Special Consumers

Do you think you could live your life without buying anything？ There are people in the world who live in this way. They are called freegans. Freegans live a non⁃consumerist lifestyle—they reuse clothes， household items， and even food that other people just throw away.

Finding food plays a big part in the life of freegans. They look for food in the wild or even eat food that they take from dumpsters. When you hear the word “dumpster”， you usually think of a smelly， dirty place—but in reality， most food that is thrown away is of good quality. Many supermarkets throw away vegetables and fruits simply because they look ugly. Freegans eat this kind of food.

I used to have many misunderstandings about the freegan way of living. I thought they were poor or homeless. But in fact， most freegans have the income to live just like regular consumers. Instead， they choose to live in a way that is more eco⁃friendly. Many of them also spend their free time volunteering to promote a greener lifestyle.

It’s hard for many of us to live a freegan lifestyle because we are used to consumerism. This is why I really admire the freegans’ wish to protect the planet. I am now trying not to spend money on any unnecessary things. It is my first step in helping reduce global waste.

词语卡片：

1. freegans 不消费主义者

2. non⁃consumerist 非消费主义的

3. dumpsters 垃圾箱

4. smelly 发臭的

5. throw away 扔掉

6. misunderstanding 误会

7. eco⁃friendly 环保的

8. promote 宣传

9. admire 敬佩

10. unnecessary 非必要的

跟踪练习：

1. What does the word “reuse” mean in the first paragraph？

A. 利用 B. 回收 C. 重复使用

2. Why do supermarkets throw away vegetables and fruits？

A. The vegetables and fruits are smelly.

B. The vegetables and fruits look ugly.

C. The vegetables and fruits are of bad quality.

3. Why do some people live a non⁃consumerist lifestyle？

A. Because they are poor and homeless.

B. Because they don’t have enough income.

C. Because they want to live a greener lifestyle.

4. What can we probably do to live a greener lifestyle？

A. We can always live a poor life.

B. We can look for food in dumpsters.

C. We can spend less money on unnecessary.

【分析】文章主要介绍了非消费主义者的生活方式以及人们对他们的认识，并呼吁人们开始一种更环保的生活方式。

1. 词义猜测题。根据“They reuse clothes， household items， and even food that other people just throw away. ”可知，非消费主义者们重复使用衣服、家具用品以及别人扔掉的食物，所以单词reuse指的是“重复使用”。故选C。

2. 细节理解题。根据“Many supermarkets throw away vegetables and fruits simply because they look ugly. ”可知，许多超市扔掉蔬菜和水果仅仅是因为它们看起来不好看。故选B。

3. 细节理解题。根据“Instead， they choose to live in a way that is more eco⁃friendly. Many of them also spend their free time volunteering to promote a greener lifestyle. ”可知，他们想要一种更环保的生活方式。故选C。

4. 细节理解题。根据“I am now trying not to spend money on any unnecessary things. It is my first step in helping reduce global waste. ”可知，我们可以通过尽量不把钱花在不必要的事情上来开始一种更环保的生活方式。故选C。