Experts say that if food were a country, it would rank second behind the US as one of the biggest greenhouse gas polluters. The reason is the rising demand for meat. Animal farming is responsible for14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas methane(甲烷) emissions(排放). While cows are the worse contributors, pigs, sheep, donkeys and other animals play a part as well.
Animal agriculture also causes land to become damaged, water to be polluted and forests to get destroyed. With the world population forecast to rise to 9.8 billion by 2050, things are only looking worse for our already decreasing natural resources, While going vegetarian(素食的)would help meat consumption too deep - rooted in most western diets to allow for such a sharp, permanent change. That is why experts are advocating substituting some of the beef, chicken, or pork with ordinary insects！
Insects, which grow into adults within a matter of months, if not weeks, are ready for consumption much faster than domestic(驯养的) animals. They also require much less room，use less water and food, and produce far less greenhouse gas than animals
Of the 1.1 million insect species worldwide, scientists have identified 1.700 as eatable. Among them are ants, grasshoppers, grubs, and earthworms. Just like animals, each insect has a different taste. Tree worms taste just like pork, and grubs are similar to smoked meat
While eating insects might be a new concept for Western people, over 2 billion people worldwide consume insects as a regular part of their diet. Besides being delicious, insects are high in protein, have very few calories, and are free of the saturated(饱和)at found in animal meat. Insects can be prepared in many ways. Creative cooks can use them to cook protein-rich soup make baked treats, and even fry a few with vegetables. So eat insects -both your body and Mother Earth will thank you for it ！
【小题1】Which of the following animals are responsible for the most global methane emissions?| A．Cows | B．Pigs | C．Sheep | D．Donkeys |
| A．By asking questions | B．By providing examples. |
| C．By listing the numbers | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．Pig meat | B．Tomato soup. | C．Fresh vegetables. | D．Fried chicken. |
| A．Few people eat insects regularly. | B．Ordinary insects are high in fat. |
| C．Saturated fat is harmful to health. | D．Insects contain various vitamins |
