13.Liu Fang,who works as a media worker in Beijing,goes to a store specializing in selling near-expired (將要過期的) food in Sanlitun and returns with a bag of snacks or drinks every week.
"The price tags on these goods have caught my eye.They are often sold at 10 percent to 30 percent of the market price," Liu said. "More importantly,most of them are from big brands.Why wouldn't I love them?"
Liu is among the increasing number of Chinese people who enjoy purchasing near-expired food at much cheaper prices.According to the latest report by iiMedia Research,the near-expired food industry had a market size of over 30 billion yuan in 2020.Young consumers aged between 26 and 35 accounted for 47.8 percent.
Unlike the traditional thinking that buying such goods is embarrassing,more and more young people regard it as a kind of sustainable consumption that can help reduce food waste.
"I don't care much about the date as long as I can eat it before its expiry.It meets my demand while saving resources and protecting the environment,which is a good thing," Wu Lin,a 19-year-old college student and a fan of near-expired food,told Xinhua.
Indeed,food waste is a great challenge for China and other countries.According to a 2020 report from the National People's Congress,about 18 billion kilograms of food is wasted every year in China's urban catering industry (餐飲業(yè)).
"As more Chinese people choose to buy near-expired food,the food waste will be reduced," said Liu.
According to CGTN,China had the tradition of saving food over the decades leading to the 1990s.
As people's lives improved greatly,many began to make or order more food than could be consumed,CGTN reported.But the trend of buying near-expired food may suggest that the Chinese virtue of frugality (節(jié)約) is staging a comeback.
"I've been very frugal all my life.Living through a serious famine (1959-61)(饑荒),I'm used to saving every grain and every penny," Zhang Xin,a retired woman born in the 1950s,told CGTN. "I'm happy to see more young people,who used to spend extravagantly(奢侈地),joining our ranks."
(1)What does the author want to show by telling Liu Fang's story?
A.To show the characteristics of near-expired food.
B.To introduce the trend of buying food in Sanlitun.
C.To explain where people can buy near-expired food.
D.To show the recent growth in popularity of buying near-expired food.
(2)Why does Wu Lin love to buy near-expired food?
A.It is a fashionable lifestyle.
B.It is a safer shopping choice.
C.It is environmentally friendly.
D.It offers her new shopping experiences.
(3)What may the rise in buying near-expired food in China show according to CGTN?
A.People's desire to buy less.
B.China's economic prosperity.
C.The return of the Chinese virtue of frugality
D.People's reduced concern about a product's quality.
(4)Which one can be the best title?
A.The Comeback of an Old Lifestyle.
B.A New Food Trend among Young Consumers.
C.The Success of the Near-expired Food business.
D.The Pros and Cons of Buying Near-expired Food.