Cover of the textbook Engage B2 with Exam Skills

The key answer of exercise 3

The key to exercise solutions in chapter Workbook UNIT 5 - Food for thought for the textbook Engage B2 with Exam Skills with authors Barbara Bettinelli e Jane Bowie from Pearson Longman

Question

Read the article again and answer the questions.

Answer

  1. The modern diet is called a ‘global diet’ because people no longer need to travel abroad to experience foods from different cultures. Foods like spicy curry, creamy ice cream, crunchy spring rolls, French cheese, and German wurst are now widely available globally, reflecting the wide variety of international foods that people can access without traveling.
  2. The way British people ate was affected by food rationing which continued after the end of the Second World War until the mid-1950s. Essential items like butter, cheese, cooking fat, bacon, and tea were rationed until 1952, with sugar and meat rationing ending in 1954.
  3. In the 1950s, British people primarily ate local fruit and vegetables that were in season. Imported fruits and vegetables were rare and expensive, making treats like bananas uncommon and fruits like kiwis virtually unseen.
  4. Staple foods have diversified around the world. Countries that once relied on a single staple now have several options. For example, in Southeast Asia, wheat and potatoes are available alongside rice, and in South America, maize is supplemented by other staples. The availability of various oils in supermarkets is another example of this increased variety.
  5. Monoculture in the British countryside can be identified by the large areas of land dedicated to a single crop, such as the bright yellow fields of rapeseed flowers in the spring.
  6. Monocultures are detrimental because they lead to reduced biodiversity and an increase in pesticide use and fertilizer pollution. They involve vast areas of land being dedicated to one crop, which can have various negative environmental impacts.
  7. Thoughtful consumers are now concerned about ethical agriculture. They worry about whether it is right to destroy wildlife and habitats for the sake of monoculture crops and whether these crops are truly good for human health. These concerns may drive future changes in agricultural practices.