2026年考博英语外刊第7期丨Which Is Safer?

本期精选2025年《Discover Magazine》的一篇文章，助力考生们攻克考博英语阅读理解。

本期题材：食品健康&科普

杂志简介：

Discover Magazine《发现》，是一本创刊于1980年的美国著名大众科学（Popular Science）期刊。紧跟科学前沿，报道最新的科研发现、技术突破和科学争议，让读者了解“科学正在发生什么”。对于准备医学、理工科或其他专业博士入学英语考试（尤其是阅读和写作部分）的考生来说，定期阅读《Discover》杂志具有显著的帮助。

本期内容

Wood vs. Plastic Cutting Boards: Which One Is Cleaner and Healthier?

一、阅读全文

【1】Dean Cliver, an expert in food microbiology at the University of California Davis, was the OG of cutting-board research. In the early 1990s, Cliver, who died in 2011, and his colleagues set out to discover how home cooks could clean their wooden cutting boards so that wooden boards would be as safe to use as the plastic variety.

【2】But the results of their experiments showed that the plastic boards weren’t necessarily safer than the wooden ones. Or to be more precise, under the same experimental conditions, the wooden boards harbored fewer bacteria than the plastic ones. (Science is like that. You don’t always find what you’re expecting. And if you do always find what you’re expecting, you might want to re-think your approach.)

【3】Plastic boards are easier to sanitize. But wood has some properties that plastic doesn’t. For one thing, the woods commonly used in cutting boards are harder than plastic, so they’re less likely to end up with lots of grooves and gouges that can provide cozy homes for colonies of bacteria.

【4】But, perhaps the most intriguing finding concerns a feature of wood you might think was a downside: Wood is porous. In a study published in 1994, Cliver and colleagues found that when the researchers inoculated the wooden boards with bacteria, it was difficult to recover the bacteria. That’s because it was no longer on the surface of the wood. The bacteria had been drawn into the interior of the wood.

【5】The authors of a 2023 study explain how this happens: When cutting boards are washed, the wood soaks up the water, along with any remaining bacteria, leaving the surface of the wood clean. The bacteria, trapped inside the board, eventually die.

【6】Though all types of wood tested had some antibacterial effect, some woods (red oak and white oak) were better at removing Listeria, while others (European beech) were better at removing Salmonella, according to the 2023 study.

【7】That research also found that the finish on the wood matters. Cutting boards treated with linseed oil or mineral oil did not absorb the bacteria as well as untreated boards, at least for 24 hours, leaving more bacteria on the surface. The authors recommend passing on those wood treatment products often sold alongside wooden cutting boards and chopping blocks.

【8】One concern about plastic boards is that tiny bits of plastic — microplastics — can chip off the board when you’re chopping your chops or slicing your carrots and get into your food.

【9】Although there hasn’t been a lot of research in this area, several studies have raised concerns. For example, one recent study found that plastic cutting boards can be a substantial source of microplastics in food. Until more research is done, however, we won’t know if this could impact health.

【10】So, which is best, plastic or wood? Barring more research on microplastic contamination, either is fine, say most experts. The issue is not so much which type of cutting board you use but how you use and care for it, explains Janet Buffer, food-safety expert at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health.

【11】No matter what your cutting board is made of, you need to be scrupulous about cleaning it, she says. That means washing the board in hot soapy water after every use. (For plastic boards, this can be done in the dishwasher, but the high heat of dishwashers warps and cracks wooden boards.) Once the board has been thoroughly scrubbed, give it a sanitizing rinse. Buffer recommends a mild solution of one teaspoon of bleach to two cups of water.

【12】Another best practice, according to Buffer, is to use separate boards for veggies and meats. And vegetarians take note: You need to be just as careful as carnivores when it comes to cleanliness. Buffer points out that produce, especially leafy greens, has been implicated in outbreaks of food-borne illness.

【13】“So even after you've handled produce, wash, rinse, and sanitize your cutting board after use,” she says.

二、开始做题

1. What did Dean Cliver and his colleagues initially aim to discover in their 1990s research?

A. Why wooden cutting boards were more popular than plastic ones.

B. How home cooks could sanitize wooden boards to match plastic boards’ safety.

C. Whether plastic boards were inherently more resistant to bacteria than wooden ones.

D. The impact of different wood types on bacterial growth.

2. What significant impact does the finish on the surface of wood have on the antibacterial effect?

A. Treated wood absorbed bacteria more effectively than untreated wood.

B. Treated wood reduced bacterial absorption by 50% compared to untreated wood.

C. Treated woodinitially retained more bacteria on its surface than untreated wood.

D. Treated wood had no significant impact on bacterial absorption.

3. What is the main conclusion of the article regarding the choice between wood and plastic cutting boards?

A. Wood is always safer because it naturally kills bacteria.

B. Plastic is superior due to its ease of dishwasher cleaning.

C. Both materials are equally safe if used and cleaned properly.

D. Microplastics from plastic boards make wood the only safe option.

答案+解析

1.【答案】B

【考查点】细节事实题。

【解题思路】根据题干关键词Dean Cliver and his colleagues定位到第一段第二句In the early 1990s, Cliver,… and his colleagues set out to discover how home cooks could clean their wooden cutting boards so that wooden boards would be as safe to use as the plastic variety.（在上世纪90年代初，克里弗及其团队着手探索：家庭厨师如何清洁木制砧板，才能使其安全性与塑料砧板不相上下。）选项B与原文意思相符，故正确。选项A、C、D与第一段的研究目标皆不相符，故排除。

2.【答案】C

【考查点】细节事实题。

【解题思路】根据题干关键词the finish on the surface of wood定位到第七段第一句，由后文Cutting boards treated with linseed oil or mineral oil did not absorb the bacteria as well as untreated boards, at least for 24 hours, leaving more bacteria on the surface.（经亚麻籽油或矿物油处理过的木制砧板，在至少24小时内对细菌的吸附能力明显弱于未处理砧板，导致更多细菌残留于表面。）可知，经过涂层处理的木板在初期表面会残留更多细菌。选项C与文中所述内容相符，故正确。选项A与原文的treated wood absorbed bacteria less well（处理后的木材吸收细菌的能力较差）意思相反，故排除；选项B在文中未提及，故排除；选项D与原文所表达的意思相矛盾，故排除。

3.【答案】C

【考查点】主旨大意题。

【解题思路】由文章第十段第二、三句Barring more research on microplastic contamination, either is fine, say most experts. The issue is not so much which type of cutting board you use but how you use and care for it…（大多数专家表示，除非有更多关于微塑料污染的研究，否则两者都可以选用。问题的关键不在于砧板的材质，而在于你如何使用与护理它。）可知，作者的核心结论是：只要正确使用和清洁，两种材质的砧板安全性相当。选项C与原文所表达的意思相符，故正确。选项A忽略了清洁方式的影响，故排除；选项B与原文“多数专家认为两者均可选用”相矛盾，故排除；选项D夸大了微塑料的风险，且原文明确表示了“两种材质均可选用”，故排除。

三、重点词汇+长难句

【全文共22个重点词汇，看到不熟悉的词汇，记得划线哦！】

harbor /ˈhɑːbə(r)/ v. 居住，生存

sanitize /ˈsænɪtaɪz/ vt. 给……消毒

groove /ɡruːv/ n. 凹槽

gouge /ɡaʊdʒ/ n. 沟；圆凿

intriguing /ɪnˈtriːɡɪŋ/ adj. 非常有趣的，引人入胜的

porous /ˈpɔːrəs/ adj. 多孔渗水的

inoculate /ɪˈnɒkjuleɪt/ v. 给……接种

antibacterial /ˌæntibækˈtɪəriəl/ adj. 抗菌的，灭菌的

oak /əʊk/ n. 橡木，栎木

linseed /ˈlɪnsiːd/ n. 亚麻籽

mineral /ˈmɪnərəl/ n. 矿物质；矿物

chop /tʃɒp/ n.（羊或猪）排

substantial /səbˈstænʃ(ə)l/ adj. 重要的

Barring /ˈbɑːrɪŋ/ prep. 除非

contamination /kənˌtæmɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 污染

scrupulous /ˈskruːpjələs/ adj. 细致的，一丝不苟的

warp /wɔːp/ v.（使）扭曲，（使）变形

scrub /skrʌb/ v. 擦洗；刷洗

rinse /rɪns/ v. 冲洗，洗涮

bleach /bliːtʃ/ n. 漂白剂，消毒剂

carnivores /ka:nivɔ:z/ n. 食肉动物；肉食者

implicate /ˈɪmplɪkeɪt/ v. 表明（或意指）……是起因