【明報專訊】Seafood is best eaten fresh! Therefore, many people cook crabs, prawns and lobsters alive. However, not many would think about how the animals feel... until now.
Switzerland recently passed a law that prohibits boiling live lobsters out of concern for animal rights. The law was proposed based on scientific research which suggests that lobsters have sophisticated nervous systems and are likely to feel great pain when boiled alive. The law will come into force on 1 March.
Having to change the age-long practice in cooking the shelled delicacy, how can chefs prepare lobster dishes? Under the new law, chefs can give lobsters an electric shock or mechanically destroy their brain, such as cutting through their head with a big knife, and lobsters can no longer feel pain.
In addition, the Swiss government also ordered that crustaceans (甲殼類動物), including lobsters and crabs, should not be transported live in ice or icy water, but should always be held in their natural environment. While the new legislations may sound ridiculous, Switzerland is not the only country which supports edible animals' rights. Italy and New Zealand have already passed similar laws to minimise sufferings of these edible creatures. Australia is also discussing whether or not they should follow the ban.
(Sources: Ming Pao, The Guardian, Newsweek, Sputnik News, Perth Now)
■Photo Story
In a 2013 experiment, Professor Robert Elwood of Queen's University Belfast examined how crabs react to electric shock. "If stunned electrically or if the brain is destroyed mechanically, lobsters are effectively dead," said Prof Elwood.
■English highway﹕whether
We use "whether (or not)" to talk about choices between two possibilities.
e.g. I'm not sure whether we will go to the cinema today.
■Quiz
(Answers on next text)
1. Is the following statement true or false?
Lobsters cannot be boiled alive in Switzerland now.
True/False
2. Find a word in paragraph 2 that is an antonym of "allows".
_________________________
3. When will the new law become effective?
_________________________
4. How can a chef prepare a lobster dish under the new law?
a. Stun the lobster with electricity
b. Cut through the lobster's head quickly
c. Destroy the lobster's brain
d. All of the above
■Glossary
research (n) 研究
mechanically (adv) 有技巧地
ridiculous (adj) 荒謬
minimise (v) 減至最低
[Smarties' Power English 第207期]
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