Does your soul die a little every time you throw away unused food? Mine does. Maybe that feeling comes from growing up in South Africa, where the phrase “there are children starving in Africa” was more of an uncomfortable reminder of fact than a prayer at dinner time.

Food waste is a growing concern in the restaurant, supermarket, and supply chain industries. From technological solutions to educational campaigns, food producers and sellers are looking for ways to use more of what we’re already growing. But last month, one popular New York City restaurant tried a different way: It changed its menu to exclusively (专门) offer food that would otherwise be thrown away.

For two weeks in March, Greenwich Village’s Blue Hill restaurant was renamed wasted, and served items like fried skate cartilage, a juice pulp burger, and a dumpster diver’s vegetable salad. Each dish was tailor-made to raise awareness regarding food waste.

A study by the Food Waste Alliance determined that the average restaurant generates 33 pounds of food waste for every $1,000 in revenue (收入), and of that waste only 15.7% is donated or recycled. Up to 84.3% is simply thrown out. Restaurants like Silo in the UK have experimented with zero-waste systems, but wastED took the concept to its logical conclusion.

It should be noted that none of the items on wastED’s menu was technically made from garbage. Instead, all the ingredients (配料) used were examples of meat cuts and produce that most restaurants would never consider serving. Things like kale ribs, fish collars, rejected sweet potatoes, and cucumber butts were all re-appropriated and, with the help of a number of good chefs, turned into excellent cuisine.

Though wastED received enthusiastic reviews, it was designed from the start as a short-lived experiment; Blue Hill has since returned to its regular menu. Nevertheless, it serves as a reminder that there are many ways to address problems of sustainability, and that you can make an amazing meal out of almost anything. 

1.1. What can be inferred about the author’s early life?

A He witnessed food shortage.

B He enjoyed the local cuisine.

C He donated food to Africans.

D He helped to cook at home.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。第一段中，作者提到自己在南非长大，并且“there are children starving in Africa”这句话不是饭前祷告，而是一个“令人不安的事实提醒”。这暗示作者成长的环境里，食物短缺是一个真实存在、触目惊心的社会问题，他亲眼目睹或深刻意识到了这一点。因此可以推断他目睹了食物短缺（witnessed food shortage）。B（享受当地美食）、C（向非洲人捐赠食物）、D（在家帮忙做饭）均未在文中体现。故选A。

2.2. Why did Blue Hill carry out the experiment?

A To customize dishes for guests.

B To make the public aware of food waste.

C To test a food processing method.

D To improve the UK’s zero-waste systems.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据文章第三段中的“Each dish was tailor-made to raise awareness regarding food waste. (每道菜都是量身定制的，以提高人们对食物浪费的认识)”可知，Blue Hill餐厅进行这个实验，是为了提高公众对食物浪费的认识。这直接说明了实验的目的。A（为客人定制菜肴）是手段，不是根本目的；C（测试食品加工方法）和D（改进英国的零浪费系统）在文中均未提及作为主要目的。故选B。

3.3. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A Why the ingredients were used.

B Which dishes were best liked.

C What the dishes were made of.

D Where the ingredients were bought.

解析：选C。C 主旨大意题。第五段的首句是主题句：“It should be noted that none of the items on wastED’s menu was technically made from garbage.” 接着详细解释了所有食材都是通常被餐厅丢弃的部分，如羽衣甘蓝梗、鱼颈肉、淘汰的甘薯、黄瓜头等，并说明它们被重新利用制成了美食。整段都在具体阐述菜肴是用什么做的。A（为什么使用这些食材）部分涉及，但段落核心是列举“是什么”，而非分析“为什么”；B（哪些菜最受欢迎）、D（食材从哪里购买）均未提及。故选C。

4.4. What can we learn about wastED?

A It has ended as planned.

B It is creating new jobs.

C It has regained popularity.

D It is criticized by top chefs.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。最后一段明确指出：“it was designed from the start as a short-lived experiment; Blue Hill has since returned to its regular menu.” wastED从一开始就被设计为一个短期的实验，并且Blue Hill餐厅已经恢复了常规菜单。这说明它按计划结束了。B（正在创造新工作）、C（重新流行起来）、D（受到顶级厨师批评）均与文章最后一段的描述不符。故选A。