阅读理解A If you bought some candy months ago but never ate it, how can you tell whether it’s stillsafe to eat? The easiest way is to check the “expiration date(保质期)”printed on the wrapper. Ifthat date has already passed, you’re likely to throw the candy away. But is that really necessary? According to a new report from the US Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), tons offood is wasted each year, largely because people don’t fully understand what expiration dates, or“use-by dates”, actually mean. Food dating was introduced in 1970s because customers wanted more information aboutthe things that they were eating. When they first showed up, use-by dates were only supposed to indicate freshness because producers wanted their products to be tasted in their best conditions. But the truth is that these dates aren’t related to the risk of food poisoning or food-born illness,according to Time News. However, most customers misinterpreted use-by dates and related themto the safety of the food, and they still largely do now. Eggs, for example, can still be eaten threeto five weeks after purchase even though the use-by date is much earlier. When their use-by datespass, strawberry juice may lose its red color and biscuits may lose their crunch(松脆的口感), butthey are not harmful. “It’s a confusing subject, the difference between food quality and food safety, ”said JenaRoberts, vice president of National Food Lab, a US food testing company. “Even in the food industry I have colleagues who get confused. ”This is why scientists are calling for a standard explanation to be printed following the use-by dates. “We want this to be clearly communicated so customers are not misinterpreting the date and contributing to a lot of waste, ”said Dana Gunders, a staff scientist with the NRDC. But this won’t be a mistake that is easy to correct since people have believed it for so long. Another problem is that the quality levels of different foods change differently—some are still eatable long after their use-by dates while others are not. As a result, food industry officials are now thinking of changing the use-by date to a date indicating when food is most likely to throw away. 1. According to the text, use-by date was first intended to . A. reduce the waste of foodB. show whether the food was freshC. show the safety of foodD. give a warming of food poisoning2. Which of the following is TRUE? A. Most customers understand what use-by date mean. B. Biscuits can’t be eaten when not as crunchy as they were bought. C. “Use-by dates” have existed for more than 50 years. D. Even after their use-by dates pass, some food are still safe to eat. 3. Scientists are calling for a standard explanation to be printed together with the use-by dates because . A. most consumers often misunderstand use-by datesB. use-by dates are not helpful or reliableC. more consumers get worried about food safetyD. the quality level of different foods changes differently