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Striking a balance between taste and health can be difficult, especially for those who appreciate Asian food. Many Asian dishes are high in sodium, which can be harmful to health, including increasing the risk of hypertension and stroke. In Japan, this problem is especially severe, with the average adult __1__ about 10 grams of salt per day, double the amount recommended by the World Health Organization. While many people seek healthier choices, __2__ salt can often leave food tasting bland, which makes low-sodium diets difficult to maintain.
A Japanese compa ny has developed a __3__ utensil that makes food taste saltier without adding extra sodium. Normally, sodium ions, which give the food its salty taste, are scattered throughout the mouth. Some of these ions may not encounter the specific ion channels on taste buds and, therefore, won’t be __4__ by the tongue, which weakens the saltiness of the dish. The “electrified spoon,” however, uses a weak electric current to concentrate sodium ions on the tongue, resulting in a stronger salty taste.
Photo: Ivy English 照片：常春藤提供
Before launching the spoon, the company experimented with electrified chopsticks on 31 people. They tasted saltwater gel samples with varying salt levels. The results showed that the chopsticks made low-sodium food taste __5__. Despite developing other utensils, they chose to market the spoon first because of its technical advantages and strong consumer demand. The electrified spoon is a step towards making healthier eating more appealing.
在口味和健康之間取得平衡可能很困難，尤其是對於喜愛亞洲美食的人來說更是如此。許多亞洲料理的鈉含量高，這可能有害健康，包括增加高血壓和中風的風險。在日本，這個問題尤其嚴重，一般成年人每日約攝取十克鹽，這是世界衛生組織建議攝取量的兩倍。雖然許多人尋求更健康的選擇，但減鹽往往會讓食物索然無味，這使得低鈉飲食難以維持。
一間日本公司開發了一種新穎的餐具，可以在不額外添加鈉的情況下讓食物嚐起來更鹹。通常，使食物具有鹹味的「鈉離子」會分散在整個口腔中。其中一些離子可能不會碰到味蕾上的特定離子通道，因此不會被舌頭感測到，這降低了料理的鹹味。然而，「電子鹽湯匙」利用了微弱的電流將鈉離子集中在舌頭上，因而產生較為濃烈的鹹味。
Photo: Ivy English 照片：常春藤提供
在推出這款湯匙之前，該公司在三十一個人身上使用電子鹽筷進行實驗。他們品嚐不同鹽度的鹽水凝膠樣品。結果顯示，這種筷子使低鈉食物的鹹味提升到 1.5 倍。儘管開發了其他餐具，但基於技術優勢和消費者需求殷切，他們選擇先推廣販售湯匙。電子鹽湯匙是讓較健康的飲食更具吸引力的一步。
What Did You Learn?
1. (A) consumes (B) consuming (C) has consumed (D) to consume
2. (A) making do with (B) putting up with (C) cutting down on (D) going back on
3. (A) vivid (B) novel (C) dense (D) mobile
4. (A) detected (B) grasped (C) preserved (D) wrecked
5. (A) salty as 1.5 times (B) 1.5 times salty (C) saltier of 1.5 times (D) 1.5 times saltier
答案：
1. B 2. C 3. B 4. A 5. D
Words in Use
1. appreciate vt. 欣賞
It’s important to appreciate the little things in life that bring happiness. 欣賞生活中帶來幸福的小事很重要。
2. harmful a. 有害的
be harmful to sb/sth 對某人∕某物有害
Water pollution is harmful to both wildlife and human health. 水汙染對野生動植物和人類健康有害。
3. severe a. 嚴重的
The man suffered from severe headaches that required medical attention.
那名男子因嚴重頭痛而備受折磨，需要就醫。
4. scatter vt. 使散開，驅散
The wind scattered the leaves across the yard.
風把樹葉吹散在院子的各個角落。
5. encounter [ In`kZUntK ] vt. 遇見，遭遇
During the hike, we encountered a beautiful waterfall hidden in the forest.
在健行途中，我們遇到了隱藏在森林中的美麗瀑布。
Practical Phrases
1. strike a balance between A and B
在 A 和 B 之間取得平衡
The manager tried to strike a balance between productivity and employee well-being.
經理試圖在生產力和員工福祉之間取得平衡。
2. experiment with. . . 用…做實驗；嘗試…
experiment vi. 實驗，試驗
The scientists experimented with various chemicals in hopes of discovering new reactions.
科學家試驗不同的化學物質，希望能發現新的反應。
My brother loves to experiment with different hairstyles, changing his look every few weeks.
我哥喜歡嘗試不同的髮型，每隔幾週就換造型。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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