Fast food giant (n.大型集團) KFC (n.肯德基（家鄉雞）)'s Chinese (adj.中國的) subsidiary (n.子公司) pledged (v.承諾) on Tuesday to work with authorities (n.當局) in investigating (v.調查) claims (n.聲稱) by state (n.國家) television that its chicken (n.雞（肉）) suppliers (n.供應商) had injected (v.注射) anti-viral (adj.抗病毒的) drugs and growth hormones (n.激素) in its poultry (n.家禽).
State television CCTV (n.中國中央電視台) said that a commercial chicken producer called Liu He Zhi Tuan (n.六和集團) had been feeding (v.餵飼) anti-viral drugs and growth hormones to its chickens - right up until they were slaughtered (v.屠宰). The chickens were then supplied to KFC and McDonald's (n.麥當勞), without any kind of quality checks (n.檢查).
KFC said it would punish its chicken suppliers harshly (adj.嚴厲地) if they are found to have flouted (v.公然藐視) the law by doing so.
McDonald's said in its official (adj.官方的) microblog (n.微博) that its chicken and raw materials (n.原料) pass through independent, third-party (adj.第三方的) laboratory (n.實驗室) tests.
China is notorious (adj.臭名昭彰的) for its food safety woes (n.問題), with regular news reports of fake (adj.假的) cooking oil, tainted (adj.受污染的) milk and even watermelons (n.西瓜) that explode from absorbing too much fertilizer (n.肥料).
(Reuters, December 18)
中國國營電視台聲稱，大型快餐集團家鄉雞的雞肉供應商，替家禽注射抗病毒藥物和生長激素。集團在中國的子公司，星期二承諾會協助當局調查。
國營的中國中央電視台報導，一個叫做“六和集團”的雞肉生產商，給他們的雞餵飼抗病毒藥物和生長激素——直到牠們被屠宰為止。這些雞肉然後供應給肯德基和麥當勞，其間並沒有任何形式的品質檢查。
肯德基表示，若他們的雞肉供應商證實真的這麼做，便是公然藐視法律，他們將會予以嚴懲。
麥當勞在官方微博發表聲明說，他們的雞肉和原料都通過第三方獨立實驗室檢測。
中國的食物安全問題一向臭名昭彰，新聞經常報導假的食用油、受污染的牛奶，甚至因吸收了太多肥料而爆炸的西瓜。
（路透社，十二月十八日）
文︰范斌
閱讀指引
1. tainted (adj) /'teIntId/，TAIN-tid 受污染的、受感染的
解讀：動詞taint解作污染、使感染，它常用被動語態，而過去分詞tainted則常用作形容詞，例如標題的tainted chicken是受污染的雞肉，而末段的tainted milk是受污染的奶；它也因而引申指名聲上的玷污。
2. poultry (n) /'pəultrI/，POLL-tree
家禽、禽肉
解讀：poultry可指家禽，這
時是複數名詞，例如keep poultry已指飼養多隻家禽；此外poultry也可指禽肉，這時不可數；另一個類似的字是本文的chicken，既可指一隻隻的雞，這時可數，也可指雞肉，這時不可數。
3. flout (v) /flaʊt/，fl-OUT 公然藐
視、無視法律
解讀：flout的受詞，通常都是法律、法例，例如flout the law是公然藐視／無視法律；此外常用語尚有flout authority（公然藐視權威）、flout tradition（公然藐視傳統）、flout convention（無視慣例）等。
