第三期
Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live?
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
参考译文：
参考1:
Man, through the ages, has undergone many changes, from a period when he hunted for his food to the present era when man is dependent on preprocessed foods. During this period not only has man changed his mode of eating but his whole lifestyle as well. In pursuit of more in this competitive world, man no longer has time as he once had. He is caught in a race against the clock. A person who finishes more in lesser time is considered more efficient. This pressure to do more in less time has affected his eating habits as well and, as a result, man no longer has time to cook food. Early man's only objective( a thing aimed at or wished for; purpose 目标; 目的) was to seek food to sustain((a) keep (sb/sth) alive or in existence 维持（某人[某物])的生命或存在 )him and his family. Nowadays finding food has taken a back seat to other priorities(thing that is (regarded as) more important than others （被视为）优先的事物), such as career and education.昔时算得上人的唯一任务，今朝被更重要的事情取代。
Food is no longer of that importance. This is not an encouraging trend. People are too dependent on preprocessed(预处理) or precooked food, which no longer has the freshness it once had. Such foods loose their mineral and vitamin content and are not as healthy as fresh food. That is why the number of diseases is also rising. People have also shifted to high calorie content food like French fries, pizzas, and ice cream, etc., which is causing obesity(being obese 过度肥胖), fatigue(great tiredness, usu resulting from hard work or exercise 疲乏; 疲劳; 疲倦), etc. As man is becoming busy and too involved in his busy schedule((a) programme of work to be done or of planned events 进度表; 预定计画表)), he has no time even to take care of his own personal needs.作者持不支持态度。原因1）今朝食物不如昔时重要，所以今朝用快餐。带来健康问题。
Furthermore, cooking is an art which is dying out. People once enjoyed cooking . It was a means of eliminating( ~ sb/sth (from sth) remove (esp sb/sth that is not wanted or needed) 消除, 清除, 排除（尤指不必要或不需要的某人[某物])) stress and tension. People were once able to relax during this time and reflect on(反思) their lives.原因2）没了一项艺术即将灭绝。人也没了放松反思的机会。
People may tend to argue that by using precooked and preprocessed food they are efficiently using time and can use this precious time saved for other purposes. But is it really worth it? This is a question whose answer can invite much speculation(思考) about whether by saving this little time we are inviting lots of other problems, which could easily be avoided. It is actually making our lives not simpler but more complicated. We have lost many of the simpler things in our lives, like the simple acts of selecting our evening meal, preparing it, and enjoying it with our loved ones, and
we are worse off for it.原因3）人们可能不同意，认为可以节省时间。作者认为，这时间节省的不一定有价值。
本人略评：好文章，灵活运用俚语和固定搭配，句式多样而不感繁杂，对简单形式的词汇有深刻理解，因此应用了一些常见词汇的罕见意义。从扣题来说，突出今昔的对比，有较强的说服力。
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参考2:
Nowadays, wherever we turn our gaze(look at sb/sth 看某人[某事物]) , we can see different types of food that are easier to prepare. For instance, we can buy frozen foods in a supermarket and just prepare it in a couple of minutes, whereas(but in contrast; while 然而) before it could have taken us maybe hours to prepare this kind of meals. I would accept that this so-called improvement has changed our lives, but I believe that there are some drawbacks（disadvantage; problem 不利条件; 缺点; 障碍） as well.
论点鲜明:有缺点
It is true that these kinds of food do not involve hard work to prepare, but food that is easy to prepare generally has some artificial (made or produced by man in imitation of sth natural; not real 人造的; 人工的; 假的)ingredients mixed in it that makes it "easy-to-cook". If we take time to read the ingredients, we would definitely come across words like preservatives(substance usedfor preserving 保护剂; 防腐剂) or artificial flavorings(调料). It was just a couple of days ago that I came across a newspaper article which stated that someone was poisoned because he ate this type of food. He was hospitalized(If someone is hospitalized, they are sent or admitted to hospital.) for almost a month.
原因1)含人工原料，有害健康
Not having to cook has also taken the fun out of cooking. Cooking is an art, but in today's world, this is no more true. People are so busy with their work that they just rely on this simple foods. The invention and production of this foods have made people lazy not only for cooking but also for a well family get-together. It was not like former times when families would sit together and eat freshly baked food. Instead, they are getting these artificial things with minimal(Something that is minimal is very small in quantity, value, or degree. ) nutrients in them.
原因2)是烹调的乐趣不再
Cooking in the yesteryears(You use yesteryear to refer to the past, often a period in the past with a set of values or a way of life that no longer exists.) was much better than today's. People would spend more time in the kitchen, preparing the food in the way that they liked it. This brought families closer together and also contributed to the high quality and nutrition of the food. Granted(You use granted or granted that at the beginning of a clause to say that something is true, before you make a comment on it. ), people are busier nowadaysand do not have as much time as they did in the past, but I believe that people have forgotten theimportance of healthy, fresh food and of the time a family spends together preparing the food. So,I would say that having food that is easy to prepare has had many disadvantages.
原因3)家庭更亲近的机会没有了.结论:宗上,在健康,家庭等方面有众多缺点.
参考3:
It can not be doubted that our eating style has encountered a revolutionary change in the last few decades. It is the change in the type of food that has had the greatest influence. Not only have the recipes of certain food types have been altered, but also absolutely new ones have been created.Examples include yet are not restricted(Something that is restricted is quite small or limited.) to beef hamburgers, potato chips, and cola drinks. All of these changes contribute to making food preparation as fast and easy as possible. It cannot be neglected(showing a lack of care or attention 不经心的; 不注意的) that modern cooking facilities(circumstances, equipment, etc that make it possible, or easier, to do sth; aids 能够或易於做某事的环境、 设备等; 辅助物) play a dramatic role in this trend.
Some people regard this trend as a spoiler (If you describe someone or something as a spoiler, you mean that they try to spoil the performance of other people or things)of our lives. Their argument focuses on two main points. First, many newly emerged types of food have not the essence of a "complete meal" as defined by nutritionists. To add to the problem, these food types are often served alone. In fact,there are many medical reports warning people from depending upon such fast meals in their food.Other reports indicate a high potential of malnutrition among those who are "addicted" to the common duet of burgers and cola.Second, the advantage of gathering family members around a meal at home is lost. Fast prepared food types are usually eaten outside home. With the absence of regular family meetings,relationships are likely to be weaker.
列举别人观点:这种潮流破坏我们的生活---->1)新饮食方式不利健康;2)与家人的团聚感减少
Others think that fast prepared food types do improve our style of life. This opinion comes especially from busy people, working wives, and younger people. They believe that we have many things in life more important than eating. Time spent on food preparation is considered wasted by them. Wives will have more time to take care of their families' souls not just stomachs. Family relationships will get stronger. Business men and women will have more time to concentrate on their business without worrying about food arrangements. In general, people will have a greater opportunity to take care of their minds and hearts. Reports estimate the time spent on food arrangements as a large percentage of our lives.
列举另一部分人的观点:改善了生活-->1)节省时间工作,照看家庭2)更多关心心灵生活
I agree with that food preparation should take its necessary time and care. Otherwise, the time saved in food preparation can lead to longer times of headache or even of staying in hospitals suffering from malnutrition(If someone is suffering from malnutrition, they are physically weak and extremely thin because they have not eaten enough food. ).
自己观点:饮食应该占重要位置,人们应该关注,否则对健康非常不利