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Tetra Pak: Leader of the Pack 利乐包 包新鲜

课文朗读

课文朗读

繁體中文譯本

The twentieth century saw some remarkable developments in technology. Some of these developments were truly revolutionary. Imagine life without the airplane, car, computer, or X-ray. Or even without the aseptic package! Better known as the Tetra Pak, this remarkable invention has been called “the most significant food science innovation of the last 50 years.”

二十世纪见证了不少科技上的杰出发展，其中有些是真有革命性。想象没有飞机、汽车、计算机或X光，甚至是没有无菌铝箔包的生活会变成什么样。无菌铝箔包又以利乐包的称呼较广为人知，这项杰出的发明被喻为近五十年来最重大的食品科技的革新。

An aseptic package is in essence sterile paperboard coated with plastic and aluminum. It’s cheap to produce and ship, it’s environmentally friendly, and products inside can stay fresh for months without refrigeration. Think about what a change that was. Before the aseptic package, most fresh products could only be kept for a week or two, even with refrigeration. Now they could be kept on the shelf for months! The public immediately fell in love with aseptic package and later insisted on calling them Tetra Paks (which is actually the name of the company, and not the product).

无菌铝箔包就是以塑料及铝涂层的杀菌纸板，它的制作及运送成本低、对环境低污染，且装在其内部的产品即使未经冷藏也能保鲜达数月之久。想想这是多大的改变。在利乐包问世之前，多数新鲜的产品即使经由冷藏也只能保存到一到两个星期，而现在，它们可陈列在架上长达数个月。民众一下爱上了无菌铝箔包，稍后并坚持称它为利乐包，此乃源于其公司名而非产品本身。

Aseptic packaging was developed in Sweden in the 1940s. At the time, the only way to store products for a long time was in cans. But canning is expensive, uses a lot of energy in the sterilization process, and results in a bland-tasting product. Aseptic packaging, on the other hand, uses UHT (ultra-high temperature) to sterilize food literally in a flash. Food retains its natural flavors, colors, and nutritional value.

无菌铝箔包发展于1940年代的瑞典。在当时，能长时间保存食物的唯一方式就是罐装。然而罐装的成本昂贵、杀菌过程消耗许多能源，而且会导致产品尝起来淡而无味。另一方面，无菌铝箔包采用瞬间高温杀菌，食物得以保持原味、原色及营养价值。

In the 1980s, the Tetra Pak company expanded. Suddenly, aseptically packaged drinks (especially juice) were everywhere. Today, the Tetra Pak company keeps on making progress. In 2005, a microwavable aseptic package was developed. TV dinners will never be the same. Viva la revolution!

1980年代，利乐包公司进行扩展。无菌包装的饮品(特别是果汁)突然变得随处可见。到今日，利乐包公司仍不断追求进步，并于2005年开发出可微波式无菌包装。电视晚餐(指微波实时餐)将不会再一成不变了，改革万岁!

−by Bill Martin & Robert Kelly

Vocabulary

单词发音

innovation [͵ɪnəˋveʃən] n. 革新，改革，创新

refrigeration [rɪ͵frɪdʒəˋreʃən] n. 冷藏；冷冻

retain [rɪˋten] v. 保留，保持

revolutionary [͵rɛvəˋluʃən͵ɛrɪ] adj. 大变革的；完全创新的

More Information

单词发音

aseptic [əˋsɛptɪk] adj. 经过杀菌处理的; 无菌的

sterile [ˋstɛrəl] adj. 消过毒的，无菌的

aluminum [əˋlumɪnəm] n. 铝

sterilization [͵stɛrələˋzeʃən] n. 杀菌；消毒

bland [blænd] adj. 淡而无味的

sterilize [ˋstɛrə͵laɪz] v. 使无菌，消毒

in a flash 很快; 立刻; 立即 suddenly

microwavable [͵maɪkroˋwevəb!] adj.可微波的

TV dinner 电视餐（一种冷冻盒装食品，加热后即可食用而不中断看电视）

viva [ˋvivə] int. 感叹词【义】万岁！

canning [ˋkænɪŋ] n. 罐头制造