全通翻譯/翻譯社

　　The fruits and vegetables in local supermarkets usually remain unchanged throughout the year. _(1)_ However, it's also clear that the flavors of these out-of-season fruits are lacking in comparison with those of in-season ones.
　　How can the lank, patchy spinach of winter possibly compare to the thick-leaved, juicy spinach of spring and summer? There is even a difference in their nutritional values. _(2)_ The reason for this is that the fruits and vegetables delivered to supermarkets out of season are either shipped from other parts of the world or grown in the artificial conditions of greenhouses. These foods are usually harvested before the produce is suitably ripe, refrigerated, and sometimes zapped with radiation to kill germs before the lengthy transportation process. _(3)_ Foods that have been carried halfway around the world have dullercolors and blander flavors, not to mention insipid textures.
　　Another important factor to consider when choosing seasonal foods is the simple matter of price. _(4)_ Thus, local farmers' markets are great places to buy fruits freshly picked and vegetables straight from the ground. Moreover, prices will reflect the supply and demand of seasonal foods. _(5)_ When figuring out what to cook for dinner, check to make sure it's in season first.

(A) Locally-grown products are often cheaper than imported goods due totransportation costs.
(B) These preservative measures not only harm the foods' natural nutritionalvalues but also have negative impacts on their taste.
(C) Therefore, since fruits and vegetables that are in season are often moreabundant, they will no doubt be cheaper.
(D) According to Japanese researchers, spinach picked during the summercontains three times the amount of vitamin C as its winter counterpart.
(E) This means we've all eaten foods that are out of season at some point, such as strawberries in the fall, pears in the summer, and watermelons in the winter.

時令蔬果最新鮮
為什麼夏天和冬天的草莓嚐起來味道就是不一樣？
　　在地超市裡的蔬果種類通常整年一成不變。這表示我們在某些時候都吃過非當季的食物，像是秋天的草莓、夏天的西洋梨，和冬天的西瓜等。然而，這些非時令水果在風味上很明顯不如時令水果。
　　冬天乾扁、稀疏的菠菜怎麼能跟春夏茂盛、多汁的菠菜相比？它們甚至在營養價值上也有差異。根據日本研究人員的報告，夏季採收的菠菜，其維他命 C 的含量是冬季菠菜的 3 倍。原因在於這些送到超市的非時令蔬果，不是從世界其他地方運送過來的，就是在溫室人工的條件下栽種的。這些農產品通常在成熟前就被採收和冷藏，有時候在長途運送前還會照射放射線來殺死微生物。這些保存措施不僅會破壞食物天然的營養價值，還會使它們的口感變差。食物在運往全世界的途中，色澤會變得較不鮮艷，也會變得較沒味道，更別說吃起來的口感了。
　　選擇當季食物的另一因素純粹是價格上的考量。由於運輸成本的緣故，在地種植的產品通常比進口商品便宜。因此，在地農夫市場是購買鮮採水果和剛採收蔬菜的最佳去處。此外，價格也反映出當季食物的供需關係。因此，由於當季的蔬果通常產量豐富，價格當然也就比較便宜。當你決定要煮什麼當晚餐時，先確認食材是不是當季的食物吧。
答案：1. (E)　2. (D)　3. (B)　4. (A)　5. (C)