365个英语简短小故事-323. Food as Punishment

A food called “nutraloaf” has been used for many years in US prisons. But prisoners claim that it tastes so bad that the food is actually punishment. They say that prison officials must charge the prisoner with some type of violation¹ before they can punish him by making him eat nutraloaf. At least one prisoner has filed a lawsuit² against the use of nutraloaf. Prison officials say the prisoners are overreacting. They say that nutraloaf is a nutritious³ food. “It’s just like fruitcake,” said one warden⁴. Nutraloaf is a mixture of bread, cheese, raw and cooked vegetables, beans, and other ingredients which may vary from season to season and prison to prison.

Prison officials say that using nutraloaf, a “hand” food, increases prison safety, because prisoners don’t have utensils⁵ or plates to throw at or use against guards or other prisoners. Officials routinely distribute nutraloaf for days at a time when one or more prisoners act unruly.

“What are they complaining about? I wish I could have had nutraloaf when I was growing up,” said Bob Hope, a prison warden in Arkansas. “It tastes a lot better than the grits⁶ and corn bread I ate every day. These guys have a lot of nerve to complain. I’ve eaten it myself many times—I just pop it into the microwave for a minute, spread a little butter on it, and enjoy. What’s their beef? Prisoners are a bunch of whiners. If they want five-star prison food, they should commit their crimes in France.”

 

1 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

2 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

3 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

4 warden   

n.监察员，监狱长，看守人，监护人

参考例句：

• He is the warden of an old people's home.他是一家养老院的管理员。
• The warden of the prison signed the release.监狱长签发释放令。

5 utensils   

器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物

参考例句：

• Formerly most of our household utensils were made of brass. 以前我们家庭用的器皿多数是用黄铜做的。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

6 grits   

n.粗磨粉；粗面粉；粗燕麦粉；粗玉米粉；细石子，砂粒等( grit的名词复数 )；勇气和毅力v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的第三人称单数 )；咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• The sands [grits] in the cooked rice made my tooth ache. 米饭里的砂粒硌痛了牙。 来自辞典例句
• This process also produces homing and corn grits. 此法也产生玉米麸(homing)和玉米粗粉。 来自辞典例句