Part I
Pro: Before we get started, I...I just wanted to say I’m glad you chose food science for your major course of study.
Stu: Yeah, it seems like a great industry to get involved with. I mean with a four-year degree in food science, I'll always be able to find a job.
Pro: You're absolutely right. Before entering academia, I worked as a scientist for several food manufacturers and for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. I even worked on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska a couple of summers while I was an undergraduate. We’d bring in the day's catch to a floating processor boat where the fish got cleaned, packaged and frozen right at sea.
Stu: That's amazing! As a matter of fact, I'm sort of interested in food packaging.
Pro: Well, for that, you'll need a strong background in physics, math and chemistry.
Stu: Those are my best subjects. For a long time, I was leaning towards getting my degree in engineering.
Pro: Well, then you shouldn’t have a problem. Uh, and fortunately, at this university, the department of food science offers a program in food packaging. Elsewhere, you might have to hammer courses together on your own.
幸运的是这所大学的食品科学系提供食品包装课程。如果是在其他大学，你可能就不得不自己组合不同的科目（以满足食品包装课程的学科需求）。
1. major|ˈmeɪdʒə(r)|
adj. related to sb's main subject of study in college 主修的（课程）
E.g.: his major field was mathematics
他主修数学
2. involved|ɪnˈvɑ:lvd|
adj. if you are involved in something, you give a lot of time, effort, or attention to it. 专心于…的;忙于…的
E.g.: The family were deeply involved in Jewish culture.
这家人非常注重学习犹太文化。
3. academia|ˌækəˈdi:miə|
noun. the world of learning, teaching, research, etc. at universities, and the people involved in it 学术界
E.g.: Britain needs to bridge the technology gap between academia and industry.
英国需要弥合学术界和企业界之间的技术差距。
4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration
美国食品药品监督管理局（英语缩写为FDA）为美国卫生与公众服务部直辖的联邦政府机构，其主要职能为负责对美国国内生产及进口的食品、膳食补充剂、药品、疫苗、生物医药制剂、血液制剂、医疗设备、放射性设备、兽药和化妆品进行监督管理，同时也负责执行公共健康法案（the Public Health Service Act）的第361号条款，包括公共卫生条件及州际旅行和运输的检查、对于诸多产品中可能存在的疾病的控制等等。
5. catch|kætʃ|
noun. the total amount of things that are caught 总捕获量
E.g.: The catch included one fish over 18 pounds.
捕获的鱼里有一条重逾18磅。
6. lean towards
to have a tendency to prefer sth, especially a particular opinion or interest倾向，偏向（尤指某意见或利益）
E.g.: The UK leant towards the US proposal.
英国倾向于美国的提案。
7. hammer together
to force things which might not naturally go together easily into a group / unit / whole. 把本不在一起的事物组合在一起
E.g.:You “hammer things together” if they don’t quite fit together naturally.
如果它们不是天然就在一起的，你就“把它们组合在一起”。
Part II
Stu: I guess I luck out then. I am…so since my appointment today is to discuss my term paper topic, I wanted to ask, could I write about food packaging? I realize we're supposed to research food borne bacteria, but food packaging must play a role in all of that, right?
Pro: Absolutely! Maybe you should do some preliminary research on that.
Stu: I have! That's the problem. I'm overwhelmed.
Pro: Well, in your reading, did anything interest you in particular? I meansomething you’d like to investigate.
Stu: Well, I was surprised about the different types of packaging used for milk. You know, clear plastic bottles, opaque bottles, cardboard containers.
Pro: True! In fact, the type of packaging has something to do with the way milk's treated against bacteria.
Stu: Yeah, and I read a study that showed how light can give milk a funny flavor and decrease its nutritional value. And yet most milk bottles are clear. What's up with that?
我读过一项研究，该研究表明光线可以使牛奶发出怪怪的味道并降低其营养价值。
1. luck out
to be lucky 走运；交好运
E.g.: I guess I really lucked out when I met her.
我想，我遇到她真是交了好运。
2. borne|bɔ:rn|
-borne (in adjectives 构成形容词) carried by 由…携带的
E.g.: waterborne diseases
由水传染的疾病
3. role |roʊl|
noun. the degree to which sb/sth is involved in a situation or an activity and the effect that they have on it 影响程度；作用
E.g.: The media play a major role in influencing people's opinions.
媒体在影响舆论方面发挥着重要作用。
4. preliminary |prɪˈlɪmɪnəri|
adj. happening before a more important action or event 预备性的；初步的；开始的
E.g.: After a few preliminary remarks he announced the winners.
说了几句开场白之后，他即宣布优胜者名单。
5. overwhelm|ˌəʊvəˈwelm|
verb. to have such a strong emotional effect on sb that it is difficult for them to resist or know how to react 使不知所措，使难以承受
E.g.: The need to talk to someone, anyone, overwhelmed her.
她迫不及待地要找个人说说话，随便是谁都行。
6. opaque |əʊˈpeɪk|
adj. not clear enough to see through or allow light through 不透明的；不透光的；浑浊的
E.g.: You can always use opaque glass if you need to block a street view.
如果不想从室内看到街景，可以使用不透明玻璃。
7. cardboard |ˈkɑ:rdbɔ:rd|
noun. stiff material like very thick paper, often used for making boxes 硬纸板，卡纸板（常用于制造盒子）
E.g.: Give the cardboard two or three coats of varnish to harden it.
在纸板上涂两三层清漆使其变硬。
8. treat |tri:t|
verb. to use a chemical substance or process to clean, protect, preserve, etc. sth （利用化学物质或反应）处理，保护，保存
E.g.: to treat crops with insecticide
给庄稼喷洒杀虫剂
9. funny |ˈfʌni|
adj. difficult to explain or understand 奇怪的；难以解释的；难理解的
E.g.: The engine's making a very funny noise.
发动机发出一种很怪的声音。
Part III
Pro: Well, consumers like being able to visually examine the color of the milk. That might be one reason that opaque bottles haven't really caught on. But that study...I'm sure there is more studies on the subject. You shouldn't base your paper on only one study.
Stu: Maybe I should write about those opaque plastic bottles. Find out if there is any scientific reasons they aren't used more widely? Maybe opaque bottles aren't as good at keeping bacteria from growing in milk after the bottle’s been opened for something…but where to begin researching this? I don't have a...
Pro: You know, there is a dairy not far from here in Chelsea. It was one of the first dairies to bottle milk in opaque plastic, but now they're using clear plastic again. And they're always very supportive of the university and our students, so if you wanted...
Stu: Yeah, I like that idea.
也许不透明的瓶子在瓶子被打开之后不能很好地防止细菌在牛奶中生长……
1. visual |ˈvɪʒuəl|
adj. of or connected with seeing or sight 视力的；视觉的
E.g.: The building makes a tremendous visual impact.
这栋建筑物给人以极其深刻的视觉印象。
2. catch on|ˈsɜ:tɪfaɪ|
to become popular or fashionable 受欢迎；流行起来；变得时髦
E.g.: He invented a new game, but it never really caught on.
他发明了一种新的游戏，但从未真正流行起来。
3. dairy|ˈderi|
noun. a place on a farm where milk is kept and where butter and cheese are made 牛奶场；乳品场
E.g.: Milk, butter, and cheese are shipped here from the dairy farms.
牛奶、黄油和奶酪都是各个制酪场运到这里来的。
