Unlocking
Word Meanings
Read
the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. mislabeled (adj.) [mis-ley-buhld] – having that a label that is wrong,
misleading
Example: I took the wrong
medicine because the bottle is mislabeled.
2. endangered (adj.) [en-deyn-jerd] – something that is in danger of
disappearing
Example: Polar bears are endangered because they are always
hunted down.
3. bar code (n.) [bahr] [kohd] –
a series of lines with different thickness and are read by scanner to reveal
information such as price, address, identification, etc.
Example: Every product in the
supermarket has a bar code to easily
know how much they cost.
4. database (n.) [dey-tuh-beys] – a very large collection of data that is in
digital form
Example: The company has a database of clients which they update
every month.
5. malpractice (adj.) [mal-prak-tis] – improper or wrong practice
Example: Doctors who ask
patients to buy expensive drugs commit malpractice.
Article
Read the text below.
Marine
scientists are concerned with the growing number of mislabeled fish packages in many supermarkets. In a study across
North America and Europe, 20 to 25 percent of seafood products have fake
labels. Cheaper fish meats are packed as expensive fish, while rare fish
species are
not identified as endangered.
Environmental
group Oceana says agencies like Food and Drug Administration slack at
monitoring mislabeled products. Their old monitoring system, which involves
checking protein from fish samples, returns unreliable results. As an
alternative, inspectors track the paperwork of fish deliveries and watch for
any changes in labels. But this method also takes a lot of time.
To
address this problem, scientists propose the use of DNA bar coding which allows inspectors to compare DNA from fish
samples to a database of fish species. The cost of testing is not much.
Laboratories charge $2000 for every 100 samples, equivalent to $20 per sample.
If an agency owns the equipment, the cost can be $1 per sample.
Scientists
claim that bar coding is becoming more accessible today. They predict that in
the next ten years, inspectors will have hand-held DNA bar coding system.
However,
stopping this widespread malpractice may take time because fish dealers continue to profit
from it. In the meantime, consumers suffer as they pay more for cheaper fish
and they become unaware that they are buying endangered fish species.
Viewpoint
Discussion
Enjoy
a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion
A
·
Why
do some people enjoy eating endangered or rare fishes?
·
Why
should people protect endangered fishes?
Discussion B
·
How
would you feel if you find out that you bought a cheap fish instead of one with
high quality?
·
What
would you do if you find out that the labels in the fish package you bought are
wrong?
