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Cochineal bug

Интерактивное упражнение доступно по этой ссылке: Cochineal Bugs (ответы в нем проверяются автоматически). 

Если вам по каким-либо причинам не хочется использовать удобное и приятное интерактивное упражнение, то ниже находится простая текстовая версия. 

You're going to read a gapped text about the cochineal bug — an insect whose extract is used to produce red dye. Three exercises will accompany the text. When you are through with all the three, you will be able to read the complete text. 

I. Fill each gap with one of these words, changing their forms appropriately:

CHEMISTRY | COLOR | CONSUMPTION  

The cochineal bugs — a species of scale insect — are a centuries-old 1)_________________. In the 19th century, 2)_________________ figured out how to make a synthetic alternative. But 21st-century 3)_________________ insist on ingredients that are “natural” — which means the bugs are back in season.

II. For each gap choose the phrase that fits:

Is there any risk 1)_________________? The Food and Drug Administration says no — as do people in Ghana, Papua New Guinea, and Bali, who make termites, beetle larvae, or dragonflies 2)_________________. The U.S. food-regulating agency permits a generous threshold of insects in foods 3)_________________: up to 60 aphids in 100 grams of frozen broccoli or 4)_________________ per average box of pasta. In inspectors’ view, bugs happen.

a) an occasional part of their diet

b) before they’re considered contaminated

c) to eating crunched-up-insect extract

d) 550 insect fragments

III. Decide which answer best fits each gap:

Cochineal extract has few restrictions, 1)_________________ it’s labeled clearly and not with a euphemism like “natural colors.” And to some food manufacturers, an organic, reliable, and beautiful source of color is a no-brainer. The obstacle tends to be psychological — but in Zaidan’s opinion, consumers should 2)_________________. “With 3)_________________ exceptions, your body can handle pretty much anything you eat,” he says. “So if you don’t think about it, you’ll be fine.”

1. 

  1. provided
  2. unless
  3. only
  4. however

2. 

  1. get over it
  2. get away with it
  3. get back to it
  4. get down to it

3.

  1. few
  2. little 
  3. much
  4. many 

 Ключи:

I.

  1. colorant / colourant
  2. chemists
  3. consumers

II.

  1. c
  2. a
  3. b
  4. d

III. 

  1. a
  2. a
  3. a

Текст целиком:

The cochineal bugs — a species of scale insect — are a centuries-old colorant. In the 19th century, chemists figured out how to make a synthetic alternative. But 21st-century consumers insist on ingredients that are “natural” — which means the bugs are back in season.

Is there any risk to eating crunched-up-insect extract? The Food and Drug Administration says no — as do people in Ghana, Papua New Guinea, and Bali, who make termites, beetle larvae, or dragonflies an occasional part of their diet. The U.S. food-regulating agency permits a generous threshold of insects in foods before they’re considered contaminated: up to 60 aphids in 100 grams of frozen broccoli or 550 insect fragments per average box of pasta. In inspectors’ view, bugs happen.

Cochineal extract has few restrictions, provided it’s labeled clearly and not with a euphemism like “natural colors.” And to some food manufacturers, an organic, reliable, and beautiful source of color is a no-brainer. The obstacle tends to be psychological — but in Zaidan’s opinion, consumers should get over it. “With few exceptions, your body can handle pretty much anything you eat,” he says. “So if you don’t think about it, you’ll be fine.”

Source of the text: National Geographic, February 2017