The United States is one of the world’s wealthiest countries. Despite this, many Americans are not even getting enough to eat. In fact, around 37 million Americans struggle just to put healthy food, or any food at all, on the table every day.
One might think that a food shortageis happening in America, but this is not the case. There is more than sufficient food for everyone. Unfortunately, 40% of food is wasted every day. There are many different ways food is wasted: farmers only pick the best-looking crops, deliveries aren’t made on time, supermarkets throw out extra products, customers buy more than they need, and so on. The highest level of wastagetends to happen in the richest communities.
Meanwhile, people who live in poor or rural areas often have little or no access to food. These areas are called “food deserts.” They have fewer supermarkets, and the only food options that they can afford are often unhealthy ones. Healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables may be impossible to find. Sadly, 12.8% of the American population live in food deserts.
Words & Phrases
★ 1. wealthy [ˋwɛlθɪ]DJ[ˋwelθi] a. 富裕的，富有的 Robert is the wealthiest of our class since his father is the CEO of a large company. 羅伯是我們班上最富裕的，因為他爸爸是一家大公司的執行長。
2. struggle to V 掙扎（做）…… Emily’s son struggles to go to the gym on a regular basis. 艾蜜莉的兒子努力地定期去健身房運動。
★ 3. sufficient [səˋfɪʃənt] a. 足夠的 We didn’t have sufficient time to solve the problem. 我們沒有足夠時間去解決這項問題。
4. throw out... / throw... out 把……扔掉 It is Tom’s turn to throw out the garbage today. 今天輪到湯姆去丟垃圾了。
★ 5. community [kəˋmjunətɪ] n. 群體；社區 This community is rated as the best area to live in the city. 這個社區被評選為此城市最宜居的區域。
★ 6. rural [ˋrʊrəl] a. 鄉村的，農村的 Jeff grew up in a rural community before he moved to the big city. 傑夫搬去大城市前是在鄉村社區長大的。
★ 7. have access to... 有取得……的管道 Students in this school have access to exceptional science labs. 這個學校的學生能夠使用極好的科學實驗室。
* exceptional [ɪkˋsɛpʃən!] a. 極佳的，卓越的
★ 8. afford [əˋford] vt. 買得起∕負擔得起…… Amanda can’t afford to eat out every day. 艾曼達負擔不起每天外食。
Tips in Use
關係代名詞通常會用 that 的情況
在本文中，由於先行詞 food options 前有 the only，故使用關係代名詞 that 引導形容詞子句來修飾先行詞。
以下列舉關係代名詞通常會用 that 的情況：
1. 先行詞前有 the only、the very、all、little、much 修飾時。 例: Ann was the only one that survived the crash. 安是唯一從該場車禍中倖存的人。
2. 先行詞前有最高級形容詞修飾時。 例: Henry is the best student that I’ve ever taught. 亨利是我教過最好的學生。
3. 先行詞前有序數 the first、the second、the last 等修飾時。 例: Lying to Jason was the last thing that Lana would do. 對傑森說謊是拉娜最不可能做的事情。
4. 先行詞為 all、everything、nothing 時。 例: All that you have to do is (to) wait. 你所要做的就是等待。
Extra Words & Phrases
► in need 有需要的
► shortage [ˋʃɔrtɪdʒ] n. 短缺
► wastage [ˋwestɪdʒ] n. 浪費
You Can Do This
請依句意在空格內填入適當的字詞
1. 麥克向他同學借了些錢，這樣他就負擔得起想要的玩具了。
Mike borrowed some money from his classmate, so he can _________ the toy he wants.
2. 那位富有的男人幫助了事故中的傷患。
That _________ man helped the victims in the accident.
3. 我的外婆住在一個遠離大城市的鄉村地區。
My grandma lives in a _________ area away from the big city.
