job or activity that needs skill and experience, or something produced using skill and experience”如：the craft of furniture making/sewing 家具制作/缝纫工艺，political/literary craft 政治手腕/文学手法，rural/ancient/traditional crafts 乡村的/古老的/传统的手艺，craft workers (= skilled workers) 熟练工人，工匠。

craft作为动词表示“精制，（手工）制作”，举个🌰：Each doll is crafted individually by specialists. 每个布娃娃都由专业人员手工制作。

onerous /ˈəʊ.nər.əs/ 表示“繁重的；麻烦的；艰巨的”，英文解释为“difficult to do or needing a lot of effort”如：the onerous task of finding a peaceful solution 寻找和平解决方案的艰巨任务。

E number /ˈiː ˌnʌm.bər/ 表示“（欧盟国家食品包装上标明所含化学添加剂的）E 数”，英文解释为“any of a set of numbers with the letter E in front of them that are used on containers of food in the European Union to show which particular approved chemical has been added to the food”

在文中，作者使用“E numbers”是带有一点负面色彩的。虽然它们本身是合法且经过安全评估的，但在大众语境中：它们通常与“高度加工食品”联系在一起，而不是新鲜、天然的食材。因此，作者用“plenty of E numbers”（大量的E编号）来与前半句的“米其林星级餐厅的优雅技术”形成鲜明对比，强调微波炉速食食品的另一端（低端）是依靠大量的人工添加剂来维持味道、质地和保质期，而不是靠精湛的烹饪技艺。

To understand why, it helps to get to grips with the queen of chemical reactions, the Maillard reaction. First discovered by the French chemist, Louis-Camille Maillard, back in 1912, it's the most widely practiced chemical reaction on the planet. It happens in millions of kitchens every day, though very few people have heard of it.

要想知道背后原因，就必须了解"化学反应之王"——美拉德（Maillard）反应。美拉德反应最早由法国化学家路易-卡米拉·美拉德（Louis-Camille Maillard）于1912年发现，是地球上最常见的化学反应。尽管美拉德反应每天都会在千家万户的厨房里发生，但却很少有人听说过它。

come/get to grips with sth表示“开始理解并着手处理；了解并应付（问题或局面）”，英文解释为“to make an effort to understand and deal with a problem or situation”举个🌰：I can't seem to get to grips with this problem. 我好像理解不了这个问题。

Essentially, something delicious happens when you mix amino acids with certain kinds of sugars, then heat them up. New compounds begin to form, which turn the food brown and contribute to its flavour.

美拉德反应指的是当你把氨基酸和某些种类的糖分混合并加热后，就会形成美味的反应产物。化学反应会形成新的化合物，将原料变为褐色并使之美味可口。

compound /ˈkɒm.paʊnd/ 作名词，1）表示“化合物，复合物，混合物”，英文解释为“a chemical that combines two or more elements”举个🌰：Salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine. 盐是钠和氯的化合物。

2）表示“（围起来的）场地，楼群，院落”，英文解释为“an area surrounded by fences or walls that contains a group of buildings”举个🌰：They marched into the compound. 他们进入大院。

作动词，表示“使加重，使加剧，使恶化”，英文解释为“to make a problem or difficult situation worse”举个🌰：Her terror was compounded by the feeling that she was being watched. 她有种被人监视的感觉，这加剧了她的恐惧感。

🎬电影《盗梦空间》（Inception）中的台词提到：And when you enter a dream within that dream, the effect is compounded. 当你进入梦中梦，效果会更强。

作形容词，表示“复合的”，英文解释为“consisting of two or more parts”或者表示“（利息）以复利计算的”，英文解释为“used to refer to a system of paying interest in which interest is paid both on the original amount of money invested (= given to companies hoping to get more back) or borrowed and on the interest that has collected over a period of time”如：compound interest 复利。

These Maillard by-products are responsible for the earthy sweetness of coffee and the malty, caramel notes in beer, as well as the appetising aroma of baked bread, chips, fried onions, barbecued meat, biscuits, toasted marshmallows, and most other foods that we find irresistible.

上述美拉德反应副产物就是咖啡略带土腥的甜味、啤酒的麦芽清香、以及烘焙面包、薯片、炸洋葱圈、烤肉、饼干、烤棉花糖以及我们无法抗拒的种种美食散发出令人垂涎的香味的原因。

by-product /ˈbaɪˌprɒd.ʌkt/ 表示“副产品；附带产生的后果”，英文解释为“something that is produced as a result of making something else, or something unexpected that happens as a result of something”举个🌰：Buttermilk is a by-product of making butter. 脱脂牛奶是制造黄油时的副产品。

表示“开胃的；刺激食欲的”，英文解释为“Appetizing food or smells make you want to eat.”如：appetising smells from the kitchen 厨房飘来的令人垂涎的香味。

marshmallow /ˌmɑːʃˈmæl.əʊ/ 表示“棉花软糖”，英文解释为“a soft, sweet, pink or white food”举个🌰：Why don't we toast some marshmallows over the fire? 何不在火上烤些棉花软糖呢？

“It's a very complicated reaction,” says Steve Elmore, a flavour chemist at the University of Reading. Depending on the proteins and sugars involved, there are thousands of possible by-products. Amino acids with higher levels of nitrogen tend to lead to more nutty smells, while the more potent varieties, according to Elmore, tend to involve sulphur and smell of onions.

"这是一种非常复杂的反应，"雷丁大学（University of Reading）食品化学家史蒂夫·埃尔默（Steve Elmore）说。根据参与反应的蛋白质和糖类不同，美拉德反应会产生成千上万种反应副产物。含氮量较高的氨基酸会发出坚果气味，而据埃尔默说，含硫的高烈性物质则会释放洋葱气味。

protein /ˈprəʊ.tiːn/ 表示“蛋白质”，英文解释为“one of the many substances found in food such as meat, cheese, fish, or eggs, that is necessary for the body to grow and be strong”

nutty /ˈnʌt.i/ 表示“含坚果的；坚果口味的”，英文解释为“containing, tasting of, or similar to nuts”举个🌰：The humble soya bean is a highly nutritious legume with a nutty texture. 平凡常见的大豆是一种营养价值高、有坚果口感的豆类植物。

Microwaves work differently. Rather than heating the surrounding air, they bombard food with tiny, high-powered radio waves that heat up the molecules inside as they pass through. This relatively even cooking means the surface never gets hot or dry enough for the Maillard reaction to occur, leading to disappointingly pallid toppings on shepherd's pies and lasagnes.

微波炉的原理则与之不同。它不是先加热食物周围的空气，而是用高能微波加热食物内部的分子。在这种较为均匀的加热方式下，食物表面无法达到发生美拉德反应的高温和干燥。在这种条件下，土豆泥肉馅饼或意式千层面不再有酥脆的外皮，从而失去了特有的风味。

bombard /bɒmˈbɑːd/ 1）表示“连续炮击；连续轰炸”，英文解释为“to attack a place with continuous shooting or bombs”举个🌰：The troops bombarded the city, killing and injuring hundreds. 部队连续炮击了该市，导致数百人伤亡。

2）表示“大量提问；大肆抨击；提供过多信息”，英文解释为“to attack sb with a lot of questions, criticisms, etc. or by giving them too much information”举个🌰：We have been bombarded with letters of complaint. 我们接二连三收到了大批的投诉信件。

📍耶鲁大学校长2018年毕业典礼演讲：跳出狭窄的朋友圈 尽你所能画更大更多的圈中提到：But if you're bombarded with the same stories, memes, and opinions from all your so-called friends, then your world may in fact be quite narrow. 但如果你所谓的“朋友”都在分享相同的故事、类似的观点，那么你的世界可能很窄。

molecule /ˈmɒl.ɪ.kjuːl/ 表示“分子”，英文解释为“the smallest unit, consisting of a group of atoms, into which a substance can be divided without a change in its chemical nature”举个🌰：A molecule of water consists of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. 水分子由两个氢原子和一个氧原子构成。

形容词性：

📍molecular /məʊˈlɛkjʊlə/ 表示“分子的”，英文解释为“Molecular means relating to or involving molecules.”，如：the molecular structure of fuel 燃料的分子结构。

pallid /ˈpæl.ɪd/ 1）表示“无生气的，不够精彩的”，英文解释为“showing no enthusiasm or excitement”举个🌰：This is a pallid production of what should be a great ballet. 本该是出精彩的芭蕾舞，却被演绎得了无生趣。

2）表示“无血色的，病状的”，英文解释为“very pale, in a way that looks unhealthy and not attractive”举个🌰：Next to his tanned face, hers seemed pallid and unhealthy. 与他那张晒得黑黑的脸相比，她的脸显得苍白不健康。

Shepherd's pie指的是牧羊人派。这是一种传统的英式菜肴，主要做法是：底层铺上调味好的羊肉末（或牛肉末）和蔬菜（如洋葱、胡萝卜、豌豆）炖煮的馅料。顶层覆盖一层厚厚的土豆泥。最后放入烤箱烘烤，直到表面的土豆泥变得金黄酥脆。

lasagne /ləˈzæn.jə/ 表示“意大利千层面（以多层宽面条夹奶酪、肉沫和蔬菜制成）”，英文解释为“thin, wide sheets of pasta, or a dish consisting of layers of this combined with two different sauces”

This also means that ready meals tend to taste a bit bland. One early study found that beef cooked in the microwave had just a third of the scrumptious aromatic chemicals of meat that was cooked conventionally, while another found that microwave-baked bread was, frankly, disgusting.

由此，速食食品的口味一般都寡淡无奇。一项早期研究发现，与采用传统烹调方式相比，在微波炉中煮熟的牛肉中，决定牛肉口感的芳香化学物质含量只有传统烹调方式的三分之一。其他研究则发现，采用微波炉烹调的牛排味道令人作呕。

bland /blænd/ 表示“无滋味的；枯燥乏味的；没精打采的，无生气的”，英文解释为“not having a strong taste or character or not showing any interest or energy”举个🌰：I find chicken a little bland. 我觉得鸡肉有点淡。

scrumptious /ˈskrʌmp.ʃəs/ 表示“极好吃的，美味的”，英文解释为“tasting extremely good”如：scrumptious cakes 极好吃的蛋糕。

aromatic /ˌærəˈmætɪk/ 表示“有香味的，有香气的，芳香的”，英文解释为“having a pleasant smell”如：aromatic herbs 气味芬芳的药草。

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