英文短篇故事（纽约）73 A Food Pill for the Future

 　　It is the future. People have eaten most of the animals and fish. The oceans contain little more than salt. Most pets have been eaten. The tired soil produces few fruits, vegetables, and grains. People worldwide have been dying of hunger. Researchers finally created a food pill. Its ingredients include carbon dioxide, hydrogen, hemp¹, and soy. They "activate²" the pill with lasers. Each activated³ pill not only contains all the essential nutrients⁴, calories, and fiber⁵, but it makes people feel full. They swallow one pill daily. It has no taste. People hate it. The Earth Food Network president said, "This pill is better than nothing. It saves lives! Everyone knows that we were eating too much of everything, but everyone continued to eat. If we let all the animals and plants reproduce naturally for another 1,000 years or so, they'll come back. Then we can all eat real food again."

1 hemp   

n.大麻；纤维

参考例句：

• The early Chinese built suspension bridges of hemp rope.古代的中国人建造过麻绳悬索桥。
• The blanket was woven from hemp and embroidered with wool.毯子是由亚麻编织，羊毛镶边的。

2 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

3 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

4 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。